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Talking The Talk, Sitting Out The Walk
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The guy who runs the La Colombe coffee chain has lobbied for a $15 minimum wage. But his chain doesn't pay $15 an hour as its own minimum. Baristas start at $9 per hour. More: In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer two years ago, he wrote, "unless you pay your employees a nonpredatory living wage that keeps people and their families above the poverty line, you don’t deserve to be in business." But he doesn't practice what he preaches. He doesn't have to, at least in states and cities where the minimum wage hasn't been increased. And his justification is that the baristas can make up the difference in tips -- the company claims that the wage comes to $16/hour with tips. The union begs to differ. Is this hypocrisy or a reasonable interpretation of conditions? (Philadelphia Inquirer)
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