This story demonstrates one of the major underlying problems in labor relations today. How does the fact that you haven't gotten a raise in ten years translate into the city should pay you more? What added value have you brought? Is the city any less bankrupt due to your efforts? Or do we all deserve raises due to our continued ability to fog a mirror?

I had a similar discussion with some folks on a musicians website that I visit occasionally. I should state at the outset that it has a somewhat liberal bent to it for the most part.

In any event, the consensus of opinion was that the minimum wage should be indexed to the cost of living at a particular location. I apparently ruffled some feathers when I maintained that as a business owner, I need to make money. First and foremost, I should be one of, if not the highest paid individuals in the organization. The simple arithmetic is this: if I'm paying you $10/hour, your efforts should generate at least $10.01 per hour, or failing that, free up my time enough so that I can generate said amount. $9.99/hour means that it costs me money to know you. As you might imagine, I was everything from heartless to a greedy bastard.

I can live with that, but what I can't live with is for example paying a burger flipper $15/hour plus bennies. Further, if I were a McDonald's franchise holder, i don't have the discretion to raise prices as I see fit. So what's an entrepeneur to do other than go on strike?

City clerk is severely underpaid at $73K, huh?

I think that she should teach them all a lesson and resign forthwith! Why I'm sure that she'll be able to get double that paltry amount in a matter of minutes!

Yeah, that's the ticket!

Thieves...amazing the level of ignorance with the voters... literal insanity.

Agree with splumb. Dan Gilbert may have a thing or two to say about city government now that he owns most of the city. His capitalsim speaks for itself. City council should be careful what they ask for - they just might get it.