My name is Owen Sullivan and I am the owner and pharmacist of Sullivan Drugs, a small, hometown pharmacy that currently employs 16 people. Even though there are much larger and smaller employers than myself, the effects and market economics of a large minimum wage increase are universal.
Is $8.25 an hour enough to raise a family? No! But let’s face it, $10.50 per hour is not going to raise a family these days either. Out of the 16 positions at Sullivan Drugs, there are two well-paid Pharmacist positions (that require six years of College) and there are 14 normal positions that could be occupied by anyone. 4-5 of those positions pay very well for a small town, with a small cost of living ($13-$15 per hour). 3 positions pay in the $10-$12 range, and the remaining 6-7 positions are stepping-stone jobs that pay minimum wage (currently $8.25 per hour).
None of the people earning $13-$15 per hour have completed college. They have just busted their butts to prove they deserve to make that wage. They work very hard, have mentally draining hours, and earn every penny (if not more) of what they make and our store could not function without their efforts. The other 3 people that make $10-$12 per hour have worked for me for a long time and do a great job. I want to reward them and make them feel special, so I pay them extra, but their job is not nearly as hard or demanding as the first set of people.
Even at those wages, those 7-8 people cannot raise a family alone on those wages. They struggle to do it with the help of their spouse’s salaries. The last 6-7 people make $8.25 per hour. They are needed and appreciated, but honestly, this wage may already be too much. These positions are not “career” positions, they are merely stepping-stone jobs for high school and college students, before they better themselves into a higher paying position (whether that is with me or elsewhere).
There is only a limited amount of funds that can be spent on wages at any business. This is especially true at my pharmacy. With the catastrophic effects that Obama care and insurances have placed on profitability in recent years, I would have already been forced to sell or close my pharmacy, if I was not 22 years through a 25 year payoff of my purchase. (This is all while doing more prescriptions and business than ever, but that is another topic).
So, where will that extra money come from that “Lawmakers” are trying to mandate? Since I am not the State of Illinois, and I can’t just take other’s money to pay my payroll, I have only two choices:
- Pay all the people that deserve the money, and really do need it to raise a family, LESS.
- Employ less people.
Since, I can’t see paying people that really deserve the money less, I will be forced to employ less minimum wage people. In the 22 years I have worked at Sullivan Drugs, we have employed 100’s of high school and college kids, which has given them some money while going on to be productive members of society. This number will have to be cut in half, as well as the customer service that goes along with it. It will take much longer to get help finding or picking out a gift, or getting a present wrapped for free, because it will have to happen between checking out people.
Next look at the negative impact this will have on the people who were already making $10.50+ per hour. They will feel defeated, because all of the time, effort and hard work they put in to get them in a position to make more than minimum wage has just been negated. They will not be making that much more than the high school kid using the job for extra money. And that high school person is not nearly as hard working, responsible or dependable. All of this, for the person this was SUPPOSED to help (the person making minimum wage) will now have a much harder time finding a job. Could “Lawmakers” be any more clueless on the negative ramifications of this action?
Owen Sullivan
Owner/pharmacist at Sullivan Drugs, Carlinville
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