It's as though two of the nation's largest businesses went from stop to go when it comes to paying more to the people who work for them.
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Chase Bank, today, and Starbucks, yesterday, announced their lowest-paid workers will get substantial raises. But isn't that anathema to stockholders of a publicly held company?
"Attitudes are changing a little bit about that," said Jeff Bond, a Chase customer. "And I also think that good will for a company is always a good thing."
The minimum wage for Chase Bank's American employees is currently $10.15 an hour.
Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says the minimum will rise to at least $12 an hour over the next three years.
The high end will be $16.50 an hour. That's a whopping 62 percent raise.
"I wish I had that job," said Dane Viert, a Chase customer.
"Seems pretty neat," agreed Ismail, another Chase customer. "Yeah, seems like a pretty neat thing to do."
But is it good for business?
"Unemployment rates have gone down," said Dr. Peter Nickerson, a Seattle economist. "There's pressure on low-income jobs."
Nickerson says the decision to raise wages is a reflection of a tightening job market.
"You have to raise wages. If you want to keep your Starbucks employees, you're going to need to raise their wages," said Nickerson. "This isn't goodness of heart. This is just plain economics."
That pleases Bob Rice, whose college-age daughter is a Starbucks barista.
"I like the way they have been treating the employees," Rice said. "And she does, too. She's been very happy."
Then he was reminded that Starbucks raised its prices Tuesday, too.
"I didn't notice," he said, laughing. "And I'm so wired right now, how could I notice?"