Lynnwood wage effort: Compensation differs for reason

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 3, 2025

What’s fair in the “fair pay” discussion? (“Lynnwood advocates launch campaign for higher minimum wage,” The Herald, Aug. 26) I don’t think I’m the first one to say it, but paying too much for low level jobs decreases the motivation to better oneself. Each occupation has a certain level of significance when it comes to its impact on society. Comparing, for example, a fast-food worker to an aerospace engineer, one can hopefully understand that mistakes in the kitchen are not as impactful as mistakes in engineering calculations.

My early jobs were stepping stones to better ones. I worked hard enough in school to learn a skill which I enjoyed using in the corporate world. My perception of most of the “minimum wage” campaigns is they are populated with those who want to be paid the moon now without having had to “pay their dues” by working their way up.

Don Holt

Mukilteo