--- title: "Monday Buzz: When It Comes to Salaries, How High Is Too High?" id: "28144" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-when-it-comes-to-salaries-how-high-is-too-high" published_at: "2015-04-20T19:28:17+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T17:51:50+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/04/20/monday-buzz-when-it-comes-to-salaries-how-high-is-too-high/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/04/20/monday-buzz-when-it-comes-to-salaries-how-high-is-too-high.md" excerpt: "The debate over minimum salaries continues after a Seattle company raises its wages sky-high. Plus: John Oliver takes on so-called patent trolls." taxonomy_category: - "Executive Leadership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "C-suite" - "Compensation" - "Leadership" - "organization goals" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: When It Comes to Salaries, How High Is Too High? Last week, Seattle-based credit-card-processing company Gravity Payments suddenly announced that it would [raise its minimum salary to $70,000 (opens in a new tab)](http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/14/news/companies/ceo-pay-cuts-pay-increases/) . That salary, far beyond the city’s already high $15 minimum wage, will be funded by trimming 75 to 80 percent of estimated profits, and by founder Dan Price’s adoption of that same paycheck. So, did Price make the right call? *Fast Company* reporter [Lydia Dishman (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/lydiabreakfast) asked several experts for their perspective. As you might expect, [they were split on the issue (opens in a new tab)](http://www.fastcompany.com/3045138/the-future-of-work/can-a-70000-minimum-wage-work) . “Although money is not the only motivator, it is still a motivator, and at the end of the day eliminating the wage gap in this example would reduce motivation,” [Casemore and Co. (opens in a new tab)](https://www.casemoreandco.com/) founder Shawn Casemore told Dishman. But organizational psychologist [Karissa Thacker (opens in a new tab)](http://www.karissathacker.com/) , Ph.D., points to the importance of Price’s “authentic” leadership in inspiring employees. “Boldness like this never appears easy or feasible,” Thacker said. “But as the war for the best talent heats up, you will see more of this type of leadership.” ### Video of the Day **[The battle over so-called patent trolls](http://associationsnow.com/2014/02/white-house-patent-reform-progress-draws-association-praise/)** has been a [public policy priority for many associations](http://associationsnow.com/2015/03/app-developers-eye-novel-defense-patent-trolls/) , but last night, comedian John Oliver entered the ring with one of his signature deep dives. ### Other Good Reads **Can a town run on social media?** Over at the [Lab for Social Machines blog (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/@socialmachines/the-incredible-jun-a-town-that-runs-on-social-media-49d3d0d4590) , William Powers and Deb Roy look into the interesting case of the Spanish town Jun and its inventive use of social networks. **Hold off on booking a band and consider a “silent party.”** That’s advice from association CEO and management consultant Tom Morrison [in a new blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://tommorrison.blogspot.com/2015/04/meeting-innovations-how-silent-party.html) . **If you have a compelling monthly giving campaign,** consider entering the Network for Good’s Recurring Giving Challenge, [which could net your organization a portion of the $20,000 prize pool (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/site/doubling_down_on_monthly_giving) . (bobby aback/ThinkStock) [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#C-suite](https://associationsnow.com/tag/c-suite/) [#Compensation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/compensation/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#organization goals](https://associationsnow.com/tag/organization-goals/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyCEO Bonus scorecardJanuary 26, 2022](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/26/ceo-bonus-scorecard/) - [TemplateMembers onlyCompensation Policy for Executive DirectorFebruary 1, 2022](https://associationsnow.com/2022/02/01/compensation-policy-for-executive-director/) - [VideoSmarter Board Management for Associations: An OnBoard ShowcaseJuly 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/24/smarter-board-management-for-associations-an-onboard-showcase/) - [ArticleBeyond the Listening TourNovember 27, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/27/beyond-the-listening-tour/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F04%2F20%2Fmonday-buzz-when-it-comes-to-salaries-how-high-is-too-high%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !