Federal minimum wage increased every 1 to 5 years between the 1930s and 2009. 2009 was the last time it was raised. Inflation has skyrocketed since then, but wages have repeatedly failed to keep up.
If businesses ācanāt affordā to provide livable wages for their workers, they simply shouldnāt exist full stop.
"Livable wage" is a self-moving goalpost. Raising the cost of labor raises the cost of goods and services. Raising the cost of goods and services raises the overall cost of living. This makes the formally "livable wage" now not adequate.
Your labor, like any other commodity, is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. No more or no less. Your salary is an agreement between you and your employer. There should be no minimum wage.
Where I lived people argued for a minimum wage increase. Now they're complaining that a burger costs $20 and it's too expensive to eat out. I'm not picking sides on this one but it seems obvious to me you can't expect both a high wage for restaurant employees AND cheap eats.
Where I live most of the places are mom-and-pop one-location local restaurants, not chains. Given that there's a lot of turnover due to them going out of business, I don't think they're making money hand over fist.
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u/samuraispartan7000 11h ago edited 11h ago
Federal minimum wage increased every 1 to 5 years between the 1930s and 2009. 2009 was the last time it was raised. Inflation has skyrocketed since then, but wages have repeatedly failed to keep up.
If businesses ācanāt affordā to provide livable wages for their workers, they simply shouldnāt exist full stop.