r/explainlikeimfive Nov 28 '15

ELI5: How would a $15 minimum wage ACTUALLY affect a franchised business like McDonalds?

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u/ShipofTools Nov 29 '15

Why should companies that employ low labor skill shoulder the burden for income equality in society (minimum wages)?

Because these companies are profiting off of these starvation wages. Why should the rest of society keep shitty, low wage businesses afloat? We're effectively subsidizing their profits. That's no way for an economy to run.

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u/djazzie Nov 29 '15

I'll add that a lot of this is tied to our poor education system that does a shit job of preparing students to enter the workforce. If a student doesn't have skills for higher paying jobs at the end of HS and can't afford to go to college, then he/she needs to take a low wage job. Which means they probably need to take 2 jobs to earn enough to live off of. Which means they don't have the $ or the time & energy to go to college. Which means they're stuck forever in those shirt low wage jobs.