Raising Minimum Wage For Fast Food Workers - 1001 Words

Imagine you just finished your degree in public education. You worked tirelessly for four years to prove you have what it takes to lead our nation’s youth to a better future. All your hard work is now being compensated the same as the average Joe flipping burgers down the street from your school. They may have passed high school, or have no education at all. How would that make you feel? Either way, a movement, called Fight for Fifteen, is lobbying elected officials to mandate minimum wage for fast food workers at fifteen dollars an hour, and I feel it is a slap in the face to America’s middle class. With the ridiculous demand to raise minimum wage to unprecedented heights, the economy will tank. In the long run, the people demanding the†¦show more content†¦(WSJ Eric Morath) Imagine what the full fifteen would do. The McIver Study, found that just in Wisconsin, a wage increase to fifteen would cost almost on hundred thousand jobs. (Heartland) These samples alo ne indicate future impacts on our economy. The average minimum wage is around eight dollars per hour. If the Fight for Fifteen movement is successful, we are looking at an 87.5% raise in labor costs on average. Where do you think large companies and small businesses alike are going to cut costs? Mark Perry, of American Enterprise Institute, showed that Seattle has started to experience the hike in labor costs. Since the minimum wage increase in April 2015, restaurant employment decreased by one thousand in the month of May. This is the largest job decline since January 2009, during the great recession. (American Enterprise Institute) Obviously, cutting labor costs at the source, the employee, are prevailing just months after the initial hike. Even if the employee keeps their job, some are losing their benefits to compensate for the increase. In SeaTac, Washington, employers are already taking away 401(k)s, overtime, and health insurance. Employers are transitioning to new technology to solve labor costs. Jobs that are monotonous and require