These government set minimum wages ignore productivity. To pay someone $24 an hour their labor must generate more than $24 of revenue per hour worked. For jobs as in the fast food industry this is not possible without drastically increasing the price of those burgers and reducing the number of workers. It might well be cheaper to automate production rather than pay a non or semi skilled worker $24 per hour.
You hit the nail on the head...
Hourly minimum wage usually is close to the cost of a normal McDonald’s meal....say $7.25 minimum wage is cost of one meal...so increase minimum wage to $15.00 per hour and you get one of two things.
1. one meal costs close to $15.00
2. Employees lose their jobs to robots who work for less.
The latter will eliminate jobs for teens, who are in HS.
Seems counterproductive to me for the employee to fight for $15.00 an hour at fast food restaurants, when they can get a Pell Grant from the government, and train for a job that pays $15.00 an hour, such as a CNA...which takes about two months training including internship depending on state law. Sure they have to change patients diapers, but if they have babies they will have to change theirs too...good experience. Other options are bar tenders, hair stylists, barbers, auto mechanics etc, although some classes may take longer. Stick with that minimum wage job and work nights.
I worked my way through college....any work is worthwhile.
WE have the whining generation instead of the working one. And there are plenty of jobs out there, the teens in my family have had no problem finding work in this economy, although it takes looking and filling out applications.
The older one has a full time job with benefits now, after two years of community college and minimum wages at a grocery store...so getting off their keister is the first step to finding a job that pays well.
Higher paying job equals more payroll taxes to the government, thereby meaning more youth, who can get small grants to train for higher paying jobs...it’s a hand up for the poor, and promotes capitalism... not a hand out or an entitlement like food stamps. People choose work or choose an alternative. Smart does not always mean productive.