$15 minimum wage is not the appropriate policy for a pandemic.

The main arguments for a $15 minimum wage are that it would:<br><br>1. Be above a full time employees poverty line<br>2. Account for the value of the minimum wage in comparison to a century ago<br>3. Increase worker productivity<br>4. Open up better job opportunities for low wage workers<br>5. Reduce poverty<br>6. Reduce turnover and recruitment costs<br>7. Increase consumer demand<br><br>It's a policy that is meant for a time period with full employment, where corporations have the means to do this, and where we are not in the middle of a massive recession.<br><br>The minimum wage being above a full time employees poverty line is a good standard to hold minimum wage, but we are in a recession where poverty is going to skyrocket, and raising the minimum wage only fixes the symptom, not the cause, which is a lack of jobs. The money to pay for minimum wage increases will be coming from the pockets of consumers, corporations, and investors, which will either lead to a decrease in employment, a decrease in investment, or higher prices. All of these lead to a decrease in consumer demand, so even if the poor do get more money, there will be fewer places to spend it.<br><br>The $15 minimum wage being comparable to the minimum wage of a century ago seems like a flawed statistic to me. It's a little bit ignorant to historical context to not account for the fact that the United States was still primarily an agrarian society a century ago, and the industrial revolution was still in its early stages. Just because the minimum wage was high a century ago does not mean it should be today.<br><br>Worker productivity will not increase with a $15 minimum wage. A large portion of minimum wage employment are "low skill" jobs that do not require much training in the specific field. It's not like retail workers, janitors, and cashiers are going to be more productive with a $15 minimum wage, and the corporations are not going to find ways in which they can be more productive because the minimum wage is higher. The higher minimum wage will lead to higher prices, which will lead to less consumers, which could lead to less workers needed, or at the very least, no increase in employment, which is the opposite of the goal of raising minimum wage.<br><br>Open up better job opportunities for low wage workers by increasing the minimum wage? This is just the corporations fault right? Well, it's also partially the employees fault. They don't deserve a better job just because they're in a low wage job. If anything, the $15 minimum wage will INCREASE the requirements for minimum wage jobs. If I'm paying my employees $15 an hour, I'm going to expect them to be better workers, and I'm going to expect them to have more qualifications. The idea that a $15 minimum wage will open up better jobs for low wage workers is a ridiculous notion. Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will not make low wage workers more qualified for better jobs.<br><br>Finally, the $15 minimum wage will not reduce poverty, as previously stated. It will not increase consumer demand because it will lead to higher prices, lower employment, lower investment, or all three. It will not reduce poverty, but rather change who is in poverty. A $15 minimum wage is a "Fuck you, got mine" attitude, and does not address the root of the problem, a lack of jobs. To take this attitude during a pandemic is a fucking joke.<br><br>Have you seen the numbers for unemployment during this pandemic? 3.3 MILLION people file for unemployment claims every week. A $15 minimum wage will not solve the problem of 30-40 MILLION people filing for unemployment. Raising the minimum wage is not the appropriate policy during a pandemic.<br><br>Edit:<br><br>Y'all are not getting it. This is NOT the time for a $15 minimum wage. This is not the time for student loan debt forgiveness. This is not the time for a UBI. This is not the time for any policy which will increase the costs of production, decrease investment, or increase prices. A $15 minimum wage does ALL of these things. This is not the time for radical policy, it's time to wait for the economy to recover, and then we can have a discussion on a higher minimum wage.<br><br>Edit:<br><br>Alright so nobody got it before, so I'll say it again.<br><br>$15 MINIMUM WAGE WILL DECREASE INVESTMENT DURING A TIME WHEN BUSINESSES ARE ALREADY HURTING FINANCIALLY. THIS WILL LEAD TO EVEN LESS JOBS, AND EVEN MORE UNEMPLOYMENT. INSTEAD OF RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE, WHICH WILL ONLY BENEFIT THE EMPLOYED, WE SHOULD INCREASE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS INSTEAD, WHICH WILL ACTUALLY HELP THE UNEMPLOYED.<br><br>Unemployment benefits will reach more people, and will not lead to a decrease in investment for business owners.