Minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $9.00 per hour

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raise it to around $15 like it is over in australia and index it to inflation.

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Economic stats>An anectdote

That's a pretty rude thing to say.

Worse yet it is inaccurate.  In fact most people stay stuck at low-wage jobs their entire lives, and a 'raise' is almost unheard of in the new economy.  The only exciting 'change' one can look forward to is being laid off entirely.

Cite?

Come on, DC, surely you jest?  What I mentioned was common knowledge.  And after all, why would anyone give a worker a raise unless they had too?  All the major employers - WalMart, McDonalds, etc, top out at about $8/hour.

I actually work part-time at McDonald's and we top out at $9, but that's still not much. I've been working there for four years and have seen some sketchy things as far as wages go. I remember, for instance, a time where a manager actually deleted hours that the closing shift worked after midnight so that it looked like they were done "on time." And then there's the girl who didn't get a raise specifically (I was told) because she didn't smile enough. And there's another friend of mine who didn't get a raise (and this is legit, as strange as it sounds, because I saw it written on his performance review) because "he plays too many video games."

It's mind-numbingly bad in the fast food sector.

i'm surprised you didn't bring up how many people aren't getting paid sick days. right now something like 40% of private sector workersdon't get those. considering all the other horror stories in the food industry i'd imagine it's probably at least that. one of the reasons i rarely eat out anymore, never mind get fast food.

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Why in God's name would you pay someone $15 or $20/hour to flip burgers?

To avoid creating the inevitable and much more expensive social problems which below$15/hour pay causes.  Allowing a 'private company' to pay less than a socially sustainable wage is a subsidy of that company by the State and all workers.

exactly, the tax payer is just paying out welfare benefits anyway for a lot of these people. or going to be asked to at some point. and by now the median age of fast food workers in this country is 28. it's not just teenagers or illegal immigrants doing that sort of work. there are plenty of desperate underemployed people and retirees 'flipping burgers' too.