Whether there are good intentions(1) or not, the inevitable consequence of a "living wage", minimum wage, or whatever you call it, is unemployment among the least skilled--typically minorities and youth.
(1) There is plenty of evidence that unions pushing for increases in minimum wage is anything but good intentions and is a desire to boost the demand for union labor. This is especially evident by the fact that in many cases the increase in the minimum wage specifically excludes labor unions.
> Myth: Increasing the minimum wage will cause people to lose their jobs.
> Not true: In a letter to President Obama and congressional leaders urging a minimum wage increase, more than 600 economists, including 7 Nobel Prize winners wrote, "In recent years there have been important developments in the academic literature on the effect of increases in the minimum wage on employment, with the weight of evidence now showing that increases in the minimum wage have had little or no negative effect on the employment of minimum-wage workers, even during times of weakness in the labor market. Research suggests that a minimum-wage increase could have a small stimulative effect on the economy as low-wage workers spend their additional earnings, raising demand and job growth, and providing some help on the jobs front."
The "academic literature" purporting that the minimum wage has no affect on unemployment has deep flaws and has all been disproven. If not so, why not raise the minimum wage to $100 an hour? If it has no affect on unemployment, lets stop pussyfooting around and lets eradicate poverty, right?
The literature I've seen does not purport that no conceivable change in the minimum wage would have any effect on unemployment levels.
It instead concludes that changes within certain specified ranges have not, and should not be expected to, have significant effects on unemployment. (And, much of that academic literature reaching those conclusions is pointing to the actual results refuting earlier models which projected stronger responses.)
>The literature I've seen does not purport that no conceivable change in the minimum wage would have any effect on unemployment levels.
That alone demonstrates the answer in the above linked DOL "mythbusters" to be false, or at least deliberately misleading. Let's break down their response:
>with the weight of evidence now showing that increases in the minimum wage have had little or no negative effect on the employment of minimum-wage workers
They point to past increases in minimum wage which, according to their selected studies, had "little or no" impact on unemployment, but never has any past increase tried to more than double the minimum wage as some strive to do today. The DOL's answer does not address the question posed.
Regarding the aforementioned studies, even if we take their conclusions to be accurate (which I do not--their methodology is deeply flawed), using them to justify today's "fight for 15" is comparing apples to oranges.
> but never has any past increase tried to more than double the minimum wage as some strive to do today.
That's true, but not by a large margin; the biggest %age one-time increase in the federal minimum wage in the past was 87.5%, a one-step increase to $15 now would be just under 107%.
> Regarding the aforementioned studies, even if we take their conclusions to be accurate (which I do not--their methodology is deeply flawed), using them to justify today's "fight for 15" is comparing apples to oranges.
Show me an alternative model you'd prefer to use to reject the "fight for $15" that wasn't rejected by the actual results of minimum wage increases in the last several decades and we can talk.
Otherwise, all I can see is you rejecting all evidence, but still having no actual basis in fact or justifiable theory for the concern you are raising.
>Show me an alternative model you'd prefer to use to reject the "fight for $15" that wasn't rejected by the actual results of minimum wage increases in the last several decades and we can talk.
Tell me which study you want to discuss and/or which methodology is being used and I will tell you where it falls short.
(1) There is plenty of evidence that unions pushing for increases in minimum wage is anything but good intentions and is a desire to boost the demand for union labor. This is especially evident by the fact that in many cases the increase in the minimum wage specifically excludes labor unions.