Amazon is asking for $15/hr to be made national minimum wage, but getting no support right now. Tell me again why isn’t $15/hr minimum wage getting any support?
It is extremely distortionate to set the minimum wage at the current median. There is not remotely enough margin available to make that reallocation possible without radically reducing income for the majority of workers either through job loss or income reduction.
I read this campaign mainly as a public relations move in attempt to undermine union bargaining for substantial material demands, and am happy to hear other views.
[0]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-12-17/amazon-am... [1]: https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3gj87/why-amazon-is-floodin...
Those small businesses that would get "hit hard" by a $15 minimum wage? We're indirectly subsidizing those businesses with our federal taxes; those businesses are value-destroying enterprises.
(Edit: It's not just small businesses getting this taxpayer subsidy. Walmart and other large employers similarly transfer wealth from taxpayers to their shareholders by relying on government welfare programs to allow their employees to continue to do their jobs. In a very real way, Walmart dividend checks are paid in part by US taxpayers.)