Comment by rafram
4 days ago
Would it be better if they hired non-union labor at $5/hour (1/3 the minimum wage)? Would you apply for that job?
4 days ago
Would it be better if they hired non-union labor at $5/hour (1/3 the minimum wage)? Would you apply for that job?
Obviously that would be better. If no one applied for the job you raise rates until someone does.
You don't artificially start unnecessarily high.
If you do you are basically stealing from taxpayers to give gifts to unions.
Fortunately for the workers, paying below minimum wage is illegal. (And for what it’s worth, it’s really hard to hire even at minimum wage these days. McDonald’s pays well above $15 in most metro areas - including in states which use the federal minimum.)
The actual scenario at hand is paying 3x wages "just because".
You said 1/3 minimum wage as a strawman. Not to mention minimum wages aren't necessary anyway - like you said "it’s really hard to hire even at minimum wage these days".
Pay market wages, without external forces driving wages higher. Because, higher wages means higher costs, and if you are government that's essentially theft from your taxpayers.