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“Shouldn’t the blame here be on these people who are not qualified to participate in the broader jobs market? Surely you must see some truth in this.”

I do blame them, but I also blame the people who imported them and gave them jobs.
I realize flipping burgers isn’t the same as working for Boeing.
But, the argument that unions distort the market and artificialy inflate labor overlooks the fact that guest workers and illegals artificialy drive the labor market down.
If the only way to keep the price from going up is to hire illegals or guest workers doesn’t that subvert the free market.

Shouldn’t the blame here be on these people who are not qualified to participate in the broader jobs market? Surely you must see some truth in this.

I do blame them, but I also blame the people who imported them and gave them jobs.

I doubt you envision McDonalds going to India or Bangladesh and recruiting. I think you're making a good case against H1-B visas, but missing the mark when it comes to fast food restaurants.

I realize flipping burgers isn’t the same as working for Boeing.

No it isn't. I'd be much more comfortable if you were making an argument with a position only a little above the McDonalds example though. This is an important point, one that I think will help you to understand another dynamic in play here.

Why is it healthy to have different pay scales from bottom to top? Why is the admission of a desire to see a Utopian world of equal pay an admission of not understanding fully what takes place in a Capitalist society, or for that matter, a healthy society?

How many engineers would we have if upon completion of high school, a graduate could choose from among a massive list of positions they could accept, that would afford them "a living wage"?

I would submit to you, that a number of things would take place the very moment the minimum wage was raised to $15.00 to $20.00 bucks an hour.

1. Tens of millions of jobs would vanish.
2. Tens of millions of new people would be unemployed.
3. There would be very little (almost no) incentive for anyone sixteen years and above, to continue with education.
4. We would in short order see the amount of people who were procuring advanced degrees, diminish in significant numbers.
5. We would in short order see a massive brain drain in the United States.
6. We would in short order be unable to fulfill strategically important jobs
7. We would in short order see a massive number of businesses fail.
8. The United States would hit the bottom with an echoing thud.

There has to McDonalds, or there are not only no Boeings, but very little else in-between.

But, the argument that unions distort the market and artificialy inflate labor overlooks the fact that guest workers and illegals artificialy drive the labor market down.

Well, that hasn't been overlooked by me.

If the only way to keep the price from going up is to hire illegals or guest workers doesn’t that subvert the free market.

In some instance yes, and in other instances no.

In almost all instances though, I disagree with either of these options.