Fast food workers in Williston, ND are making in the 14 to 15 dollar an hour range--to start. But rent in the town is $2000 or more monthly (plus utilities) for a two-bedroom apartment. Although the wages came in response to the rents (due to rapid expansion and a housing shortage), the rents rose in response to housing shortage caused by a proliferation of high-paying oilfield jobs, causing an influx of people.
Raising the minimum wage for a larger area will have the effect of cheapening the wages of those making more through inflation, and thus damage the middle class (some more).
I believe that is the Marxists' desired effect.
If it is a local phenomenon, it will make the landlords and real estate brokers a bundle (and increase tax revenues--gummint can be greedy, too), but the average person will suffer in the long run--especially if they are on a fixed income.
Raising the minimum wage for a larger area will have the effect of cheapening the wages of those making more through inflation, and thus damage the middle class (some more).It will have the effect of narrowing portals of entry to the workforce. Fast food restaurants may have 100% or more annual employee turnover rate. Most leave when they find better jobs. According to company estimates, one in every eight American workers has been employed by McDonald's at some time. If half the jobs in a fast food restaurant are replaced by automation, that's half as many who will gain entrance to the work force. (It does create a permanent underclass of Democrat voters who are dependent on the government for their every need.)
