Government
Where $15 Is Only Worth $12
Local costs of living complicate the conversation around a huge increase to the federal minimum wage.
Like some miraculously bipartisan presidential hopeful, the $15 minimum wage is on a hugely popular, non-stop tour of America.
Earlier this month, New York state announced a long-anticipated plan to phase in a $15 minimum wage for fast-food workers, whose 2012 protests sparked a national movement. That move is hot on the heels of Los Angeles County’s recent decision to raise county wages to $15 by 2020, matching L.A. City Council’s decision in June. Seattle and San Francisco have adopted $15 plans. Plenty of other major cities in the U.S. are talking about it. Both $12 and $15 minimums have been proposed by members of Congress, too.