FDR signed the Fair Labor Standards Act into law on June 25, 1938, which included a national minimum wage (originally set at 25¢ per hour), defined the standard work-week as five 8-hour days, and capped overtime at 4 hours per week.  The intention behind the minimum wage was that an employee who's either just getting into the job market or is learning a new trade should be protected against "employer exploitation" while they're learning the ropes and mastering the requisite skill set.  The concept makes sense, and if it'd stayed that way, I'd wager that the minimum wage wouldn't be half the political football that it is now.

Unfortunately, the labor unions got hold of the post-war minimum wage by indexing their labor contract pay scales to a multiple of the minimum wage, giving the union lobby (and their Democrat Party proxies) the incentive to increase the minimum wage as often and as high as popular sentiment would allow.  If the original minimum wage were adjusted for inflation, then today the rate would be $4.13 hourly, ± 4¢ depending on who's doing the math, yet the current national minimum is $3.12 an hour higher than that.  Thinking as a businessman (or perhaps as a classical economist), how many more jobs would become available if the minimum wage were restored to its original purpose, and the rate were deflated to its inflation-adjusted original level?

Most of the staff are still college kids working to better themselves and seniors. These ne'er-do-wells taking part in these "strikes" make up the rest.

These restaurants are also ran very lean on staffing. You won't see half of the staff standing around holding up a mop or broom kibitzing or texting one another. At least the ones I've been in anyways. The manager keeps them all busy.

This is also their Achilles Heel which these poverty pimps have successfully exploited this week.

Speaking of bettering themselves, from Yahoo!News:

"The vast majority of McDonald's more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees. The company said in a statement that McDonald's employees are paid competitive wages, have access to a range of benefits and opportunities for training and career advancement."

Who here wants to bet that this bunch would rather listen to the siren song of socialism and have a way cool picnic on Belle Isle, then to, I don't know, take advantage of the opportunities presented to them and increase their educational and skill set so that they can become more valuable employees and actually earn more?

Anyone? Anyone?

Christine? Eric B.? How about you Chris?

You three lurk around here enough looking for material.

Let's hear you chime in for a change.

The question unconsidered by those carrying signs is how the $12 or $13 sandwich will affect the pace of sales.  How many Gratiot fast food joints will be able to sell enough $12 sandwiches to keep the doors open?  But, say the unions, 'if people are making more money they will buy higher priced fare.'  Um, no.

Higher wages, unless they are attached to productivity increases, will result in the loss of sales and, ultimately, jobs.  A business must operate profitably or it must close the doors.  (That is, unless it is an auto producer or a bank or a green energy company in which case it can expect to be bailed out by the government while the real unemployment rate continues to rise.)  Those few businesses that are left standing might do a brisk business and keep a full roster, but how many people will be employed by those who had to close the doors?  

I feel bad for those people who are trapped inside minimum wage jobs for years.  Yet, in the economy workers are a commodity whose worth will rise and fall with supply and demand and productivity.  In an sluggish urban work environment where real unemployment among certain groups is as high as thirty percent, no business that wants to keep the doors open can afford to pay an arbitrary amount based solely upon a person's self esteem.

(Incidentally, for those wondering, I believe I'm worth $100,000 per year though my dedicated employment offer phone remains inexplicably silent.  Go figure.)

The answer to nearly all of those workers who manage to stay at the bottom of the labor pool forever is this:  don't make bad decisions.  Don't drop out of school.  Don't do drugs.  Don't commit a crime. Don't parent children too young.  Don't cover your face, neck and arms with tattoos.  When you get married stay married.  Oh, and don't vote democrat. And for that kid who lives right next to the bank down the street from my house...pull up your friggen pants!