152,000 jobs are at stake.
How Would a $15 Minimum Wage Affect Wisconsin?
The Fight for $15 battle has been
raging in numerous states and cities all year long, and Wisconsin Public Radio recently reported that a
Democratic coalition plans to capitalize on this by pushing a $15 federal
minimum wage as a campaign issue in Wisconsin, as well as other states that
have key U.S. Senate races. The federal effort is already underway with the Pay
Workers a Living Wage Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders. Under the bill,
the minimum wage nationwide would stairstep increase from $7.25 per hour to $15
per hour over the next four years.
While the issue isn’t new and the
tactic unsurprising, the consequences of this proposal are staggering.
According to a recent Heritage Foundation report on the impact of the
measure, in Wisconsin alone, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would
lead to a loss of 152,000 jobs in the Badger State by 2021. The mandated wage
hike would apply to 34 percent of wage and salary workers in the state, and
small business owners would have to choose between reducing hours, laying off
staff, or closing the company entirely.
The report notes that full-time
employees would have to create at least $38,700 in value for their employers,
which would mean less experienced and less skilled workers could have a harder
time finding jobs. Ultimately, a $15 minimum wage hurts the very people it’s
intended to help.
