Episode Details

Policy analyst Sam Cardwell of the Mountain States Policy Center argues that California’s new $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers is a warning sign for the rest of the country. Citing a National Bureau of Economic Research study, he says the policy coincided with an estimated 18,000 fast-food jobs lost between September 2023 and September 2024 and a steeper employment decline than in other states. Cardwell applies those findings to Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, estimating thousands of potential job losses if each adopted a $20 minimum wage, and points to higher restaurant prices in Seattle as evidence of existing wage pressures. He concludes that large minimum wage hikes risk leaving some workers with “a minimum wage of zero.” https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-fast-food-jobs-at-risk-with-high-minimum-wages/

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