This article appears to suggest that the "comfortable" lifestyle being sought by the workers here is one of needless decadence and undeserved luxury, when even $15.00 an hour may still be marginally above the standard of living depending on the region, particularly for a student, or single parent.<p>I have to disagree with the premise that education, skill and expertise are strong qualifiers for level of income. Companies want to pay you as little for your time as possible, in order to extract as much value out of you as possible. You can bet your bottom dollar that EMTs and dentists and whomever you might consider deserving of comfort would be making minimum wage if their employers could get away with it. They can't, not because employers recognize that those jobs are somehow <i>implicitly</i> more worthy, but because the labor pool would refuse to work for those wages, and because those jobs can't effectively be automated or outsourced yet.<p>If fast food companies can afford to pay burger flippers $15.00 an hour and still make a profit, then perhaps the author should consider whether or not more estimable jobs, by comparison, are still valued too little.
This is the wrong argument. Wages should be based on what the market will bear, not merit, and this practically an axiom of free-market conservative thought. In fact, arguing from merit is something I'd expect from <i>gasp</i> leftists. If these people are successful in their collective bargaining, then congratulations, $15 an hour is what the market will bear for their services and they deserve every shiny penny.
Just because $15/hr is more than many police or firefighters make doesn't mean that it's too much to ask for. Perhaps we should consider that police and firefighters (and also the accountants et al who are mentioned in the article) are also underpaid. Maybe the decreasing real value of minimum wage is also depressing wages and salaries for more skilled and higher paid workers.
As stated below, the real problem is wage suppression by those with the money. As more wealth gets concentrated to a few, they can decide what someone is worth. That is why there is no middle class. Everyone is replaceable and everyone that contacts customers / provides services gets paid shit, but the managers / vice presidents / presidents, etc... that go to meetings all day, make bank.<p>Trust me, I work for a hospital and entry salaries are insultingly low, poverty level, but there are a bajillion managers / vice presidents that I am sure make six figures. Not sure what they do all day, but I know they don't participate in patient care.<p>Me, I'm a surgeon and do just fine, but it's crazy how little the support staff in the OR make. Even when they're awesome.