The Minimum Wage Debate is Far From Over: Gretchen Baldau in American Family News
We should focus factors contributing to groceries and energy and everyday living costs.
Gretchen Baldau, ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force Senior Director, spoke with Chris Woodward of American Family News about the tradeoffs and unintended consequences of higher minimum wage legislation in states like California on businesses in the fast-food industry.
“California raised their minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour,” Baldau recalls, “and last time I checked, the fast-food industry had a net job loss in California.”
Saying she understands the motivation to pay hourly workers more, Baldau says governments should do a better job of examining their own policies that drive up the cost of living. They should make those changes, she argues, rather than requiring private businesses to increase their payroll costs.
“How about we focus more on those factors contributing to groceries and energy and everyday living costs?” she says.