The SEIU-funded “Fight for $15” has convened on Philadelphia in the midst of the Democratic National Convention. The “Fight for $15” and the Democratic Party have officially joined forced, having caved to the special interests of big labor by including a $15 minimum wage in their party platform:
We believe that Americans should earn at least $15 an hour and have the right to form or join a union and will work in every way we can—in Congress and the federal government, in states and with the private sector—to reach this goal. We should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour over time and index it, give all Americans the ability to join a union regardless of where they work, and create new ways for workers to have power in the economy so every worker can earn at least $15 an hour.
Democrats obviously don’t have the interest of workers as their top priority. Today, The Wall Street Journal reported that a $15 minimum wage would have crippling effects on Philadelphia, a city that is already suffering for an unemployment rate of 42% in North Philadelphia. As we know, the “Fight for $15” campaign isn’t about raising the wages for workers; it’s about lining the pockets of big union bosses while leaving workers with fewer jobs and less opportunity:
The direct and immediate consequences of a higher wage floor on the entry-level job market are well known: fewer jobs for fewer people. Less discussed are the longer-term adverse outcomes for young people who can no longer find work at artificially high wages.
Democrats and the “Fight for $15” aren’t concerned about the dire consequences a $15 minimum would have on workers in Philadelphia and across the country. The true motives of Democrats and big union bosses are clear. They are willing to throw workers under the bus in exchange for greater political influence and more union dues. A $15 minimum wage only benefits big labor and those in power at the Democratic Party, not the workers.