Protesters Call for $15 Minimum Wage that would Cost Wisconsin 91,000 Jobs

April 15, 2015

For Immediate Release
Contact: Nick Novak, 608-237-7290
nnovak@maciverinstitute.com

[Madison, Wisc…] Union-backed organizations across the country plan to hold protests today calling for a $15 minimum wage, including demonstrations in Madison and Milwaukee. While the groups rail against fast food restaurants, they fail to give workers the full story.

According to a recent study by The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would cost 91,000 Wisconsin workers their job. According to the data, a $15 minimum wage would inevitably lead to reductions in employment and would disproportionately harm younger workers and those without a college degree.

In response to the protests calling for a $15 minimum wage, Brett Healy, President of the MacIver Institute, released the following statement:

“It is no surprise that once again union-backed groups are organizing protests to call for a $15 minimum wage and the right for fast food workers to form unions. While they claim it is about the workers, it is just a thinly veiled attempt to get more money into the pockets of greedy union bosses.

“If the union bosses organizing these protests cared about the workers, they would inform them that a $15 minimum wage would result in massive layoffs. But, instead of educating workers, they only seemed concerned with increasing the amount of union members paying dues.

“According to our research, 91,000 Wisconsin workers would lose their job if the minimum wage was raised to $15. In a state that is still struggling to bounce back from the recession, it is unfathomable to think this would be a good idea.

“Younger workers and those without a college degree would be the hardest hit by such an increase. Instead of taking away opportunities for these workers to break into the labor market, we should be looking for more ways to help them move up the career ladder.”

The full report on the impact of a $15 minimum wage in Wisconsin is available by clicking here.

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