Summary: <p>The fight for $15 is catching on.</p> <p>Fast food workers in New York claimed victory last week when a panel appointed by the governor agreed with them: their minimum wage should be increased to $15 an hour over the next few years. That recommendation must now be reviewed by a high commissioner, who's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/nyregion/new-york-minimum-wage-fast-food-workers.html">expected to approve it</a>. But in Seattle and Los Angeles, city councils have already approved citywide increases to $15. And at the national level, a bill before Congress would more than double the federal minimum wage to $15 from $7.25.</p> <p>This week, <em>Money Talking </em>raises a perennial economic question: do raises in the minimum wage help or harm the workers who fight for them? A raise might help the <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-02/treasuries-gain-as-u-s-adds-fewer-jobs-than-forecast-in-june">wage stagnation</a> we're seeing in the national economy, but some economists suggest a raise too big could shrink the pool of jobs. In Los Angeles this week, some union leaders are asking to be exempt from the $15 city-wide minimum they fought for, in order to have more flexibility in asking for other benefits. And some critics suggest industry-specific raises, like the fast food one in New York, could lead to distortions in the economy.</p> <p>Guest host <a href="http://ftalphaville.ft.com/meet-the-team/cardiff-garcia/">Cardiff Garcia</a> of the <em>Financial Times</em> asks <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/josh_barro/index.html">Josh Barro</a> from <em>The New York Times</em> and <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/author/reihan-salam">Reihan Salam</a> from the <em>National Review,</em> who've <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/29/upshot/a-15-minimum-wage-but-why-just-for-fast-food-workers.html?_r=0">both</a> <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/04/the_fight_for_15_it_s_a_bad_idea_raising_the_minimum_wage_to_15_would_hurt.html">written</a> on the topic, what the raises at local and national levels could mean for the workforce and other ways the government might improve conditions for workers.</p>
