- Rep. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the US should raise the
minimum wage , and $15 is a "deep compromise." - She cited
McDonald's workers in Denmark, who make $22 per hour. - McDonald's is one of many major retailers that has stopped publicly fighting against a $15 minimum.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday about the fight for a $15 federal minimum wage.
Ocasio-Cortez cited McDonald's workers in Denmark are paid $22 per hour along with other benefits.
"$15/hr is a deep compromise - a big one, considering the phase-in," she wrote.
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 3, 2021
A provision that would have raised the minimum wage to $15 was struck from President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package was removed in late February after a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian. Another plan to add a tax penalty for companies that failed to pay a $15 hourly wage was also dropped from the bill.
Some major retailers have already stopped fighting against a $15 minimum wage. McDonald's and Waffle House CEOs both told Insider that the chains could handle a $15 minimum wage, and McDonald's stopped lobbying against it in 2019. Walmart said it would start paying workers on the east and west coasts at least $15 an hour, Costco recently raised its minimum to $16 per hour.
Executives have also told Insider that they would consider raising menu prices if a higher minimum wage went into effect. Potbelly's, Texas Roadhouse, and The Cheesecake Factory have each addressed potential to raise prices along with wages, Kate Taylor reported for Insider.
"I would say there is a short-term shock," Texas Roadhouse CEO Wayne Taylor told investors in October. "And then long term, there's an adjustment, both on our side and the guest side."
Price increases are one of the chief criticisms brought up against increasing minimum wages for fast-food workers. As of January 2021, in the US a Big Mac costs $5.66, compared to about $4.90 in Denmark, according to Statista and The Economist's Big Mac Index.
McDonald's workers in Denmark make about $22 per hour, along with sick leave and paid time off thanks to the efforts of unions, though some economists say that a direct comparison of wages may be unfair due to the much higher cost of living in Denmark.