THESE’S NO HIDING FROM THE MINIMUM WAGE

THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC and subsequent recession have brought many companies to the brink. At the same time, the fortunes of the 1 percent continue to rise, widening the racial and gender wealth gaps. Depending on which side of the issue you’re on, it’s either the most crucial or the most fraught moment ever to address a long-simmering debate: What’s a livable wage? And how responsible are employers for paying one? The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour hasn’t budged since 2009-the longest the U.S. has delayed an increase since the inception of the minimum wage in 1938. And while a hotly contested $15 national wage did not wind up in the latest stimulus package, the issue isn’t going away; President Biden will likely pursue it later in his term. On the following pages, some of the smartest leaders, founders, and labor experts we know weigh in on the pros and cons of pushing the federal minimum wage up to $15.

MARK CUBAN

Owner, Dallas Mavericks; costar, Shark Tank

I am all for an indexed $15 minimum wage for those 18 and older. Locations with a lower cost of living would get some amount less, and more expensive locations would get more. Three or four years ago,