Seattle has given us grunge rock, gourmet coffee and now they may gift Wisconsin and the rest of the nation the $15 minimum wage. After Republicans were largely successful across America in 2010, regressive labor legislation like the stripping away of collective bargaining and right-to-work have awoken a long subdued labor movement. An ordinance passed in Seattle for a $15 minimum wage has shown a high minimum wage could be a real possibility. Wednesday, the $15 minimum wage movement was present in Madison.

Minimum wage hikes usually strike ire in the hearts of capitalists and conservatives. Many make the case a higher minimum wage would stunt economic growth and result in job loss. However, the economic benefits could be flipped to champion a conservative cause.

For a person working 40 hours a week, every week of the year, a $15 minimum wage would amount to $31,200 a year. Higher incomes mean less people would rely on public assistance. A decline in public assistance recipients would allow the state government to allocate more funds into other areas of the budget that could benefit all of the state’s citizens, such as education.

The minimum wage movement also has a moral cause. Low-wage labor usually conjures up an image of students flipping burgers, but in fact many fast food workers are adults. This means many workers are not only working to achieve some upward mobility, but to support their families. A Wider Opportunities for Women study found a two-child household needs a $72,000 income to be economically secure.

Furthermore, according to a March 2012 study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, if the minimum wage was pegged to increases in inflation, the rate would have been $10.52 an hour. This is similar to what President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats supported. Productivity has increased far faster than inflation. According to same study, if the minimum wage was pegged to productivity, the rate of pay would be a whopping $21.72 — lower than $15 movement asks for. These figures tell us, over time, it has become less profitable to be an American worker and exceedingly profitable to be an American capitalist.

The protesters who came to the University of Wisconsin campus Wednesday brought a discussion Wisconsin surely needs. According to the Institute for Research on Poverty, the official poverty rate for Wisconsin in 2012 was 12.8 percent. A heightened minimum wage would lift many impoverished Wisconsinites out of poverty and put money directly in the pockets of working people who will then put their newfound disposable income back into the economy.

Seattle’s implementation of a $15 minimum wage has shown a high base income can become a reality. Just a few years ago, many would find a $15 minimum wage laughable, but progressive policy makers and a resurgent labor movement have shown investing in the working class is a cause worth championing. Madison residents cannot ignore the calls of labor protesters; it’s high time we give them a raise.

Nichalous Pogorelec ([email protected]) is a sophomore studying sociology.