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What's the unpopular opinion?
I wish the minimum wage was set by your region's cost of living. That way, we wouldn't have to renegotiate it every 5 minutes, and we wouldn't have one guy yelling, "but we need 30 an hour here!" while another screams, "30?!? You only need 5 an hour here!" >

It always baffles me when I see software engineers making 250k in California, but then I remember I live in the Midwest and things are quite literally a 5th the cost LOL. All things together I am actually doing better than they are only making 90k >

Would you support a SF WFH tech worker getting a pay cut if he moves to the Midwest? >

No. Equal pay for equal work at the same place. I would support a pay cut for working from home because that would at least be consistent logically, but not based on geographical location. >

I disagree. Paying differently for the same work means that the company values the work differently based on geographic region. Same pay for the same work in the same company. That's what I believe in. >

Hard pass.  Getting paid high wages for a high cost of living whilst living in a low cost of living area seriously fucks up the rental and housing markets in those areas.  I pay 900 bucks for a 3 bedroom because that's what the local economy can afford to pay.  If some goons who previously paid 2000+ for a SF studio move here en masse, prices will skyrocket and price out the locals while more tech bros pour in for the low prices. >

I understand the other side, I really do. But it doesn't sit right with me that the cost of labor changes for a company based on geographic region. Companies can pay cost of living, or cost of labor. Picking and choosing when to pay what isn't fair to workers. >

Get a local employer to where you're moving to then. >

That doesn't solve the problem now, does it? My colleagues in more expensive areas don't have that luxury. I'd rather our workplaces unionize and coordinate to negotiate the same wage. That also doesn't fully solve the problem, only just that company. Even better than unionizing, I'd like to see a piece of legislation that codifies CoL as the minimum wage with annual adjustments. >

Then join a union where you are. >

got my first real job in the late 80s - it was manual labor and i had just dropped out of highschool (forget what i started at, but i know i was making $12 within a year or so)
stayed there 4 years and was making $21 per hr when i left (so barely into the 90s and i quit cause they wouldn't give me a raise)
gas was roughly $1 per gal, smokes were a buck fifty, my rent was $450 per month (two bedroom in central Cali) and i bought myself a single-owner trans-am (yeah, i was a douche) for like $3k 
today gas/smokes cost over 3 times what they did then, my last apartment was $1500 a month, the used Subaru i just bought was $12k 
it is disgusting that young people today are expected to survive on roughly (or even less than) what i made back then - we should be ashamed >

This is only unpopular if you’re a top level grossly overpaid executive of a company. >

If wages were up 4X then homes would be up 40X instead of 10X. You can't solve supply issues by raising wages. >

Tom Nook just needs to sell house upgrades for less bells. >

I don't think this is unpopular.
The 3 things that are doing the most to suppress wages are offshoring, (mass) immigration, and automation. The labor market is no different than any other market, and it is ruled by the laws of supply and demand. When you increase the quantity supplied without increasing the quantity demanded the costs will fall.
This is not an accident, and Bernie Sanders said that illegal immigration was a "Koch brothers conspiracy" to keep labor costs low. If you want to fix wages for the working and middle class in the developed world, you need to really evaluate our trade policies with developing nations, and current levels of immigration. >

Downvoted for not being an unpopular opinion >

I am not saying it is acceptable to make minimum wage but think about this a second.  All of these costs are high and escalating.  What do you think would happen if they all of a sudden started paying every farm worker or McDonalds employee $80k a year.  Do you have any idea what that crappy burger would cost then?   The money to pay all of these employees has to come from somewhere and would come from consumers.  I worked 75 hours a week when I was 20-33yrs old w a college degree.  40hr full time and 35hrs waiting tables, 7 days a week.  I lived w a friend to be able to be out of my folks home.  I drove a used car.  People need to do what is necessary to make ends meet vs complaining they cannot afford to live when they can but they don’t want to w/out the effort forth or cannot live w/o a $300/mo cell, car payment 1bdrm apartment, new clothes, etc etc.  
Sorry, just struck a nerve.  Nothing personal >

2010 to 2020 McDonald’s NET  income has been 4-5 billions a year.  2021 was 7.5 billion. 
They’re not going to go broke anytime soon. >

how is this unpopular? who wants less money