What are your thoughts on the "Fight for $15?"

Incomparable.

Food Service Workers are UNSKILLED LABOR. Military is SKILLED Labor. Apples and Oranges. They shouldn't make the same. They shouldn't be used in the same sentence. Not Comparable professions. As a matter of fact, one is not a "profession" it is Unskilled Labor.

There are two labor categories: exempt and hourly. Exempt are exempt from the wage and hour standards; are usually paid for what they know vice what they do. The hourly or wage and hour folks are entitled to overtime, are subject to standards as to the most they can work in a given day or week that sort of thing. The minimum wage law then applies to wage and hour folks.
Now given that service members are treated like wage and hour folks in terms of their pay, but like the exempt folks in terms of labor conditions, wages etc. In other words they get paid a salary that doesn't vary month to month. They are not eligible for overtime pay, within their rate or pay grade they get the same pay whether they are in the top ten percent of those in the same technical specialty and most of them would love an eight hour day. Now I recognize their may be certain incentives for certain specialties (e.g. doctors, special forces etc) but the discussion is about minimum wage so we are assuming low or no skill. My point is that when comparing service members to civilian workers you need to realize that service members are different and do make less per hour if you assume the typical 12 to 16 hour day and add to it that that pay can be earned in any environment or geographic location and that your stability can be interrupted by orders.
So given that some have said that Mc Donald's has not suffered by being forced to raise its pay for minimum wage jobs. I think those who are long in tooth such as I, will recall for instance when the Big Mac was appropriately named but the size of the patty has constantly decreased, same for other cost cutting moves. Some have mentioned the minimum wage as 5.00 per hour in our state it is something like 9.50 others more others less. The point is that there is no requirement for you to stay in a minimum wage job. You can acquire skills and improve your position in life you can even open your own business. There are no restrictions. It is not up to the government or others who are working to make sure you are able to exist. There are programs to help but if you choose to stay at that level and not better yourself than shame on you.
Raising the minimum wage to a national standard of 15.00 has significant impact on inflation and business. I work with a pre school as an economic advisor. We pay above minimum wage and have certain labor categories. If the wages go to 15 across the board we will be forced to raise our tuition costs significantly which will make the product unaffordable to some which then decreases the amount we contribute in taxes best case to being forced to close the doors worst case.

The same reason a congress member makes more than Military, when they are both Serving the Country...one with little or no risk, and the other with 1000% risk.

According to current demographics in the USA, 50% are single parent families. Often, these families are just keeping afloat financially. I believe $15.00/hr is a good thing to have. In terms of the trade-offs, the retail customer should not have to pay all of the rate hike. I believe there probably should be pay cuts and less employees at the corporate level in order to pay hourly wages for those who are working in the stores.

I agree.  There seems to be a feeling among some of the politicians and lobbyists that someone with a minimum wage job should be able to support a household.  Maybe a bachelor sharing the rent with a couple other guys/gals, but not a family.  The problem is that we have a lot of people unemployed or underemployed. Government can't create jobs like business can so it always attempts some proxy for a good solution. 

It's important to note that those making minimum wage currently, and historically make up only about 2% of the workforce, and that the population making such a wage is weighted heavily in the direction of the inexperienced, untested, and unskilled young. 

The point to the minimum wage is NOT to support a family on 40 or fewer hours per week, though with two household members working at the minimum wage, that's $7.25 x 2 (employees) x 2080 hrs/yr = $30160/year puts them at double the Federal poverty level of $15430/ yr for a 2 person household.  Adding a second part job to the mix adds to the income as well.  (I, for one,  can't remember a time that I haven't worked more than one job.)  Even as an E-4 on active duty I worked at a local animal shelter, and working at a roadhouse a few evenings a week.

Clearly this is not a lot of money, particularly as our Federal government and it's minion the Federal Reserve continue to inflate our dollars thereby reducing everyone's purchasing power but that's an argument for another post. 

The point is, the Minimum wage is not, and should not make people comfortable in such a position.  It should instead encourage the unskilled, the untested, and the under-educated to grow in each of these qualities and then become able to demand a higher wage after proving themselves as a skilled, reliable and educated employee who knows how to effectively interact with other workers, with management, and with customers. 

And to the argument that some employers never give raises above the minimum wage, the option remains to work elsewhere, for that employer is actually hurting his bottom line by NOT retaining skilled, educated, and reliable employees.

Oh yeah, one more thing, if one looks to the discipline of economics instead of to the billowing winds of politics for answers, one will find that Wages are prices, and like any other price, should be defined by the marketplace and not by a bunch of politicians trying to garner political favor or votes.  This is why Wendy's is starting pay at  $12-15 per hour in parts of Texas and North Dakota.  It's a matter of supply and demand not a matter of emotion or politics.

Wages should go up as the result of efficiencies in production, or as one's value as an employ increases through measurable performance. By doing so, there are only positive long term effects on the economy.  Raising wages by government edict has exactly the opposite long term economic effects... namely, negative.

Pay rates should be parallel with one of two things: Either investment risked/gained/lost or production gains/losses.

In other words, the heads of businesses and investors make such large sums because they often risked the most (i.e. their time, personal funds, credit scores...etc) to get the business running. LOTS of people have dreams of wealth, invest, and then become broke. So rightfully so, the investor or profit agent should reap the benefits of their hard work or risk.

The minimum wage worker OFTEN has little or no long term investment in their work. They didn't risk anything by showing up to push buttons on a register and likely didn't spend years or thousands of dollars being educated to obtain such a job.

While the "high school job" statement might not be totally accurate, based on age range of these workers, the idea is correct. Min wage jobs aren't meant to be careers or long term objectives. Nor do they produce a realistic amount of profits and risk to sanction unrealistic sums of pay.

If an employee is dissatisfied with their pay, (given few exceptions) they do have options. Student loans for education. Get another job. Specialize in something. Work hard to gain rank/position (as most of us do).

Fast food industry is not a real skilled labor that requires education and training. They don't offer college degrees or vocational certificates for flipping burgers. Why in the heck does food service workers demand the minimum wage to be $15/hour?

LTC (Join to see) - I concur. I understand that sports produce money because go and watch them and also buy merchandise, but at the same time, it is over rated, it is too much. I am ok with current minimum wage, but please, do not raise prices, that is what is killing us.

Everyone feels entitled nowadays. I can see the logic now.... He or She makes $20 dollars per hour working as a police officer, why can't I get a raise? Makes me shake my head!

Maybe it would entice some to work instead of staying on public assistance. I think McDonalds could afford some significant raise.