We've created more wealth in the past 30 years than the rest of human of human history combined. But half of Americans make less than $17 an hour.

Annual earnings in the fast-food industry are well below the income needed for self-sufficiency, and fast-food industry jobs are also much less likely than other jobs to provide health benefits.

The free market hasn't done a very good job "figuring out" how to pay workers enough. If it was solely up to the market, the people with the least power would be paid pennies ... or less.

Fast food also has a uniquely difficult business structure for workers to achieve better wages and working conditions.

Today, the gap between productivity and compensation for the typical worker is larger than at any time since World War II.

The minimum wage isn't earned only by people working at fast food restaurants and in service industry work - the average income for positions like nursing assistants, preschool teachers and paramedics are all under $15.

When families can afford the basics, they can reinvest in their communities, and higher wages means a broader consumer base for businesses.