8 million minimum wage workers are up for a raise in January. Some will hit a historic $15 milestone.

The celebratory framing around a “historic” $15 minimum wage treats a higher number on paper as the same thing as a higher standard of living. That is a comforting headline, but it skips past the question workers feel first: what will my paycheck buy after prices and hours adjust?

When states mandate big jumps, businesses rarely absorb the full cost. They trim schedules, automate, or raise prices, and the least connected workers get squeezed out. A one-size floor also ignores huge differences in cost of living and local labor markets, while turning wages into a political trophy instead of an economic signal.

Conservatives aren’t indifferent to low wages. We care about real purchasing power, entry-level opportunity, and small-business survival. The better path is pro-growth policy that lifts demand for labor, paired with targeted help where need is greatest.

The principle at stake is simple: fairness means policies that expand opportunity without quietly pricing people out of work.