I see a logical fallacy because I lived in some conditions that are very relevant.
Paying everyone a living wage (last sentence) is impossible; not because 'living wage' is relative - from a city to another, from a country to another, from a person to another (can you live without an iPhone? why not?) - but because increasing wages to that level, assuming you can determine one, will just increase the prices to fit.
My first job was paying $100 and it was about the average in the capital city of my country. 5 years later I was earning $700, but that was just double the average pay. Another 10 years later, a bit over $1000 was above average, but not by much. The salaries grew 10 times, but the prices adjusted about the same rate, at least the price of food, rent and houses: if you pay 10x more to workers, the house will cost 10 times more. If you increase the salaries of many people, you will not increase their standard of living, just create inflation because they will not produce more, it's just their cost is higher and the money value is reduced.
This is the real story of a country with 20 million people. If you increase the wages of the lowest paid, you need to increase to everyone to keep some proportions, otherwise you will pay restaurant cleaners more than teachers or doctors and that is dangerous, ~ 20% of the younger doctors in my country emigrated because at some point their salary after 20 years of tough school was sometimes lower than a driver's salary. If you increase the salary of everyone, that is very soon making all prices to increase at the same rate, changing practically nothing.
And another thing: if you have workers that you cannot pay 'living wages' because they don't produce output to pay them more, automate and leave them on the streets. Do this with all low skilled workers.
Paying everyone a living wage (last sentence) is impossible; not because 'living wage' is relative - from a city to another, from a country to another, from a person to another (can you live without an iPhone? why not?) - but because increasing wages to that level, assuming you can determine one, will just increase the prices to fit.
My first job was paying $100 and it was about the average in the capital city of my country. 5 years later I was earning $700, but that was just double the average pay. Another 10 years later, a bit over $1000 was above average, but not by much. The salaries grew 10 times, but the prices adjusted about the same rate, at least the price of food, rent and houses: if you pay 10x more to workers, the house will cost 10 times more. If you increase the salaries of many people, you will not increase their standard of living, just create inflation because they will not produce more, it's just their cost is higher and the money value is reduced.
This is the real story of a country with 20 million people. If you increase the wages of the lowest paid, you need to increase to everyone to keep some proportions, otherwise you will pay restaurant cleaners more than teachers or doctors and that is dangerous, ~ 20% of the younger doctors in my country emigrated because at some point their salary after 20 years of tough school was sometimes lower than a driver's salary. If you increase the salary of everyone, that is very soon making all prices to increase at the same rate, changing practically nothing.