The minimum wage for fast food workers in California will be increased from $16 to $20 an hour starting in April. In a state that is notorious for its high cost of living, this is a monumental decision. 

While it might not be a magic solution to California’s cost of living crisis – in the Bay Area, many residents insist that $20 an hour is not enough for a single person to afford necessities and housing — it is a step in the right direction. It sets a trend more industries should follow.

If there’s one thing to be said about the working world, it’s that prices tend to increase every month. Food that used to cost a family $50 seems to cost hundreds now. Raising employee wages, on the other hand? A much slower process. 

There are workers across the state who haven’t seen a substantial raise in years, and the ones who have, were bestowed with an insulting increase of meager pennies. 

Many of us have encountered single parents working multiple jobs, doctors and technicians and teachers struggling to make ends meet, entire families living out of single bedroom homes as parents work themselves to death – people who were careful and responsible with money, repaid in poverty. 

And the worst part? They are all expected to be thankful. 

There is a philosophy in the United States that working hard will inevitably lead to success and that any attempt to improve the system that exists is an affront to those who “actually work hard.” 

Acknowledging problems that exist equates to being ungrateful. Whiny. Wanting to be paid for your labor is apparently the epitome of entitlement. 

Many will see the increase in wages for fast-food workers and feel insulted. They may hear the news and be struck by a surge of jealousy. 

The little voice inside their heads might insist that the work they do is harder; that they are far more worthy of a raise than the people who “just flip burgers.” The voice might question why they are doing work that requires a higher skill level, making less money than teenagers and college students working at a fast-food place.

Perhaps this envy is a symptom of a larger problem. Fast-food workers aren’t being paid too much — everyone else is being paid too little.

The reality is that affording to live is not a competition. There is another cultural norm that places “lower prestige” jobs like retail and fast food as less deserving, and that isn’t fair. 

It’s subconscious; even retail and food-service workers may feel a tinge of shame for not having a “real job,” as they are instead subject to humiliation at the hands of abusive customers and stressful work environments day in and day out. This conditioning, it’s ridiculous. 

The fact of the matter is that fast-food workers should be paid enough to live, and so should workers in every other field. 

Solving this problem is much more complex than simply waving a wand and increasing wages across the board, but isn’t it nice to dream of a world in which people are able to contribute to society and make enough to survive? 

The implementation of a $20 minimum wage will help a lot of people, but we still have a long way to go.