Workers lack power during periods of high unemployment.   The
fast-food and retail worker strikes taking place across the U.S.
illustrate the very reason we need to raise the minimum wage.
OUR VIEW: Minimum wage not the best tool  The minimum wage was
first enacted in the 1930s, after the country's experience in
the Great Depression taught us that putting a floor under wages
is a vital protection for workers, particularly those in the
least desirable jobs.  During periods of high unemployment, many
workers are forced to take lower-paying jobs, such as those in
fast food and retail, because there simply are no other options
available to them. Under these conditions, employers hold all
the cards — they can keep wages abysmally low because they know
that their employees don't have other job options.  A growing
number of workers face this situation today. They're stuck in
jobs that pay so little, they struggle to afford basic
necessities. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour equates
to about $15,000 per ye