[criddell]

> Each state has its own minimum wage.

That's true, but if a state has a minimum wage it can only effectively be higher than the federal minimum wage.

From https://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/q-a.htm:

> Where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher minimum wage rate.

The rule is from the Fair Labor Standards Act.

[cookiecaper]

After further research, I stand corrected. The federal minimum wage is a minimum wage that is applicable to workers throughout the United States, not just employees of the federal government. Constitutionally, I'm not sure how that works, but I'm sure it's not unlike other blatant abuses of Constitutional structures. I'd bet there's a case I could look up somewhere, but don't have the time or inclination right now.

That makes it a bad example of what I was talking about, but it's now a good example of how the foundational principles of the Union have been selectively permeated for political convenience. That's sad, IMO, and not something we should seek to replicate in further employment legislation.