You probably still have me on ignore from the COVID thread disagreements a couple of years ago but I just wanted to highlight your outstanding post. People don't understand how much the minimum wage increases increase costs for businesses. I maintain the website of a local Italian Restaurant/Pizzaria and the owner does everything he can to keep his prices as low as possible. He feels guilty when he has to raise prices. He commented to me about this exact issue, rhetorically asking, "what am I supposed to do when minimum wage goes up to $15?" To attract and retain good employees, he pays over minimum wage but continuing to pay the same percentage above minimum wage is going to drastically increase his cost.
Thank you for providing a business owner's perspective on the wage increases. I am lucky in my business that all of the employees are also owners. The scrolling on phones at work thing is a huge annoyance when I patronize a business. I even saw a WDW CM check a phone last week (they were positioned in the RotR queue so although it could have been related to the operation, I doubt it).