$15/hour?

You’ve probably heard by now that the House passed the Raise the Wage Act, which would (finally) more than double the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. It would be the first time that number has increased since 2009 and the largest increase to date. It would be a huge step in the right direction for not just the food industry, but the country.

I’ve already written about why increasing the minimum wage is good for businesses — despite the popular narrative around “nasty” side effects other CEOs might try to feed you. (Research from economists at UC Berkeley shows no evidence that raising the wage will lead to job losses.) And we can all debate the merits of whether raising the minimum wage creates wealth or fret about the potential drawbacks but this movement has always been about taking care of the workers who are exploited by those same CEOs. It started with fast food workers walking off the job because they wanted fair pay and union rights. It should end, hopefully by 2025, with workers across the nation getting both — and more.

The Raise the Wage Act’s upside goes beyond just a significant minimum wage hike. It also links future changes to the minimum wage to changes in middle-class wages. And once the minimum wage reaches $15 an hour by 2025, the bill would index additional wage increases to median wage growth. A company like McDonald’s, which previously lobbied against raising the wage, has even seen the light and changed its position. This is a matter any company who actually cares about its employees should want to be on the right side of history about. That’s where &pizza’s been. But even with last week’s good news, there are still hurdles to clear.

CNN points out that the fight to establish local minimum wages in democratic cities found in Republican states such as St. Louis and Birmingham were blocked by state legislature. States like Virginia and Texas were already bound by state laws preventing cities from acting on their own and in the best interest of minimum wage employees. Unfair situations like this continue to squeeze the people who are the most vulnerable. Raising the minimum wage at the federal level could have the most impact on workers in the tightest situations as a result of these circumstances.

But here’s the rub: the bill that passed last week — the outcome we, as a company, have been pushing for — is going to die in the Senate. This makes raising the minimum wage a key issue as the 2020 election approaches.

I want to be able to pay our people a livable wage. Not only does that make them feel better about the company they work for, it helps them live better lives. And that’s what really matters here. Sometimes a simple “doing the right thing” is the right thing. When forced to pay up, CEOs will figure out a way to right-size their business as they always have and the lowest wage workers in this country will be lifted up. A $15 wage was laughable a few years ago and so while we celebrate this short-term victory, we also get ready to dig in. This fight isn’t even close over yet; it’s just now real.