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Pay the People!: Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America
From an unlikely source, a compelling argument that when workers are paid fairly, everyone, including businesses, benefitsSeventy percent of the U.S. economy is based on consumer demand, but almost forty percent of Americans can barely afford to pay their monthly bills. Nearly all the economic gains made in the last several decades have gone to the top one percent, while working families whose spending habits drive the economy have fallen further behind, and our economy has suffered as a result.
In Pay the People!, two members of the top 1 percent—John Driscoll, former healthcare CEO and current Walgreens executive, and Morris Pearl, a former BlackRock executive and chair of the board of the Patriotic Millionaires—pin the blame squarely on short-term corporate greed and policies of both government and employers that impose austerity on some of the hardest-working employees and families. They argue that business leaders’ refusal to pay wages that workers can live on and Congress’s failure to raise the federal minimum wage trap millions of workers in cycles of poverty. At the same time, Driscoll and Pearl demonstrate, these policies undermine the economy for all of us and threaten the foundation of democratic capitalism.
This highly illustrated, data-informed call for a major readjustment in our pay scale for workers at all levels, from two individuals who profit mightily from the current imbalanced system, presents a rebuke of modern American business practices and congressional paralysis. But it also offers a roadmap forward, with chapters describing what a reconfigured economy would look like. In an issue that is too often covered as a zero-sum game where there’s a winner and a loser, Driscoll and Pearl offer resounding evidence to the contrary.
In Pay the People!, two members of the top 1 percent—John Driscoll, former healthcare CEO and current Walgreens executive, and Morris Pearl, a former BlackRock executive and chair of the board of the Patriotic Millionaires—pin the blame squarely on short-term corporate greed and policies of both government and employers that impose austerity on some of the hardest-working employees and families. They argue that business leaders’ refusal to pay wages that workers can live on and Congress’s failure to raise the federal minimum wage trap millions of workers in cycles of poverty. At the same time, Driscoll and Pearl demonstrate, these policies undermine the economy for all of us and threaten the foundation of democratic capitalism.
This highly illustrated, data-informed call for a major readjustment in our pay scale for workers at all levels, from two individuals who profit mightily from the current imbalanced system, presents a rebuke of modern American business practices and congressional paralysis. But it also offers a roadmap forward, with chapters describing what a reconfigured economy would look like. In an issue that is too often covered as a zero-sum game where there’s a winner and a loser, Driscoll and Pearl offer resounding evidence to the contrary.
224 pages, Paperback
Published December 3, 2024
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November 5, 2024
Pay the People discusses arguments in favor of paying workers a living wage from a CEO perspective and how paying people well makes better business sense in the long-haul. The book starts with John Driscoll’s personal story when he shares his organization, Care Centrix, as a case study for increasing the minimum salaries of his lowest tiered workers to a living wage as he sets up the first chapter exploring the federal minimum wage. If you are a regular worker like most of us or an avid reader of Harvard Business Review and the like, you will enjoy this book because it’s nice to hear from a CEO who has good morales! If you are an activist, this book will supply you with a lot of ammo (data) in favor of raising the federal minimum wage. If you are a senior executive and you pick this book up, people will want to work for you!
The book begins with an exploration and an excellent business case for why the federal minimum wage needs to be increased including tipped wages, which the author dives into more later in the book. From John Driscoll's senior management experience, we learn a secret: Driscoll has too often seen from his experience that businesses that use payroll as a cost-cutting measure while not looking more than one year, or even one quarter, into the future must look beyond seeing payroll as only expenses and consider fair pay as an investment.
This book has a lot of great data points and introduces case studies that benefit cases for equal pay, from a Denny’s in California benefiting from customers increasing their spending after a minimum wage increase to the CEO of Men’s Wearhouse tying his personal brand’s reputation to a product to a comparative case study of Amazon and Walmart in workforce development. This book also gives clues of a handful of government or lobbying agencies where you are more likely to find corruption. Ch. 3 Debunking Myths lists solid arguments to corporations' favorite justifications for low pay written clearly.
While I found the majority of the data invaluable for worker’s rights, I will admit that in true economist fashion, I didn’t agree with every data point. On pg. 6, there is a claim that:
“Someone making $15,000 per year isn't eating out, or checking out new models at their local car dealership, or buying a new iPhone from Apple or new shoes from Nike. As far as those businesses are concerned, that person doesn't exist. They are essentially not much of a consumer, and at that income bracket, they will never be.”
While I understand the sentiment, I hard disagree. And this is where, from my own research, the data can start to get weird when looking at consumer spending and motivations. Anyone making any amount of money can buy whatever they want. Someone who makes $1,000 a month may still buy nice things, and they are still consumers. I think this point needs to be correct. (Whether you expand upon this point to go into credit card debt, YOLO economy, poor financial education, and social media influences, is up to you). Still, this is only one error that I hope the publisher will correct in time for launch. I very much appreciate the robust Notes for further reading, so that is why I am giving it 5 Stars.
I am sending two suggested corrections to the publisher separately, one is on the data point above and the second is on a chapter title change to sound more inclusive and I wouldn't want it to take away from the research you've done.
Throughout reading the book, I wondered who is this book written for? Can I see a CEO from a company that I’ve worked at picking up this book? I hope so.
Thank you, The New Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The book begins with an exploration and an excellent business case for why the federal minimum wage needs to be increased including tipped wages, which the author dives into more later in the book. From John Driscoll's senior management experience, we learn a secret: Driscoll has too often seen from his experience that businesses that use payroll as a cost-cutting measure while not looking more than one year, or even one quarter, into the future must look beyond seeing payroll as only expenses and consider fair pay as an investment.
This book has a lot of great data points and introduces case studies that benefit cases for equal pay, from a Denny’s in California benefiting from customers increasing their spending after a minimum wage increase to the CEO of Men’s Wearhouse tying his personal brand’s reputation to a product to a comparative case study of Amazon and Walmart in workforce development. This book also gives clues of a handful of government or lobbying agencies where you are more likely to find corruption. Ch. 3 Debunking Myths lists solid arguments to corporations' favorite justifications for low pay written clearly.
While I found the majority of the data invaluable for worker’s rights, I will admit that in true economist fashion, I didn’t agree with every data point. On pg. 6, there is a claim that:
“Someone making $15,000 per year isn't eating out, or checking out new models at their local car dealership, or buying a new iPhone from Apple or new shoes from Nike. As far as those businesses are concerned, that person doesn't exist. They are essentially not much of a consumer, and at that income bracket, they will never be.”
While I understand the sentiment, I hard disagree. And this is where, from my own research, the data can start to get weird when looking at consumer spending and motivations. Anyone making any amount of money can buy whatever they want. Someone who makes $1,000 a month may still buy nice things, and they are still consumers. I think this point needs to be correct. (Whether you expand upon this point to go into credit card debt, YOLO economy, poor financial education, and social media influences, is up to you). Still, this is only one error that I hope the publisher will correct in time for launch. I very much appreciate the robust Notes for further reading, so that is why I am giving it 5 Stars.
I am sending two suggested corrections to the publisher separately, one is on the data point above and the second is on a chapter title change to sound more inclusive and I wouldn't want it to take away from the research you've done.
Throughout reading the book, I wondered who is this book written for? Can I see a CEO from a company that I’ve worked at picking up this book? I hope so.
Thank you, The New Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 23, 2025
Pay the People
4/2025.
Are the Patriotic Millionaires class traitors? Maybe, but they don’t think so. Over 15 years they’ve asked the US government (and others) to raise taxes on the elite, to ensure a functional government budgeting system. Here, in a small, but very complete book, two of its leaders call for a change to pay rates to favor working class people. Their rationale is self interested, and clear: inequality will ultimately destroy their class. They claim it’s good for capitalism, and not just a moral issue. There’s unlocked potential in the economy by locking wealth up at the top of the economic ladder.
While I’m skeptical that capitalism remains the unique solution to capitalism’s poisons, I can appreciate the populist message here. At the very least, we agree that financialized capitalism, which sets quarterly results as the ultimate measure of a business’ worth is not a good way to run a long-term business and leads to pressures to cut payroll costs and ways that become unsustainable and inhumane. It’s the same inane structure that leads to massive layoffs and re-hiring among the largest technology firms every few years.
The book raises several great points about the value of ensuring workers are better paid. More importantly, it underlines the need to bolster the Department of Labor, NLRB, and to rewrite the rules of capitalism in America to reduce socialism for corporations; all of this is stuff no political party seems willing to touch.
They also highlight a paradigm among top executives at major firms that prefers disempowered workers that are easier to control over empowered ones. Coupled with what they call “a willful blindness of the rich“, that manifestsitself in a uniquely American periodical view that the poor or somehow responsible for their lot in life, and that inherited wealth was simply a good decision by the wealthy, he creates a class struggle That needs to be addressed before inequality consumes the entire arrangement.
They offer a simple metric for starting out: set pay at the cost of living: “if you can’t afford to pay an employee something they can live on, you can’t afford an employee. If you’re making money while everyone who works for you struggles to survive, you aren’t running a business, you’re running a human exploitation scheme.” Overall, their approach is classical capitalist, from the age of Brandeis when government had a role of ensuring the proper function of markets. That era may be passed, but hope spring eternal that we will recover something like it.
Their first argument is that more employee cash circulating in the retail and services sectors will more than offset labor costs. It amounts to having more people with disposable (non-investment) income, whereas today we are artificially suppressing consumer demand, harming the economy in ways we don’t see. That’s why 2/3rds of small business owners agree that a higher wage with automatic adjustment for inflation would be good.
The second point they make is that better paid employees are less stressed and better performing employees, who stay longer and provide more value.
The third argument is that by not paying workers sufficiently, businesses are taking a subsidy from taxpayers and from businesses that do pay their employees enough and still are profitable. We see this with some large corporations that pay staff such low wages that they still must apply for food stamps, and other social welfare programs. Still others take wages directly from their workers: wage theft outstrips burglary, shoplifting, and other robbery by a 3:1 ratio in the US.
Along the way, they show us how warehouse and workers are put in danger by the largest e-tailer and how OSHA fines are set so low as to be a joke for these organizations, as well as how the labor market does not work in an efficient and rational way, which leads to depressed wages for some workers. they dispel the myth that the skills gap is the reason for wage depression, partially by showing that the lowest paid jobs are essential and therefore worth a livable wage. A lesson we didn’t really learn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4/2025.
Are the Patriotic Millionaires class traitors? Maybe, but they don’t think so. Over 15 years they’ve asked the US government (and others) to raise taxes on the elite, to ensure a functional government budgeting system. Here, in a small, but very complete book, two of its leaders call for a change to pay rates to favor working class people. Their rationale is self interested, and clear: inequality will ultimately destroy their class. They claim it’s good for capitalism, and not just a moral issue. There’s unlocked potential in the economy by locking wealth up at the top of the economic ladder.
While I’m skeptical that capitalism remains the unique solution to capitalism’s poisons, I can appreciate the populist message here. At the very least, we agree that financialized capitalism, which sets quarterly results as the ultimate measure of a business’ worth is not a good way to run a long-term business and leads to pressures to cut payroll costs and ways that become unsustainable and inhumane. It’s the same inane structure that leads to massive layoffs and re-hiring among the largest technology firms every few years.
The book raises several great points about the value of ensuring workers are better paid. More importantly, it underlines the need to bolster the Department of Labor, NLRB, and to rewrite the rules of capitalism in America to reduce socialism for corporations; all of this is stuff no political party seems willing to touch.
They also highlight a paradigm among top executives at major firms that prefers disempowered workers that are easier to control over empowered ones. Coupled with what they call “a willful blindness of the rich“, that manifestsitself in a uniquely American periodical view that the poor or somehow responsible for their lot in life, and that inherited wealth was simply a good decision by the wealthy, he creates a class struggle That needs to be addressed before inequality consumes the entire arrangement.
They offer a simple metric for starting out: set pay at the cost of living: “if you can’t afford to pay an employee something they can live on, you can’t afford an employee. If you’re making money while everyone who works for you struggles to survive, you aren’t running a business, you’re running a human exploitation scheme.” Overall, their approach is classical capitalist, from the age of Brandeis when government had a role of ensuring the proper function of markets. That era may be passed, but hope spring eternal that we will recover something like it.
Their first argument is that more employee cash circulating in the retail and services sectors will more than offset labor costs. It amounts to having more people with disposable (non-investment) income, whereas today we are artificially suppressing consumer demand, harming the economy in ways we don’t see. That’s why 2/3rds of small business owners agree that a higher wage with automatic adjustment for inflation would be good.
The second point they make is that better paid employees are less stressed and better performing employees, who stay longer and provide more value.
The third argument is that by not paying workers sufficiently, businesses are taking a subsidy from taxpayers and from businesses that do pay their employees enough and still are profitable. We see this with some large corporations that pay staff such low wages that they still must apply for food stamps, and other social welfare programs. Still others take wages directly from their workers: wage theft outstrips burglary, shoplifting, and other robbery by a 3:1 ratio in the US.
Along the way, they show us how warehouse and workers are put in danger by the largest e-tailer and how OSHA fines are set so low as to be a joke for these organizations, as well as how the labor market does not work in an efficient and rational way, which leads to depressed wages for some workers. they dispel the myth that the skills gap is the reason for wage depression, partially by showing that the lowest paid jobs are essential and therefore worth a livable wage. A lesson we didn’t really learn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 6, 2025
I received a copy of this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway.
Short and readable but effective book on why paying people more and increasing minimum wage doesn't just benefit people earning minimum wages, but other people and the country in general. To be fair, I was already on board with increasing the minimum wage, so it was quite easy for me to follow the arguments and nod my head in agreement. I do think there could have been a bit more editing, and there's more political attacks than were necessary to make the point, though.
The authors drive home the point throughout the book that the minimum wage in the United States is not nearly enough to pay for the cost of living. The minimum wage has not increased since all the way back in 2009, and yet inflation has continued and the cost of living has gone up substantially. They point out a lot of interesting things, like how productivity has increased a lot without the minimum wage going up. They also make the argument that it's not just the people who are making minimum wage that would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage. One group I had not thought of was people who are making above the minimum wage, but would have their wages increased if the minimum wage were increased, so that they still make above the minimum as they currently do. They also point out that increasing workers' wages is good for the employers themselves, as the workers have greater productivity and satisfaction, which leads to less turnover and more efficiency for the companies.
The book also goes into some really terrible things that happen to workers in the United States, like how tipped workers can be paid less than minimum wage but are also supposed to be compensated if their wage plus tips does not add up to the minimum wage, and yet many employers do not compensate their workers properly. Issues like this and people fraudulently being given "manager" titles to be denied overtime pay or students being shamed and denied food for minor "school lunch debt" are horrifying and eye-opening. The book effectively shows how many people are being let down by the system and how people who are in control are abusing their power with little to no consequences.
I do think the book could have used a bit more editing, though, as it sometimes becomes repetitive. Some of the graphs are hard to read and could have been blown up or explained more, instead of just being presented in line with the text with little to no accompanying explanation. There are some errors in the text that are misleading, including "$10 per hour in 2000 does not buy as much as $10 per hour in 2025," which I remember because it's closer to the end of the book; the years should obviously be switched, and a more careful proofreading pass would have caught this, surely. I'm also not sure how effective some of the political attacks are. Listing individual Democratic senators who voted against increasing the minimum wage seems unnecessarily personal, and I think it would have been just as effective to say that event the Democratic party is not completely united on this front.
I appreciated the book's brevity and clarity, and the way it presents information that was new to me, like some of the history behind the tipped minimum wage or fake manager titles to avoid paying overtime, is effective and educational. I wish that there were more care in editing and more integration of the graphs with the text surrounding them, but it makes a good case for why increasing the minimum wage is beneficial for everyone.
Short and readable but effective book on why paying people more and increasing minimum wage doesn't just benefit people earning minimum wages, but other people and the country in general. To be fair, I was already on board with increasing the minimum wage, so it was quite easy for me to follow the arguments and nod my head in agreement. I do think there could have been a bit more editing, and there's more political attacks than were necessary to make the point, though.
The authors drive home the point throughout the book that the minimum wage in the United States is not nearly enough to pay for the cost of living. The minimum wage has not increased since all the way back in 2009, and yet inflation has continued and the cost of living has gone up substantially. They point out a lot of interesting things, like how productivity has increased a lot without the minimum wage going up. They also make the argument that it's not just the people who are making minimum wage that would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage. One group I had not thought of was people who are making above the minimum wage, but would have their wages increased if the minimum wage were increased, so that they still make above the minimum as they currently do. They also point out that increasing workers' wages is good for the employers themselves, as the workers have greater productivity and satisfaction, which leads to less turnover and more efficiency for the companies.
The book also goes into some really terrible things that happen to workers in the United States, like how tipped workers can be paid less than minimum wage but are also supposed to be compensated if their wage plus tips does not add up to the minimum wage, and yet many employers do not compensate their workers properly. Issues like this and people fraudulently being given "manager" titles to be denied overtime pay or students being shamed and denied food for minor "school lunch debt" are horrifying and eye-opening. The book effectively shows how many people are being let down by the system and how people who are in control are abusing their power with little to no consequences.
I do think the book could have used a bit more editing, though, as it sometimes becomes repetitive. Some of the graphs are hard to read and could have been blown up or explained more, instead of just being presented in line with the text with little to no accompanying explanation. There are some errors in the text that are misleading, including "$10 per hour in 2000 does not buy as much as $10 per hour in 2025," which I remember because it's closer to the end of the book; the years should obviously be switched, and a more careful proofreading pass would have caught this, surely. I'm also not sure how effective some of the political attacks are. Listing individual Democratic senators who voted against increasing the minimum wage seems unnecessarily personal, and I think it would have been just as effective to say that event the Democratic party is not completely united on this front.
I appreciated the book's brevity and clarity, and the way it presents information that was new to me, like some of the history behind the tipped minimum wage or fake manager titles to avoid paying overtime, is effective and educational. I wish that there were more care in editing and more integration of the graphs with the text surrounding them, but it makes a good case for why increasing the minimum wage is beneficial for everyone.
October 21, 2024
You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.
Thank you, The New Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mr. Book just finished Pay The People!: Why Fair Pay Is Good for Business and Great for America, by John Driscoll, Morris Peal, The Patriotic Millionaires.
This book will be released to the public on December 3, 2024.
This book makes an excellent case for why the minimum wage, needs to be increased. And as the book explains, as the minimum wage goes up, so does the rest of employee pay. The book rebuts the major myths of raising it, such as it will force businesses to close, the minimum wage only matters for teenagers, raising it will lead to shifts and job reductions and the free market will solve the problem, it will increase inflation. The book also discusses other important topics such as wage theft and the wealthy’s control of the government.
I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
I had previously given Pearl’s book, Tax The Rich!, an A+ in 2021.
This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews
Mr. Book finished reading this on October 21, 2024.
Thank you, The New Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mr. Book just finished Pay The People!: Why Fair Pay Is Good for Business and Great for America, by John Driscoll, Morris Peal, The Patriotic Millionaires.
This book will be released to the public on December 3, 2024.
This book makes an excellent case for why the minimum wage, needs to be increased. And as the book explains, as the minimum wage goes up, so does the rest of employee pay. The book rebuts the major myths of raising it, such as it will force businesses to close, the minimum wage only matters for teenagers, raising it will lead to shifts and job reductions and the free market will solve the problem, it will increase inflation. The book also discusses other important topics such as wage theft and the wealthy’s control of the government.
I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
I had previously given Pearl’s book, Tax The Rich!, an A+ in 2021.
This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews
Mr. Book finished reading this on October 21, 2024.
June 1, 2025
must read!
Driscoll makes an argument in Pay The People for changing how we think about compensation, the value of labor, and economic justice in general. He uses examples and data from the real world to illustrate and critique the standard corporate model and to promote fair, transparent, and performance-based pay programs. Agreeable and believable, Driscoll’s writing allows for a comprehensive exploration of economic concepts while being neither overly complicated nor oversimplifying make it easy to understand. What makes this book particularly important is his ability to balance a focus on ethical considerations while providing practical ideas for plans of action in the future. I think this makes Pay The People valuable text as a business leader, HR professional or simply a socially conscious reader who wonders what possible means exist for action steps, as Driscoll puts only, ""think of compensation as being a strategic tool for equity and economic viability for sustainable success.""
Well done Driscoll. Your words will resonate with readers trying to think about the legal and business implications of wage transparency. It's a timely, thought provoking and practical book with a clarion call to action for individuals and institutions concerned about the future of work.
Driscoll makes an argument in Pay The People for changing how we think about compensation, the value of labor, and economic justice in general. He uses examples and data from the real world to illustrate and critique the standard corporate model and to promote fair, transparent, and performance-based pay programs. Agreeable and believable, Driscoll’s writing allows for a comprehensive exploration of economic concepts while being neither overly complicated nor oversimplifying make it easy to understand. What makes this book particularly important is his ability to balance a focus on ethical considerations while providing practical ideas for plans of action in the future. I think this makes Pay The People valuable text as a business leader, HR professional or simply a socially conscious reader who wonders what possible means exist for action steps, as Driscoll puts only, ""think of compensation as being a strategic tool for equity and economic viability for sustainable success.""
Well done Driscoll. Your words will resonate with readers trying to think about the legal and business implications of wage transparency. It's a timely, thought provoking and practical book with a clarion call to action for individuals and institutions concerned about the future of work.
May 30, 2025
Consequences of a good salary
It is a reality that people’s purchasing decisions are closely linked to their income level: the higher the income, the greater the purchasing power. That is why the main topic of this book is so important, as it highlights the significance of a fair wage for workers, which can be approached from two perspectives. The first is the legal one: all service provision must have a legal compensation, which is the payment of a salary. The second, although not as explicit, makes perfect sense—it is that with more than just a fair wage, workers can increase their purchasing capacity for goods and services, resulting in greater consumption and higher turnover, which will be reflected in the economy.
On the other hand, having well-paid workers creates stronger commitments to the company and a greater sense of belonging, which will be reflected in a better work environment.
It is a reality that people’s purchasing decisions are closely linked to their income level: the higher the income, the greater the purchasing power. That is why the main topic of this book is so important, as it highlights the significance of a fair wage for workers, which can be approached from two perspectives. The first is the legal one: all service provision must have a legal compensation, which is the payment of a salary. The second, although not as explicit, makes perfect sense—it is that with more than just a fair wage, workers can increase their purchasing capacity for goods and services, resulting in greater consumption and higher turnover, which will be reflected in the economy.
On the other hand, having well-paid workers creates stronger commitments to the company and a greater sense of belonging, which will be reflected in a better work environment.
May 26, 2025
Pay the People by John Driscoll and Morris Pearl is a really eye-opening book. One of the most interesting things I learned was that businesses are actually hurting themselves by paying low wages. The book also made me think about the moral and economic necessity of fair wages. Fair pay helps reduce income inequality, which leads to a more stable and inclusive economy.
In the context of Colombia, this issue is especially relevant. Many Colombians struggle with low wages, and despite the country's growing economy, the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen. For example, a significant portion of the workforce in Colombia works in informal jobs, where wages are often too low to cover basic needs. This not only hurts individual families but also limits overall economic growth, as people don't have enough money to spend and boost local businesses.
In the context of Colombia, this issue is especially relevant. Many Colombians struggle with low wages, and despite the country's growing economy, the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen. For example, a significant portion of the workforce in Colombia works in informal jobs, where wages are often too low to cover basic needs. This not only hurts individual families but also limits overall economic growth, as people don't have enough money to spend and boost local businesses.
June 1, 2025
Coming from HR, it is key to understand the importance of salaries and the value of paying well. This book was a friend's recommendation, and it has been such a great read. It has been a valuable resource in understanding why fair compensation is important, as well as the impact of a low or ‘bad’ minimum salary. I appreciate that the book is backed by evidence—reading each case and seeing the effects of increasing salaries has been crucial in addressing this issue and advocating for better pay from my position.
It was fascinating to read each analysis and see how people perceive and allocate their money. Spending habits vary from person to person, but the book also helps to identify where priorities lie. Overall, it was a great read, and fair salaries benefit everyone—they should be strong from bottom to top, not just at the top.
It was fascinating to read each analysis and see how people perceive and allocate their money. Spending habits vary from person to person, but the book also helps to identify where priorities lie. Overall, it was a great read, and fair salaries benefit everyone—they should be strong from bottom to top, not just at the top.
June 5, 2025
This book struck me as truly fascinating from the moment I read it. I had never before felt such a strong and direct connection between fair pay, people’s perception of a good salary, and the development of society through the satisfaction of consumer preferences.
I am a specialist in strategic marketing, and I understand the importance of the consumer in driving societal progress. However, I had never seen such a direct relationship between fair compensation for individuals and the broader impact of consumerism.
I believe this book is not only very interesting but also contributed meaningfully to my growth as a marketing professional. Even though it is not an academic text, I feel it could easily be included in the education and training of those of us who are passionate about marketing.
I am a specialist in strategic marketing, and I understand the importance of the consumer in driving societal progress. However, I had never seen such a direct relationship between fair compensation for individuals and the broader impact of consumerism.
I believe this book is not only very interesting but also contributed meaningfully to my growth as a marketing professional. Even though it is not an academic text, I feel it could easily be included in the education and training of those of us who are passionate about marketing.
May 28, 2025
Strategic and realistic
This book really made me think about how we usually treat workers in different countries. We often talk about business success, but we rarely mention that success depends on the people who work hard every single day. What impacted me the most was realizing that fair pay is not just about justice, it is also a smart economic strategy. The authors clearly explain how fair wages benefit everyone, not just employees. This book opened my eyes; you cannot have a strong economy when most people are struggling to make ends meet. After reading it, I truly believe that paying workers better is not a cost, it is an investment in people, in business, and in the future of each country.
This book really made me think about how we usually treat workers in different countries. We often talk about business success, but we rarely mention that success depends on the people who work hard every single day. What impacted me the most was realizing that fair pay is not just about justice, it is also a smart economic strategy. The authors clearly explain how fair wages benefit everyone, not just employees. This book opened my eyes; you cannot have a strong economy when most people are struggling to make ends meet. After reading it, I truly believe that paying workers better is not a cost, it is an investment in people, in business, and in the future of each country.
May 28, 2025
This is a thought-provoking book written by two people who have a lot of experience in this field and who therefore know what they are talking about. They point out what is actually obvious—paying fair wages means that businesses and the economy thrive more, not less.
The authors put it plainly—in America the minimum wage rate has not been increased for the past fifteen years. This means that a large sector of Americans is earning less than the cost of living. Despite this, the economy of the USA depends largely on consumer spending. To resolve this problem, the authors suggest paying fair wages and raising the federal minimum wage. In their stimulating book, Driscoll and Pearl sound the call for the U.S. employers and government to improve their economy by paying the people.
The authors put it plainly—in America the minimum wage rate has not been increased for the past fifteen years. This means that a large sector of Americans is earning less than the cost of living. Despite this, the economy of the USA depends largely on consumer spending. To resolve this problem, the authors suggest paying fair wages and raising the federal minimum wage. In their stimulating book, Driscoll and Pearl sound the call for the U.S. employers and government to improve their economy by paying the people.
March 15, 2025
This book provides real life examples of economic growth directly tied to specific companies paying employees more than the Federal minimum wage (which has been $7.25/hr or about $15/year since 2009-16 years). It gives arguments for adjusting entry level wages. It discusses employment in 5.5 million employees in tipping jobs (which is $2.13/hour minimum federal wage) and how they could be lifted out of poverty. It also explains why both political parties aren’t keen on raising the minimum wage, why so many big corporations/chains don’t pay living wages, and why recent attempts were shot down. Excellent, enlightening, educational read!
May 30, 2025
Great Book!
This book struck me as simply incredible and deeply interesting. I realized I had never truly asked myself how important it is that people not only get paid, but actually feel well compensated for the work they do. Thanks to its descriptive language and well-structured chapters, the book takes the reader on a fantastic and highly enriching journey. I believe all members of a society are interconnected, and for its overall well-being, it is essential that there is harmony among all the people and sectors that make it up. This, in my opinion, is one of the book’s most powerful teachings. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.
This book struck me as simply incredible and deeply interesting. I realized I had never truly asked myself how important it is that people not only get paid, but actually feel well compensated for the work they do. Thanks to its descriptive language and well-structured chapters, the book takes the reader on a fantastic and highly enriching journey. I believe all members of a society are interconnected, and for its overall well-being, it is essential that there is harmony among all the people and sectors that make it up. This, in my opinion, is one of the book’s most powerful teachings. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.
October 4, 2025
Very complete examination of various sides of the issue of worker pay. Good research, explained well. My copy had charts and graphs with print that was too small and lightly colored to read. I liked authors’ handling of myths of low pay. The role of the National Restaurant Association the leaders of its membership in opposition to better pay for tipped workers was eye opening. Examination of the dumb, bad and criminal business decisions related to worker pay was excellent. I am convinced that workers should be paid at least at the level of the cost of living and the economy will probably be better off when that happens.
December 19, 2024
Really insightful and well-written
This book made a very complicated economic topic accessible. As someone who doesn't read a lot of books about economics, this was far from a slog - I learned a lot and enjoyed the read! I think it gives a fresh new take on an issue that a lot of people care about, and it's great to see some rich people standing up for what's right.
This book made a very complicated economic topic accessible. As someone who doesn't read a lot of books about economics, this was far from a slog - I learned a lot and enjoyed the read! I think it gives a fresh new take on an issue that a lot of people care about, and it's great to see some rich people standing up for what's right.
December 27, 2024
pay the people now!
This book by members of The Patriotic Millionaires clearly makes the case for why we need to raise the minimum wage in this country. It’s good for the people who cannot make ends meet working 40+ hours a week and it’s good for the business owners too. A classic win-win scenario!
This book by members of The Patriotic Millionaires clearly makes the case for why we need to raise the minimum wage in this country. It’s good for the people who cannot make ends meet working 40+ hours a week and it’s good for the business owners too. A classic win-win scenario!
January 14, 2025
Written with soft accusations of misinformation, blaming and denial, JD summarizes several conditions of low pay and what may be done to change this social demoralizer and economic destabilizer.
April 26, 2025
unclear who the audience is for this book. hope they used their patriotic millions to send copies to the unpatriotic ones.
November 2, 2025
good as a reference
December 4, 2025
The title says it all! I found it dry reading and confusing with all the stats they listed.
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