Minimum Wages It sounds simple raise the minimum wage, reward hard work, and strike a blow against the society's inequalities. It's an emotional argument that blurs out the truth and make's people forget one important economic lesson: There's no such thing as a free lunch. The minimum wage has not been increased since the industrial welfare commission raised it to $4.25 an hour. The IWC and the legislature have not agreed since that time that any additional increase is justified because of California's recession and the downward turn in the business climate. There was a measure out on this last ballot called prop 210 which passed and increased