1. a) When did Target announce it would raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour?
b) How did this announcement impact other businesses?

2. What was Target’s purpose in raising its minimum wage to such a high amount? (Note: the minimum wage in half the states is $7.25; a few states have no minimum wage)

3. How did Target’s minimum wage increase harm its hourly employees? Be specific.

4. How did Target respond to CNN’s questions about employees losing hours and therefore making less money than they had before the minimum wage was increased?

5. a) What reasons have Target supervisors given employees for why their hours have been cut?
b) From paragraph 13: “In some cases, existing Target workers say their hours have declined as their stores brought on new employees or their assignments changed.” What do you think these stores hired new employees when their current employees did not want their hours to be cut?

6. a) Consider what the former and current Target employees and managers told CNN about employee hours. How did Target respond when asked about the cut in hours for Lee Beecher in California and Victor Hanousek in Minnesota?
b) What do you think of the company’s response?

7. This is an example of supposedly good intentions resulting in unintended consequences. The CNN article also states: “Lawmakers are starting to respond to address erratic hours and volatile weekly pay for retail and service workers. Cities like San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Chicago and others are passing "fair workweek" legislation. In some cases, laws require businesses to offer their existing part-time workers more hours when they become available before hiring additional staff.”
What unintended consequences do you think will be the result of such government regulation?

8. What do you think is the purpose of a “minimum wage job” (cashier, stocker…) - Do you think minimum wage jobs are meant to be permanent full-time jobs that allow a person to support a family? Explain your answer.

9. Read and watch the commentaries under “Resources” below. What ideas do each present that you hadn’t considered? Explain your answer.