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While technically the Scandinavian countries have no minimum wage, they also technically lack a standard work week and most other aspects of what in the U.S. is

While technically the Scandinavian countries have no minimum wage, they also technically lack a standard work week and most other aspects of what in the U.S. is considered employment law. But these all still exist, just not as statute law. Employment conditions are instead set in collective negotiations between labor representatives and industry representatives. In Denmark, for example, the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) and the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), mainly, periodically negotiate and revise big framework agreements. These cover almost all workplaces in the country, which makes the contents of the agreements de facto pretty close to the national labor law. They include agreements on the standard work week (37 hours) and the minimum wage (109 DKK, roughly $16.50). There may then be sector agreements or individual workplace agreements on top of these, but the big framework agreements set the basic conditions of employment.

bsbechtel 11y ago
It's worth noting that consumer goods in Denmark are insanely expensive, which is what many are arguing will happen here with a $15/hr min wage.
- kwhitefoot 11y ago
  And yet Danes can somehow still afford them. I live in Norway where many of the same conditions pertain. I suspect that one reason for there not being a minimum wage here is that unemployment is low, which means that you have to pay a reasonable amount in order to get someone to work for you.
- _delirium 11y ago
  What kinds of consumer goods? When I lived there, it seemed reasonably cheap to me. Groceries were about normal from a US perspective, and rent in Copenhagen was quite low for a major city (~$1250/mo for a nice 2bd in a central part of the city). Some things varied, e.g. pork was very cheap, while fresh fruits were often expensive, but that's more a question of geography than anything else. Beer was exceptionally cheap, like $4/sixpack type prices. Fast food was on the expensive side, and labor costs are probably a part of that. Nicer restaurants were normal by American standards (expensive compared to Texas, cheap compared to SF or NYC). Overall I think my cost of living was lower than when I lived in the SF Bay Area, by a not-trivial margin.

bsbechtel 11y ago

It's worth noting that consumer goods in Denmark are insanely expensive, which is what many are arguing will happen here with a $15/hr min wage.

kwhitefoot 11y ago
And yet Danes can somehow still afford them. I live in Norway where many of the same conditions pertain. I suspect that one reason for there not being a minimum wage here is that unemployment is low, which means that you have to pay a reasonable amount in order to get someone to work for you.
_delirium 11y ago
What kinds of consumer goods? When I lived there, it seemed reasonably cheap to me. Groceries were about normal from a US perspective, and rent in Copenhagen was quite low for a major city (~$1250/mo for a nice 2bd in a central part of the city). Some things varied, e.g. pork was very cheap, while fresh fruits were often expensive, but that's more a question of geography than anything else. Beer was exceptionally cheap, like $4/sixpack type prices. Fast food was on the expensive side, and labor costs are probably a part of that. Nicer restaurants were normal by American standards (expensive compared to Texas, cheap compared to SF or NYC). Overall I think my cost of living was lower than when I lived in the SF Bay Area, by a not-trivial margin.