I think you've missed the point. The issue isn't that people want more buying power for the same effort. The issue is that everything they buy has gotten more

I think you've missed the point. The issue isn't that people want more buying power for the same effort. The issue is that everything they buy has gotten more expensive. When groceries, rent, cars, medical bills, etc all go up but wages are stagnant, people get crushed. Some luxury goods have gone down over time, like electronics. But the essentials have all gotten worse.