Your suggestion raises an interesting point, and that is whether or not one singular minimum wage should cover every worker across every sector, or whether different minimum wages should apply to workers in different sectors.

If a singular minimum wage applies across the board, then it is only possible to use the macroeconomic numbers when taking productivity considerations into account.

However, in cases where minimum wages vary from industry to industry, then the use of industry specific productivity numbers would be a viable option.

In terms of productivity at the company specific level, I do not believe that it would be possible for minimum wages defined in state or federal legislation to take into account productivity gains at an individual company level.

However, in terms of wage negotiations at an individual enterprise level, I do feel that companies would be well advised to provide some form of mechanism to reward all staff to share in the achievements of the company. This could be based upon some measure of labor productivity gains or could be constructed as some form of profit sharing agreement.

When I was a student, I worked for a large supermarket chain which offered a small amount of shares to all full time and part time staff, even those on the minimum wage. Staff responded very positively to the offer, and the result was that staff felt a significantly greater connection to the company than what they otherwise would have felt.

Brad Shorrs last blog post..News about Word Sell, Brad Shorr