Restaurant workers have something to celebrate about. In the never ending fight for raising the minimum wage, a NY Wage Board announced on July 22 that the minimum wage for restaurant chain workers will increase to $15. However, the $15 minimum wage is not going to come right away.

Currently, New York state's minimum wage is $8.75. In New York City, the wage will be increased to $10.50 on December 31, and then increase each year for the next three years on that date afterwards. The same deal will go for the rest of New York state as well, whose minimum wage will be increased to $9.75 by the end of 2015 and then increase each year for the next six years. By the year 2021, the entire state's minimum wage for restaurant workers will be $15.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has been very supportive of this increase, stating that "You cannot live and support a family on $18,000 a year in the state of New York - period. This is just the beginning. We will not stop until we reach true economic justice."

But is this increase truly considered "economic justice"? This minimum wage raise will make New York the first state to single out a specific industry for minimum wage increase. Key words here: "single out on a specific industry."

This minimum wage increase only applies to restaurant chain workers. In other words, a worker at McDonald's could be making more money than a worker at WalMart or a managerial position, even. Think about this: the worker making more than the manager. In fact, fast food franchise managers and owners became outraged over the decision for the minimum wage being increased to $15 and are even planning on suing the state of New York because of it.

My sister works at a McDonald's right now. It's a job that can make her money during the time that she is not in school. It's a starting point for her to make money in the future, not something she is going to rely on for the rest of her life. She knows that she doesn't want to work at a McDonald's forever, which is why she's going to college so she can find a career that will make her a lot more money and will enjoy.

If you ask a fast food restaurant worker who doesn't go to college or has been working there for a very long period of time whether or not he or she enjoys their job, not many of them are going to answer "yes." So, why are those who are whittling their lives away by flipping burgers and taking out garbage being rewarded with a wage increase?

Yes, it's a job. You get paid. You're working. But, even $15 an hour is still not enough to get by in life. According to a study done by Sylvia A. Allegretto, Marc Doussard, Dave Graham-Squire, Ken Jacobs, Dan Thompson, and Jeremy Thompson in 2013, people who work in fast food jobs for a living are more likely to live in or below the poverty level. The study states that "one in five families with a member holding a fast-food job has an income below the poverty line, and 43 percent have an income two times the federal poverty level or less." In other words, not only is working in fast food for the rest of your life unexciting (unless you're Spongebob Squarepants), but it also puts you and your family in danger of living in poverty.

Keep in mind one thing, though. What one receives, one must give in return. The $15 minimum wage is what a restaurant worker would receive by the year 2021. But, in return, it may cost the restaurant worker his or her job. Why? We could have automated machines that take our orders at McDonald's (and/or other restaurants) by 2021. As a result, the number of workers needed at a fast food restaurant would decrease. This would result in more layoffs. But, let's not worry about the future just yet.

Sure, a minimum wage increase sounds nice if you have a future planned ahead for yourself after college. You know that you're not going to be spending the rest of your life as a fast food worker because you're going to get your degree and (hopefully) get a job that is both enjoyable and much more rewarding in terms of pay and benefits. You could use that $15 an hour and put it away for future beneficial uses down the line; not for paying all of your bills. But, if you're slaving away every day of your life taking orders and flipping fries and have no future planned for yourself, then a $15 minimum wage sounds a little ludicrous.