Ethical Issues Draft : Finding The Right Minimum Wage

“The minimum wage is the minimum hourly wage an employer can pay an employee for work. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour (part of the Fair Labor Standards Act) and some states and cities have raised their minimum wage even higher than that.” minimum wage was first introduced during the great depression in 1930s. Before it was introduced thousands of people were forced to work in horrible conditions for pennies a week. Early attempts on minimum wage was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S supreme court, because it restricted people from deciding what they wanted to pay their workers. So employers still made there workers, work in horrible condition through the great depression. Now that poverty is a huge national issue. President Franklin D. Roosevelt made sure he would protect workers it was part of his mission as the president of the united states of america. After being reelected in 1936 he signed the FLSA in 1938. Which put into place a national minimum wage of 25 cents an hour. After the law was passed the minimum wage was changed almost every couple of years because the cost of living is very high. In 1997 bill clinton allowed states to make there own minimum wage. Today the minimum wage is 7.25/hour there is continuing debate over whether that 's a fair amount of money to support someone there days. Labor activists want the government to raise it while other point out the negative effects it would have on the

There are a lot of people around the world who struggle with money and a satisfactory way of life. Whether they be in the United States or across the globe, there is a standard minimum wage set for the working class of their country. In the Unites States, there is a federal minimum wage of seven dollars and twenty five cents per hour worked. Almost every state has another set minimum wage, which typically is a little higher than the federal minimum wage, but it cannot be lower than seven dollars and twenty five cents. Countries set minimum wage laws, to ensure there is a basic quality of life amongst its citizens. As the minimum wage goes up in certain states, the quality of life also improves. The problem with a higher minimum wage, is now people are getting paid higher for entry level jobs which are meant for teenagers and people new to the workforce. If the minimum wage keeps increasing across the country, teenagers and young adults will have a much more difficult time finding jobs.

Minimum wage has caused controversy throughout history between the two parties in government, the Democrats and Republicans, debating if they should increase minimum wage or not. Minimum wage was first established during 1938 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Sessions). The first act to enforce employers to pay its employees is the Fair Labor Standards Act which followed the Social Security Act (Sessions). Minimum wage started as twenty-five (25) cents per hour which doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was at that time (Sessions). The United States tended to raise the minimum wage when the standard of living changed. Since 1938, two other amendments were created to increase minimum wage laws even more. By 1961, minimum wage raised to $1.15 with another increase in 1963 (wages). Since the 1963 wage change, minimum wage created a trend of increasing yearly or every other year (Wages). From 2007 to 2009 minimum wage increased each year making the current minimum wage $7.25 (wages). Sine minimum wage has been established, Congress has increased minimum wage twenty-two times (22) (). Since minimum wage is supposed to change when the standard of living changes, then why hasn’t the United States government changed it since 2009?

There has been many conversations about what the positive impacts can come to America 's lowest income workers as a result of an increase in the minimum wage, and there has also been equally as many discussions over the negative effects the increase can have on similar people. This paper’s purpose is to combine each viewpoint and objectively analyze the arguments for and against an increase in the minimum wage. I will first discuss the benefits for an increase, then the disadvantages, and in the last paragraph, I will

Raising minimum wages is a contestable issue because it is debated in wide and varied audiences. Minimum wage is near the top of economists’ interest; they are looking for the connection between low wages and poor job markets. Each country sets its own laws and regulations regarding wages. For this reason, it has significant importance to policy makers and workers in each of those respective countries. Social activists have also found interest in the topic due to the fact that those who earn a minimum wage tend to come from poor minority families. Furthermore, the average American should have the strongest interest in the conversation because most citizens have been paid a minimum wage at some point in their life. Due to this fact, the idea of a significant federal minimum wage increase in America is open for debate specifically to rejuvenate the job industry, improve living conditions for citizens, and strengthen the economy as a whole.

We all want to help others. It’s part of our human nature. So why not raise the minimum wage and help these people living on the poverty line to provide a little extra for their family? It sounds like the right thing to do. But is it really helping? The ethical, legal and political standpoints on the minimum wage increase are complicated at best. Throughout this paper you will be informed on both sides of the

Minimum wage affects many people and by understanding its evolvement throughout the years we can better understand how our government can better provide for those working minimum wage jobs today. Inequality is an inevitable factor in a capitalist market, people need proper incentives to work hard and be productive, and the incentive of more money or more opportunity is the driving force of capitalism and even the American dream. However there are several current complications that even those who are actively employed are living under the poverty line, like stated previously minimum wage from when it was first implemented raised along with inflation but then began to lose momentum in the 1970s and since then it began to stagnate and then drop along with increased inflation; if minimum wage were to be raise to $10.10 to become congruent with inflation it would bring 4 million people above the poverty line. Congress instituted the minimum wage in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The first minimum wage stood at 25 cents an hour. The last minimum wage increase occurred in 2007, when Congress raised the rate in steps from $5.15 an hour that year to $7.25 an hour in July 2009. The District of Columbia and 19 states have also established local minimum wages higher than the federal rate. The highest state minimum wage in the country occurs in Washington State at $9.32 an hour, however

Protesters demonstrate for higher minimum wages every year. Protesters demand even higher wages than what some employers can handle paying. All people want to be able to live without worrying if they can pay for the necessities of life. We all want to be able to enjoy the high life, which comes with earning more money. Even if the amount of minimum wage cannot benefit us all with great impact, it can at least benefit those who need the money to rise above the poverty line. Many people don’t understand that there are also negative outcomes of wanting increase the minimum wage for employees. Most people only consider that the money earned will help themselves and their family members. Nevertheless, one thing the people know is that a small wage of 7 – 8 dollars isn’t enough to live well on. Nor is a higher wage of 10 – 15 dollars satisfying enough for

The minimum wage in the United States has been an ongoing controversy for many years now. The first minimum wage was established in 1938 (Reich, 2015, P. 3). That minimum wage started out at .25 cents an hour; compared to today’s higher wage of a government standard of $7.25 an hour. Many people believe that the minimum wage should be more so that those who live below the poverty level in the United States will decrease, however in many other people’s opinions the minimum wage should be the same. The minimum wage should stay the same at a low $7.25.

When you see fully capable men or women asking for handouts or taking advantage of others accomplishments, it triggers frustration and anger but you can still go about with your daily life. When you see your favorite restaurants or establishments closed because they cannot up keep their workers’ wages that the state induced, now it becomes infuriating. Society tend to better their lives through trade skills, years of education, personal development, perseverance, and hard work in order to reach success. The moment we adopt new laws in order to meet the demands that minimum wage is not sufficient, is when we start seeing the economic collapse that will take tenfold the time to repair than it did to create. Adopting these new laws will influence

The issue of minimum wage is not a new one to our society, American’s have fought for minimum wage continuously since it was introduced by “President Roosevelt on June 25, 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.” (Forbes) Workers have fought to keep the minimum wage in line with demand.

For the last couple decades, the minimum wage has been on going topic that the economists and the policy makers has been debating on. Indeed, It is still an open issue and the policy makers still debating on increasing it. The first Country that passed the minimum wage policy was New Zealand in 1984, and a lot country followed. President Roosevelt passed the first minimum wage in 1938, the minimum wage was 0.25 when the Roosevelt passed, and it has been increased as the living expense went up. The minimum wage is measured on living expense and the economic growth. As today's living expense, The minimum wages should be increased.

The government sets minimum wage at what they think an average person needs to live a healthy life, but is minimum wage isn't really enough to support a person. Minimum wage does not change with inflation, and prices have gone up since the last time minimum wage was changed on July 5, 2009. People get paid minimum wage, which is what the government says should be enough to cover the costs of living for a person, but for those living on minimum wage, hunger and malnutrition are a big problem, even with government and public assistance like SNAP (The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) and housing assistance programs.

In 1938 Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act setting the first federal minimum wage at 25 cents an hour. Since then it has been increased 23 times and currently stands at $7.25/hour. In 2011 around 3.7 million Americans earned the minimum wage. There are two types of workers who earn the minimum wage- young workers(still in school) and old workers(out of school). Statistics show that minimum wage earners are likely to be from low income households and are likely to be working part time. Former President Obama supported a minimum wage increase but it failed to pass because of differences within the Democratic Party. Recently Senator Tom introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage to $10 but it is unlikely to pass in a Republican controlled Congress. The debate over minimum wage can be found at all levels of society from the federal government to the states. The current minimum wage is not a living wage and immediate steps must be taken to raise it.

The minimum wage is a heavily debated issue invading politics in the United States and plays a large role in the global economy. Democrats tend to lean toward raising the minimum wage, while Republicans tend to lean towards keeping the minimum wage the same. It was first called upon in 1938 as a part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. This was understandably called upon due to the large amounts factory workers that were being taken advantage of by big corporations along with child labor. As years progressed, the minimum wage has increased due to inflation. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and this was last updated in 2009. Protests such as Fight for $15 sprouted all across the country to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour for fast food chains and other non-skilled work. The inflation rate between the years 2009 and 2017 has relatively remained the same. Therefore, the minimum wage should not double in eight years with a relatively stable inflation rate. The minimum wage should not be raised due to the fact that it causes jobs to be moved outside the United States, kills jobs and hurts small businesses, and prevents new teen workers from gaining work experience for more skilled jobs.