The American Dream is that all citizens can fulfill their potential through hard work and perseverance. Many Americans work long hours under the belief that they are fulfilling their social contract. Yet, even lengthy work weeks at minimum wage can be insufficient to provide for life’s necessities. Many minimum wage workers must supplement their income with taxpayer-funded federal assistance programs in addition to working beyond the standard 40 hour work week. There is an economical and ethical imperative to increase the pay of low-income workers, and this can most effectively be done by raising the federally established minimum wage. The federal government assumed responsibility for ensuring wage fairness by implementing the minimum wage in 1938. However, the federal minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation and is no longer effectively ensuring wage fairness. Recognizing the need for increased income among unskilled workers, several cities, states, and major businesses have raised their local minimum wage beyond the federal level. Yet, this affects only a small portion of workers. It is imperative that the federal government update the established minimum wage across the board to help all workers achieve the American Dream.
The federal minimum wage was established through the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which was passed in 1938. In addition to instituting the minimum wage, the FLSA also established working age requirements, the 40 hour work week, and mandated
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.
Although America is known as the richest country in the world, 43 million of its citizens are in poverty. Unfortunately, some of them work full time, yet are still in poverty due to the low minimum wage (“Should We Raise”). In 1928, the first federal minimum wage of 25 cents per hour was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to prevent workers from being underpaid. Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 (Smith). The age old debate of whether or not to raise it is still going on in the US. The federal minimum wage should be increased to keep up with inflation, help support the poor, and stimulate the economy.
The minimum wage is one of the most controversial issues on our country, which is United States has been facing last ten years. There have been never ending debates over this issue until the government, company, and others party stand together, and raise the minimum wage throughout the nations. There are communities that believe raise the minimum wage has negative impact of every sector of the country. Other communities have different beliefs over the issue, raising the minimum wage helps the poor people, and would help not hurt our economy.
The federal minimum wage laws were first created on June 25, 1938 through the Department of Labor and signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This enacted the first $0.25
In 1938, the first national minimum wage laws in the United States were passed as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which served as “a floor below wages,” to reduce poverty and to ensure that economic growth is shared across the workforce. Today, many people who work for companies that pay at or near the minimum wage and remain near or below the poverty level rely on government health and food security and income programs to supplement their living expenses. Since 1938, there have been many additional policies to the Fair Labor Standards Act that have changed many things, such as increasing the national minimum wage numerous times to the currently salary level, which was set in 1997. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 was a policy to change the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 in three additions, which began in July of 2009. (http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/minwagebwp.pdf)
The minimum wage is the mandated price floor paid on hourly or daily basis for the employees regulated by the government or the union. In “Federal Minimum Wage”, New Zealand and Australia enacted the first minimum wage law during the late 19th century to prevent employers’ exploitation of workers. In 1912, Massachusetts passed the first minimum wage legislation in the US that was enforced for women and children, and fifteen more states followed in the next eleven years. However, the Supreme Court abolished the minimum wage laws in 1923 because the laws violated the women and employers’ Fifth Amendment or their right to negotiate a binding agreement without government interference. In the US, the first federal minimum wage law passed 25 cents per hour as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to help struggling workers during the Great Depression (“Federal Minimum Wage”). Since 1938, the minimum wage law has increased twenty-two times to $7.25 to keep pace with inflation. However, minimum wage laws have exemptions in some field of works such as tipped employee who earns $2.13 an hour in direct wages if the amount plus the tips received is at least the mandated minimum wage. In addition, agricultural workers earn their salaries by the number of bags or weight multiplied by the crops’ selling price (“Minimum Wage and Overtime Basics”).
It's still a relatively new topic, minimum wage. Introduced in 1938, by President Franklin Roosevelt, it was a part of the creation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This act established “minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor standards affecting full-time and part-time workers.”(United States Department of Labor). At the present time of 1938, 25¢was quite a significant amount of money. However, now, the federal minimum wage has been set at $7.25 by President Obama in 2009. Within the past seventy years, many states have desired to raise their own minimum wage higher than that of the federal minimum. Presently, twenty-nine states have elected to pay their workers more rather than giving them the short-end of the stick.
the federal government initial Minimum wage permitted was first presented by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938. The Minimum wage was presented as a component of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA additionally covers things like business guidelines, extra hourly pay and recordkeeping.
In 1938, the first national minimum wage laws in the United States were passed as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which served as “a floor below wages,” to reduce poverty and to ensure that economic growth is shared across the workforce. Today, many people who work for companies that pay at or near the minimum wage and remain near or below the poverty level rely on government health and food security and income programs to supplement their living expenses. Since 1938, there have been many additional policies to the Fair Labor Standards Act that have changed many things, such as increasing the national minimum wage numerous times to the currently salary level, which was set in 1997. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, from the United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, was a policy to change the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 in three additions, which began in July of 2009. (U.S., 2009).
Minimum wage introduced by the congress as the subdivision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938. At that time, congress set the minimum wage at 25 cents an hour. According to Tricia Hussung, Business Analyst, in 1968, adjusted for inflation, the federal minimum wage
The great nation of the United States has relied and grown on the basis of a widely used term: “The American Dream”. Those three words for many spark feelings of opportunity, hope, and aspirations, however more so now than ever people are considering the term as three empty and even deceiving words. The root of the issue lies in the economic state of the working class and the steps that the government is taking to ensure the virtues of social class mobility in our society. In 2013 Secretary of Labor Tom Perez proposed to raise the federal hourly minimum wage from the current $7.25 to $10.10. Since then, there has been heavy political debate and controversy over the proposal and Congress has yet to act on it. The evidence through social observations and analysis is clear that raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 would protect the sacred American dream by increasing opportunity for hard working Americans, stimulating revenue for businesses, and defending the interests of our nation’s consumers and taxpayers.
The minimum wage has had an effect upon our economy for over 75 years. When the Fair Labor Standards Act was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938, it set a federal minimum wage, stipulations for overtime, and minimum working conditions for child labor
With the upcoming election consuming the attention of nearly every corner of our country, the long-debated issue of minimum wage has one again resurfaced. When initially established in 1938 minimum wage was set to be equivalent to half of the salary of an average factory worker, or in other terms, enough to keep a family of three above the poverty line (Becker). However in their current state, these wages have fallen well below the one half marker and now leaves a family of a single mother and a two children at just 76% of the poverty line (Bradley 6). This is because federal minimum wage has stagnated in recent history, where it has remained unchanged since 2009 when it was boosted to its current $7.25 (Becker). There have recently been attempts by President Obama to have the federal minimum wage raised to around $10, but they have continuously met a brick wall in congress (Nader). Like with most issues that circulate our country, conservative and liberal thinkers cling to opposing solutions. While both conservative and liberal economic thinkers want to help stimulate the economy, they disagree about the role in that minimum wage plays in achieving this goal. Conservative economic thinkers believe that a raise in wages would cause job loss, hurt business and raise prices while liberal economic theorists claim that it would lower inequality, stimulate consumer spending and lower government expenditures on entitlement programs.
“Minimum wage in America isn’t as old as you might think: the first federal minimum wage was first introduced by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938. Minimum wage was set at 25 cents an hour, which works out to about $4 per hour in today’s money.
While its wildly known that United States is the land of opportunity, there is not much attention on that fact that for those with minimal education and experience, there is little room for growth. The American pay grade varies based on level of education, geographic location, gender, and citizenship status. Those with living circumstances and lifestyles beyond their control are too often limited by societal norms. Notably, those who make the mere minimum wage, generally, do not want to settle for such undesirable pay. The most principal issue with income inequality is that laborious and time-consuming work amounts to unlivable wages and little to no opportunities for advancement. Thus, to combat the issue of income inequality in American society, the government must acknowledge that increases in minimum wage are necessary.