Minimum Wage Argument

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?

The minimum wage debate has been a hot topic over the past year, especially with the Presidential Election. This is a divisive topic that people rarely agree upon. There are essentially two sides you can take when it comes to this argument. Either people are for minimum wage or are against raising, or even having, a minimum wage. Proponents of the minimum wage are typically politicians who are lobbying for the vote of the people who feel that a minimum wage is critical to their wellbeing, and those who sympathize with people who earn “minimum wage”. Minimum wage is destroying America’s free market economy and someone needs to take action and find a better solution to this problem. Without anyone acting on this problem now, it can potentially be worse in the long run. Raising the minimum wage in the United States will do more harm than good to society because of the long-term effects.

Paying for a college education creates a dilemma when a student only earns minimum wage flipping burgers at a local fast food restaurant. The current federal minimum wage stands at $7.25 per hour before taxes. The debate on whether it should increase or remain constant has been occurring for many years. Raising the minimum wage to match the current cost of living seems like a good idea, but this could cause some negative effects. John Komlos’ article “Why raising the minimum wage is good economics” delivers a more effective argument than Rex Huppke’s article “The argument against raising minimum wage” through the use of ethos, logos, and a valid conclusion.

In 1938 congress instituted minimum wage with 25 cents an hour being the first wage. After 78 years seven dollars has been the increase of minimum wage, stated by the article listed on, Heritage.org . Every year the cost of living and surviving in this country increases. You would think after 78 years, minimum wage would not be at $7.25. Many college students work part-time jobs that pays minimum wage to have some extra cash in their pockets or pay a few minor bills. Having a part time job is perfectly fine in college, but imagine not being in college, working a minimum wage job. Lets be honest, the pay checks are no where near what you would like them to be or it isn 't enough to cover everything that you want or need. So, imagine not being in college, working a full time job, with rent, children, car note, insurance, and etc. Many adults work minimum wage jobs, barely making it to provide for themselves and their kids. Your probably thinking, "maybe those people should go back to school or look for a better job.” Yes, that is true but for most people, its too late. A better job requires a degree, most people have kids and cant afford to take a couple of hours off or get someone to watch their kids while they attend school, so a minimum wage job is the only option. So, to make a better life for the struggling parents and the needy college students, increasing the minimum wage is a must for various reasons which include decreasing poverty, increasing health, and relieving

$7.25 equals two gallons of gas, one fast food meal, or a simple school supply. With the minimum wage at the current rate you must work one hour to earn the seven dollars and twenty-five cents that only supply you with small necessities for everyday living. This problem was encountered before and was resolved with the agreement to higher the minimum wage from $5.85 to the current $7.25. Although that was a big increase in salaries, was it truly enough? This controversy can lead to a major change in everyone’s everyday lives and boost our economy to a period of prosperity. The minimum wage should be increased to bring our economy out of a recession, bring families together,

The bill was created to “provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage”, H.R.1010, was introduced March 06, 2013 by representative George Miller of California and 197 other cosponsors under the Democratic party. The bill hoped to increase the minimum wage to aid the economy by boosting consumer spending and aiding working class families. The house of representative bill was “referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce. To become a law it must pass both the U.S. House of Representative, U.S. Senate and then signed by the president of the United States or override the president’s

A class assignment on the cost of living showed me that if I were to take a minimum wage job right out of high school, I would be living barely above the poverty line. I’m fortunate that I’ve never had to worry about basic needs, however, if I were suddenly on my own, I would need two jobs to afford food and a place to live in my area. This exercise made me realize the incredible difficulties many people face just to subsist. For me, it translates into this fundamental problem: If a person working full-time cannot earn enough to provide food and shelter for themselves, the system is failing them.

There has been a growing desire for minimum wage to be set at $15 an hour. While many of our lowest pay employees will be getting paychecks, workers who have been at businesses longer feel like they’re being undermined. Employees say that it is not fair for a new worker to be earning as much as someone who has been apart of the company for three years. Also, raising minimum wage poses a financial and management challenge for employers. Numerous cities have passed wage increases in the past year, and New York and California recently approved the new wage of $15 an hour. “The Supreme Court’s decision not to take on a challenge to Seattle’s minimum wage rule removed one of the most significant legal testes of local wage laws.” Seattle has now

The infamous author Mark Twain once said: “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” I believe that is the case for minimum wage employees. They denounce the wealthy for being successful while not trying to improve themselves. Although I firmly believe staff and creators should be treated with equal respect, just as every human being, they are entitled to what they earn. In my perspective minimum wage is acceptable when the job does not require a higher education or degree, as a CEO of a company is expected to have. I do not believe that taking and dispersing capital from the wealthy to the rest of America will help our people in any way as the author from The Trouble With The Super-Rich, Barbara Ehrenreich does.

The fight for $15 movement has started many fast-food workers to demand more than the state minimum wage requirement. In 2012 over two hundred workers walked off the job because they couldn’t survive off minimum wages. This act created a global movement called fight for $15. Fight for $15 have been reaching over three hundred cities on six continents and still growing. David Rolf a boyish union leader played a big role in the movement fight for $15 (Fight for $15). Rolf is making the Seattle one of the first major cities to have $15 minimum wage. Since then the governor of California and New York sign landmark law establishing a $15 minimum wage. This will encourage more states to take in value that minimum wage does not cover workers basic need in life. Also, if every state changed to $15 this will help parents not do illegal acts to make sure that their expenses are being paid (The Guardian).

The dilemma of minimum wage can be remedied with the support of state representatives and Congress who can assist hard working employees with the process of getting off of government assistance. “Louisiana Needs Higher Wages” proclaims information provided by Economists “consumer spending, which makes up 70 percent of the economy, drops when pay for low- and moderate-income families fails to rise.” Progressively mounting income inequality is a problem, many full time employees face while working minimum wage jobs. At the current minimum wage rate of $7.25, working a full time job, a person would scarcely make a thousand dollars a month. Citizens with full time jobs should not have to apply for government aid in order to live their life financially

Minimum wage jobs are the fastest growing jobs in the US at around three million people and rising. A minimum wage worker will only make $15,080 annually which isn’t enough to even consistently pay for food. In response, McDonald's told their employees to go on food stamps instead of raising their pay. On Thanksgiving 2012, hundreds of fast food employees went on strike to protest their low pay, leading to the start of the Fight for 15. The Fight for 15 is a movement to help anyone who is frustrated with their pay, and is working to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by going on strike at fast food restaurants.

The minimum wage has arguably become the most controversial topic regarding our economy today, as it influences one of the largest classes of people within the United States, the working class. Federally, the minimum wage has not been raised in eight years, so it has stayed at $7.25 per hour for all non-exempt workers (U.S. DoL). The opinions on this topic are typically split across a progressive-conservative line, with progressives being in favor of a raise from $7.25, and conservatives wanting to stay at the current rate. This can be seen when looking at the typical progressive stances from states and municipalities that raise the minimum wage for businesses operating within their jurisdiction, since the higher rate among all levels of

Raising the minimum wage could help to protect workers from exploitation. It is a sad reality that employers take advantage of their workers and it is very commonplace to do so. Undercutting regulations, and human rights themselves, many use undocumented labor and otherwise shady business practice to get ahead. Not much is done to remedy this problem. A worker cannot easily escape this situation either. There are not many jobs, so each chance is

The Fair Standard Labor Act of 1938 is an important part of American history. After almost 6 years of back and forwards with Congress, President Delano Roosevelt was able to enact a bill in the best interest of the workers of American. Since the enactment of the Fair Labor Standard Act in 1938, the minimum wage rate has been cause for much discussion. So, why is there so much cause for debate? It is because many would like to see the wage raised, because of the affect it will have families struggling to stay above the poverty line. Supporter believe raising the wage will produce more jobs and take a large financial aid burden off of Pennsylvania. People that are opposed to raising the wage, believe raising the wage will cause jobs