Minimum Wage Debates

Rex Huppke, a writer for the Chicago tribune,writes about how raising the minimum wage may not be as positive to the society and economy as Americans are lead to believe. After interviewing many specialist and professors concerning this subject, he concludes that despite what other newspapers are saying raising the minimum wage could damage the economy. As an effect of what the media is saying this article was written to inform the public of the real cost of raising minimum wage.

Marx 's conflict theory has a very distinct ideology, it is stated that it mainly focuses on the causes and effect of class conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The Bourgeoisie represented the members of a higher society which held onto the majority of the wealth and means also known as the owners of the way of manufacture and the capitalistic. While the proletariat class was constructed by individuals who belong to the working class or the poor. While they would focus on the economical, societal, and governmental implications of the rise of the capitalist economy in Europe. With the rise of the capitalist economy, it was theorized that the bourgeoisie,

Several examples of data and statistics from studies elucidate the harmful effects on small businesses and in addition the compelling of companies to close as a result of the increase of minimum wage. According to a Gallup poll that took place in 2013, 60% of small business owners agreed that an increase in minimum wage would be harmful to their small businesses (Should the Federal). Small businesses do not have the money supply that chain corporations do. Naturally, if they had to pay their employees more, it would be harmful to them. Several Walmart stores have closed and Walmart stores that were yet to open have closed as a result of an increase in the minimum wage (Should the Federal). An increase in the minimum wage must even have harmful effects on larger businesses. They obviously employ several more people than a small business, so they have to pay each worker more resulting in a net loss of a lot of money from the chain. Additionally, in several work places, if the minimum wage were increased, the wages of those who hold higher positions would have to be increased. For example, if the amount of money that the minimum wage dishwasher or table busser in a restaurant increased, then the chef and manager would need to be paid accordingly. If the minimum wage were to increase, it would be detrimental to both small and large businesses.

Buffalo State Economist Professor Fred Floss stated, “When it comes to small businesses, the wage increase for 2017 shouldn’t make a big impact.” I agree with Floss before the minimum wage was $9.00; 70 cents increase is not that big of a deal to the business I would say. It all has to do with how well a business is performing, if a business isn’t doing well then maybe it shouldn’t be in business. If a business cannot afford to pay its employees the minimum wage then it should close its doors. Business owners always think about how their businesses do but they never think about how their employees are doing “cash” wise. We have price increases as well such as; supermarkets raise their prices and transportations we need an affordable minimum

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.

One of the biggest negative effects of raising the minimum wage is that it would severely hurt small businesses. If the minimum wage were to be raised it would force the owners to pay their employees more money that they might not have. In order to pay the employees the newly raised minimum wage they are gonna have to raise the prices which will lead to the loss of consumers, and might eventually lead to the store going out of business. According to a Gallup poll done in 2013, 60 percent of small-business owners said that raising minimum wage will “hurt small business owners. James Richardson, MBA, Vice President of the fast food chain White Castle, said that the company would be forced to close

Life is a struggle and finding a job and paying your bills is not always easy in this world today. A major debate that has been an issue is whether there should be a law to raise the minimum wage. The minimum wage is the lowest hourly salary an employer can pay an employee for their work. According to Williams (2013), “The minimum wage was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938”. The first minimum wage was 25 cents per hour. Since then, the minimum wage has been increasing as the last increase of Florida's minimum wage was an increase of 14 cents on Jan. 1, 2014. This federal increase makes it 68 cents higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Gibson (2014) states “Obama, who last year called for an increase in the

In 2015, the Illinois minimum wage is $8.25 an hour (Schreiber and Young). There are people in Illinois who want to raise the minimum wage to $15. The current debate for the increase in minimum wage is that, by increasing the minimum wage, cost of living will be easier to pay for, poverty levels will decrease, and produce income equality. This notion sounds like a good idea initially; however, what will the repercussions of raising the minimum wage most likely look like? Increasing the minimum wage will probably have the opposite effect of what is intended by its supporters.

economy will see extra spending as a result of the higher minimum wage. Raising the living

“Fight for $15.” This is what workers and supporters across the country, including Milwaukee, chanted on Thursday, April 14th demanding for an increase in the minimum wage (Baillon). Workers had gotten word of the recent victories in California and New York, thus joining together in Milwaukee for a call to raise the wage to $15. The “Fight for $15” supporters marched from Washington Park Senior Center to the McDonald’s at 35th and Juneau. Dian Palmer, president of SEIU Healthcare WI, said “This tries to lift people out of poverty – and we have to start somewhere” (Baillon). This is only one of the many rallies that had taken place in the last few years, demanding that it is an injustice to have the minimum wage at $7.25 an hour.

After reading these two articles about the minimum wage, there are more interesting issues that arises. While the first article by Sabia (2014) added additional insight of how the minimum wage relates to the poverty level, McCarrier et al (2011) adds how the minimum affects health care. The framework of each article, is describes in three categories; 1) decisions, 2) assumptions and 3) arguments. The objective of this paper is to develop questions for each article, which may contribute to the study. Below is a list of these questions.

Today our society encounters multiple controversial issues that generations before hand would have never dreamed of having. A common controversy in America is the issue over minimum wage. The main issue over minimum wage is whether or not it should be raised or if it should stay the same. Personally I feel that it should remain the same. Minimum wage jobs were not created to become careers. Increasing minimum wage can lead to many things such as the loss of jobs, the increase of prices, and could also keep people from reaching their true potential.

Ultimately the main concern for raising the minimum wage is the possible negative consequences that may hurt business. Small business owners must take into account whether raising wages could negatively affect their business. Even with that said, over a thousand business owners and executives including, Costco CEO Jim Sinegal, U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce CEO Margot Dorfman, ABC home CEO Paulette Cole, and many have are supporters of the previous raise in the minimum wage (Business). This shows the support the minimum wage movement is getting even by companies who will eventually have to pay more. It does not end here, though; in 2014 over 600 economists sign a letter in support of a $10.10 minimum wage. These 600 economists concluded,

America is supposed to be for the people, but what if the people are not getting paid what they deserve? As citizens, our duty is to vote and fight for what we believe in. Inevitably, there is conflict since we are all faced with a decision- whether you vote for, against, or not at all. How do we relieve the pressure caused by inflation? Consequently, will a raise in the minimum wage quicken the replacement of manual labor and increase unemployment rates? I analyzed two sides: David Neumark's reasonable argument against the hike and co-authors Ali Monceax and David Najarian's emotionally saturated pep talk.  Opinions aside, the different methods and similar subject matters give us a chance to crack open what both authors succeeded and neglected.

Throughout the history of man there has always been a dire need for an efficient workforce. The issue of appropriate pay in the workforce however, has not been so clear. In fact, prior to 1938, there was no such thing as a minimum wage. The idea was considered un-constitutional and was shot down numerous times by the Supreme Court. Because of this, employees were often over worked and taken advantage of by their employers. Due to increasing pressure from the American people, however, the federal minimum wage was instituted and has been a topic of controversy ever since. Over the course of time, many have continued to push for higher wages in the United States and this argument is still being made to this day. Those who are in favor of increasing wages argue that it is an issue of moral obligation. With economic inequality continuing to rise, there is an urgent need for government intervention to bring about social justice by imposing a living wage capable of sustaining the needs of the public. Those who are opposed to this however, see all these points as misconceptions.