Persuasive Essay On Minimum Wage

To begin, there is an extensive debate over whether if the U.S were to raise minimum wage, could it really help the working poor of low income families. Nancy Cook, in her article from the National Journal, “Why a Minimum-Wage Hike Can’t Help the Poor”, she points out that two thirds of around 100 surveys from 2007 had a negative effect and that it does more for the middle class than the lower one. (p.14). So, therefore, from her

Before people push a minimum wage increase, they need to be totally aware of all of the positive and negative results and consequences that might occur as a result. The issue concerning what to do about the minimum wage has served as an ongoing controversy amongst several people. The federal minimum wage should not be raised for several reasons including the harmful effect on small businesses, the increase of poverty, and the augmentation of competition for jobs.

A full time worker earning $7.25 an hour will make approximately $15,080 a year (“Minimum Wage”). That’s barely more than what students pay for housing and food at some colleges, and we expect a family to live off of this? The poverty line is at $20,000 for a family of four, so how are these people supposed to raise their children in a healthy environment while working full-time to not even be on the poverty line? If this raise is done correctly, employment and prices won’t be hurt, and we will only be helping our nation’s hardest workers. “Katrina Gill is a certified nursing aide. She monitors 28 patients from 10:30pm to 7am, checking vitals, preventing bedsores, and changing diapers. She makes $14,400 a year with no benefits. She currently has $160,000 worth of medical debt from her son’s cancer care” (Conlin). “Joseph Schiraldi guards the Empire State Building, one of the biggest terrorist targets in the world, for eight hours every-single day. He makes $7.50 an hour in the nation’s most expensive city with no pension, no health care, and no sick days” (Conlin). How is it fair that hard-workers are forced to live below poverty, when raising the federal minimum wage would not have any major negative effects on our economy? Although some people believe that it is unnecessary to raise the federal minimum wage, while looking at the facts it is necessary to realize the benefits it would bring.

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.

I decided to write about how I felt regarding the federal government's involvement in controlling the minimum wage and that I felt they are disconnected in their understanding of the impacts on communities when they raise the minimum wage. I work for a manufacturing company in the U.S. and I understand wholeheartedly what the impact of salary increases due to our bottom line. In very competitive markets the difference between success and failure can be separated by the difference of only a few dollars per part, and while in other countries, their manufacturing bottom line is subsidized by their governments we are forced to generate profits the old-fashioned way through supply and demand. This is why I decided to take a stance in my persuasive essay and challenge the status quo of the Department of Labor and Wages. No longer should the federal government dictate a national minimum wage but should allow each state to establish their own minimum wage based on the economic condition of their counties and their state, as a whole.

Almost 8 million Americans work full time and still fall below the poverty line. Some argue that raising the minimum wage will only benefit the workers who may not need it. This argument is flawed, according to The Economic Policy Institute’s analysis, which shows that “most of the low wage workers live in low-wage households, and 84% of the workers in low-wage jobs are at least 20 years old.” (LA Times, Stern and Camden). In my point of view, anyone that shows up to work regularly and puts in quality hours should be

We are arguably living in the aftereffects of a country that reached its heights of Capitalism during the Industrialization era. Prior to the introduction of machinery and railroad systems to America, the economical framework relied on a warped version of lasseiz-faire and featured wealthy descendants of British merchants who joined the colonies. Others worked menial jobs and apprenticeships to guarantee their source of income and it is safe to say that many were unhappy with their predicament --- even if they had no platform to voice this opinion. While the Industrialization Era introduced centuries of wealth to America, it also severely tipped the wealth distribution scale which can be seen extremely in events like the multiple depressions of the 19th Century and recessions in the 20th Century. In a 2013 statistic, researchers found that 53.5% of people despise their jobs. If you ask around, you 'll find that many overqualified Americans are still working menial jobs to provide for their families and that even office jobs are not that promising in terms of salary. The wealth cap for most of these citizens is around $60k~ and many, many Americans are living in poverty. There seems to be a socio-economical propaganda that is being spewed around for many years that many workers of minimum wage are lazy, entitled teenagers who have nothing better to do than sit around and collect

“When we talk about the kind of folks whose lives will be made better by raising the minimum wage, we 're not talking about a couple teenagers earning extra spending money to supplement their allowance. We 're talking about providers and breadwinners. Working Americans with bills to pay and mouths to feed” (Perez 2015). Minimum wage is a problem to America because some people cannot live off it and some people say businesses should not pay extra. Should the minimum wage be raised ? “A native of Detroit, Cecil Euseary, 52, moved to Holland, Michigan in 2007, after his mother died — he had to get out of town. He moved back to Detroit in 2014.He works at Burger King working minimum wage there. He can only get about 25 hours of work per week at Burger King. Cecil has been active in the "D15" campaign to increase the minimum wage in Detroit to $15 per hour. He once met with U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, when he was visiting Detroit. "It 's hard. If it weren 't for my god mom — this is her house; I get a room upstairs — if it weren 't for her, I don 't know what," Cecil says. "I 'd probably be out on the street, in a shelter." (Euseary 2014). The minimum wage should be raised from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour because if you raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour it would lift people out of poverty, it would increase the federal purchasing power and not as many families struggling to make ends meet. Here’s another story, Enriqueta works as a housekeeper for minimum wage in the

Raising the federal minimum wage allows individuals to be able to provide for themselves and their families without the need for some type of government assistance. One report explains that families with workers only earning minimum wage rely on those workers for 59% of the families’ total earnings (Fox). Many people associate minimum wage jobs as starter jobs for high school students, but the reality is that the number of college graduates working in minimum wage jobs has more than doubled over the past five years. The majority of people who are earning minimum wage are

People should not suffer any longer. MAny people are in poverty because the minimum wage can not house one individual. The United States should raise the minimum wage to 15 dollars per An hour. After reading numerous articles, magazines, and studies, i am Able to conclude that The following three reasons is why the United States should raise the minimum wage to $15. It would Increase jobs and economic activity, it would reduce poverty, and Reduce Government welfare spending. Imagine getting hourly pay that is hardly enough to buy lunch, much less feed a family.Many people have shared the personal stories of living on minimum wage. A WOMAn named anita has four children working minimum wage. Two of her kids have special needs. As a mother she wants to be with her kids. As a mother she stRuggles if she should go on doctors appointment with them or work for food. She debates this every day on her way. She quotes”you can’t judge people who are working, but still need to get help. I’m not a lazy person, trust me. A raisin the minimum wage is just about fairness, and about giving people a fighting chance to achieve the American Dream.”

Almost 3.3 out of 76 million workers in the US receive minimum wage (Source: BLS reports). Activists for raising the minimum wage claim that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 is the reason they are living in poverty, and that the wage must be raised for a better standard of living. Many people who take on minimum wage jobs are young and work in companies that don’t carry much prestige; however, they still take pride in their work and demand higher pay (BLS reports). On the other side of the issue, there are claims that raising the minimum wage will actually have more drawbacks than benefits such as hurting the economy (Opposing Viewpoints). The

Supporters of raising the minimum wage argue that it is necessary for those working at the wage to be able to keep up and be able to financially support themselves. Many workers at the minimum wage level are forced to resort to government programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Section 8 or Income Based Housing, Food Stamps, or Medicaid just to be able to support their families. Opponents of raising the minimum wage argue that most workers at the minimum wage level are primarily young adults or teenagers who are earnings their money to contribute slightly to their family’s financial progress or using the money for their own enjoyment. These opponents say

This hot debated topic about how minimum wage should be increased dates back to where history began. Most people today forget the painstaking, agonizing labor that people had to go through. Think about this for a moment, a world full of men, women, and children working every day 90 plus hours per week and getting less. In 1915, “woman was paid $6.00 a week; she bought her lunch for 15 cents while her struggling co-worker got by on 6 cents.” (http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2015/01/02/a-glimpse-at-your-expenses-100-years-ago) This shows these people worked very hard for little money without complaining about their expenses.

Many argue that the national minimum wage is, ‘Not a Living Wage’, which is often backed up using low-income, impoverished, full time workers as proof for their argument. There is plenty of evidence for this side. According to the federal census, at least 13.5% of Americans are below the poverty line. The poverty line for two people is $16,240. The poverty line for a family of four is $24,036. The 13.5 % may seem insignificant, but that means forty-five million people are living in poverty in the U.S. To fix this issue, many argue the method of raising the minimum wage. Congress seems to agree, seeing that the “Congressional Budget Office states that raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would lift 900,000 people out of poverty.” The Federal Bureau

When asked about protests around the country to raise the minimum wage to 15 dollars, which equates to about $31,000 per year, he said, ”with taxes too high, wages too high, we’re not going to be able to compete against the world. I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is. People have to go out, they have to work really hard and have to get into that upper stratosphere”. Those who are for a raised minimum wage state that currently it isn’t enough to live on, and that most people who do earn minimum wage don’t even work for 35 hours a week. They also argue that it could act as a stimulus when low-income houses earn more money, then they are likely to spend it, which would put more money into the economy. The American Economic Policy Institute said "By increasing workers' take-home pay, families gain both financial security and an increased ability to purchase goods and services, thus creating jobs for other Americans”. But those who are against it argue that studies have shown that increasing the minimum wage does not decrease poverty. They also argue that it would put pressure on small business owners, causing them to hire fewer workers, and also causing the unemployment rate to increase even more.