Raising Minimum Wage

Every day (As of 2015), 3.3 million people in the United States are waking up to their daily grind of a minimum wage job, jobs that pay $7.25 on the hour, (In some cases, even more.) bringing in almost nineteen thousand dollars annually on full time, with no vacation or sick days. After taxes, this total annual income brings in roughly about fifteen thousand dollars, a complete four thousand dollars under the poverty line for a family of three, and seven thousand dollars for a family of four. The average minimum wage worker is thirty-five years of age, far from the teenager that many believe make up a majority of minimum wage workers (Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers, 2014). Being a middle-aged man

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.

Many Americans, however, have already made up their minds on the issue: A 2015 CBS/New York Times survey found that 71 percent of Americans favored an increase to the minimum wage.

In the USA thousands of employees live under the poverty line while working full time jobs

Increasing the minimum wage to $15 would increase jobs and raise economic activity. The economic policy stated that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 would inject $22.1 billion in the economy, so raising it to fifteen would do major. The Economic Policy institute also stated that raising to $10.10 wouLD bring 85,000 jobs into the US. Fixing the minimum wage could also be fixing the lack of job employment as well.

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

Can you live off $7.25 an hour? Would you be able to pay all your bills, and have plenty of money left over for food, as well as personal pleasures? Imagine your salary was cut down to a forty-hour work week at the minimum wage salary in your state. Can you save money while on a minimum wage hourly salary? These same questions are on the minds of many Americans that are currently facing these struggles every time they receive a paycheck. For several reasons, the minimum wage should rise to $10.10 nationwide. This would be an adequate amount for most employees to support themselves and have some money to save or spend in the open market which would in

In today’s society around 1.7 million Americans are working below or at the current minimum wage level of $7.25. For these millions of Americans, they are forced to work endless hours and in return earn a salary that is not livable. According to Career Trends, a website that calculates cost of living, “For a given week, at the federal

Raising minimum wage can solve the cause of inflammation of poverty. Raising minimum wage would lift more than 4 million Americans out of poverty. Number four(4) Says, nearly one in five children would see their parent get a raise. Action by states and cities show that lifting the minimum wage shortens poverty and increases wages. In the 1960s, the minimum wage was suitable to lift a family of three out of poverty. A full-time employee with two children earning the minimum wage will still raise his or her family in poverty. Raising the minimum wages could possibly increase the health and wellbeing of millions globally. Raising the minimum wage will also encourage consumer

In 2014, 1.3 million employees earned the federal minimum wage, but 1.7 million workers obtained pay below this wage (“Federal Minimum Wage: Is The Federal Minimum Wage Good For The Economy?”). The employees who get paid below the federal minimum wage, receive tips or different rates, depending on which state they live, but the most of employees who gain minimum wage are affected by their incomes. If the minimum wage increases, it will benefit millions of workers. The money workers based on minimum wage workers gained was insufficient to afford all their

Poverty- the state of being extremely poor. The United States minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. For the average family of two working adults and two children the U.S. poverty level is “$24,037” (Nadeau 1) per year. “45 million” (Gongloff 1) American citizens are living below the poverty line as of late 2014, because the federal minimum wage isn’t enough to support their basic needs. Increasing minimum wage would reduce poverty because the federal minimum wage isn’t enough to comfortably support a family as things cost more than they did in 2009 when the wage was last raised and with the U.S. minimum wage of $7.25 an hour families have to choose between food and paying their rent.

There are several issues that arise from the inequality in wages such as; not being able to feed the family, pay the bills and raise children. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour. The current federal poverty line for a family of three is at $19,530. Working 40 hours a week, every week for a year the minimum wage would pay someone $15,080. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “3.6 million people, earn the federal minimum wage or less.” These Americans are working in the food, retail and the home health industries. They provide for our daily necessities yet they are unable to provide for themselves. Workers, like Aarin Foster have to work crazy shifts and do all they can just to get by.

That can result in fewer jobs for Americans and cause the rivalry to be more intense. Marina Krakovsky stated, "… leaders at an increasing number of companies are … opting to raise minimum pay, either to stay competitive in today's tight labor market or out of a growing recognition that few people can make ends meet on the current federal minimum" (32). Higher skilled employees will be competing for the best minimum wage positions, but it will knock unexperienced workers out of the picture, and their opportunities and resume slots will be slim for the future. Based on the information in Sander and Johnson's article, it exclaimed, "in 2015, … 1.6% of American workers earned the minimum wage, and … [most workers were] under the age of 25. [No individual should be] deprived of obtaining a … position that represents the first rung on their personal ladder to success" (Sanders 23). Inflation will keep getting higher and more difficult to handle, and products will become more expensive as time goes by. Living off of minimum wage to support a family is already tough

Those living in the United States of America are experiencing some economically dark times. Unemployment is becoming increasingly worse. Social programs are failing. Prices everywhere are on the rise as wages are declining drastically. Class division has never been more distinct. Of those lucky enough to have secured the multiple jobs needed in order to maintain their subsistent existences, most make only a minimum wage, established by their state’s laws, which is then harshly taxed upon. Life is hard enough in our dying superpower of a nation, but even worse for the work force of America that must survive on minimum wage. It is an offending disappointment that our fellow countrymen and women must live the way they do. This raises a

Raising our wages can help with an increase in job growth for others. The Economic Policy Institute stated “ A minimum wage increase from the current rate of $7.25 an hour to $10.10 would inject $22.1 billion net into the economy and create about 85,000 new jobs over a three-year phase-in period.” Another statement from Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago predicted that a $1.75 rise in the federal minimum wage would increase aggregate household spending by $48 billion the following year, thus boosting GDP and leading to job growth. (Should the Federal Minimum Wage Be Increased? Pro 1) This helps show that by increasing our minimum wage to a more effective wage, it can lead to an increase