The Importance Of Raising Minimum Wage In The United States

My topic of interest is the effects of raising minimum wage in the U.S. Minimum wage is defined as the lowest wage permitted by law or by special agreement. In 1938, President Roosevelt signed a bill called the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which set the minimum wage at $0.25. Although, overtime inflation devalued the amount of the dollar so it was raised there on. After raising the minimum wage the cost of living would keep going up every year. Also, currently advocates are arguing that the living wage should be 125% above the poverty line so that full time workers can afford a living.

Raising the minimum wage is a very important public policy issue. Raising the minimum wage is a responsible policy that is supported by research and demanded by the American public. Each day, minimum wage workers across the country struggle to make ends meet and provide a decent life for their kids (Scott & Perez, 2016). Raising the minimum wage is a controversial issue, many believe that raising the minimum wage would only provide low wage workers more money to spend. However, the benefits can be endless for low wage workers. If minimum wage is increased across the United States it would afford the people effected more opportunities for financial freedom. Increasing the minimum wage would raise the standard of living for low wage workers, allow families to be removed from poverty, allow for government welfare spending to be reduced and lastly additional income being spent would positively affect the 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

The history of the Federal minimum wage dates to 1938 when then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed “the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)” into law (History of Minimum Wage). Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing the FLSA into law made sure that no American could be paid less than the federal minimum wage. The initial minimum wage was set at twenty-five cents an hour back in 1938. However, prior to Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing the Fair Labor Standards Act into law there was not any “national minimum wage, or…legislation to protect workers from exploitation. [Due to] lack of regulation tens of thousands of workers were routinely exploited in sweatshops and factories…for pennies a week” (Minimum-Wage.org). Which made covering day to day

When the minimum wage goes up, money will get shuffled back into the economy once the lowest earners can invest. “It also would help the economy by supporting consumer spending that in turn supports job growth” (Source 1). Once the lower class starts to earn more they become capable of consuming more, so in the long run it would benefit employer. Although some may argue that a higher minimum wage would hurt employers, it would not due to a gradual change. Also, more consumption of products creates more jobs which helps the economy and the general

Do you think the federal minimum wage should be raised? People working minimum wage jobs think the amount should be increased. The federal minimum wage is about $7.25 an hour. People are saying this amount is not enough money to live on and that's why so many people are living in poverty. The federal minimum wage should not be raised because raising it will hurt small businesses, increase poverty levels, and create job competition.

Minimum wage is the lowest wage permitted by law or special agreement. This is the lowest amount of money to be paid in accordance to law. In US, the first federal minimum wage was introduced by Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of Fair Labor Standard Act in 1938 and it all started with $0.25/hr(about $4 in today's value). Since then, there have been many debates over raising the federal minimum wage and so far it has been raised 22 times. As of 2015, the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. Even though there is federal minimum wage law, only 20 states follow it including Texas and the rest of them have their own minimum wage laws. Therefore, there are list out there of the pros and cons of raising the minimum wage and the current debate.

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).

Recently there has been some debate about whether we should raise the minimum wage in America. Now there would be some ups and downs for both of them, but I personally think we should raise it. Mainly because people are barely getting by bill to bill. Plus some people have some kids, they have to take care of and have to buy them food as well. But there would be a risk about the economy and a lot could happen if we just raised maybe if we even raised five dollars. But I have some very key reasons why think we should raise.

Across the United States, economists have debated the fruits of the minimum wage. Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced The Federal Minimum Wage Act in 1938, was the first federal minimum wage set in the United States. In the United States, the minimum wage has increased from its original twenty-five cents to its current seven dollars and twenty-five cents. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have taken divisive stances on the federal minimum wage. For example, Trump wants the states to set their own minimum wage while Sanders calls for a living wage. This difference in opinion between two relevant politicians is a clear indicator of the importance of the current federal minimum wage to the American people. Is the federal minimum wage effective in lifting Americans out of poverty? No, by itself the minimum wage is unable to make huge steps to get Americans out of poverty.

“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.

Minimum wages have long been a basic labour standard for workers in the developed world. In Canada, where labour regulations fall under provincial jurisdiction, minimum wage legislation has existed in some provinces since 1918. The first incarnations of these laws only applied to women, with the explicit purposes of protecting female workers from exploitation and unfairly low wages, while simultaneously preventing women from undercutting male wages. Today, minimum wage policy and regulation remain the purview of the provinces and territories, but apply equally, with a few exceptions, to all workers. Accordingly, minimum wage rates, and the process for determining the rate, can vary greatly across the country. In the United States, the first minimum wage legislation appeared federally, with The Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938. Since its first enactment, this legislation has been amended numerous times, with each subsequent minimum wage rate increase. Today, each state maintains the autonomy to set their minimum wage rates, so long as it is higher than the federally established rate.

I don't want to come out and say that a living wage for people is a bad idea in general but it just doesn't make economic sense. If the country is to raise the minimum wage, we should learn about all the possible effects that could come from this possibility and leave us worse off than before. When the wage is raised, you can expect more people than before being laid off to compensate for the raise. The effect of the raise is that small business and small ¨mom and pop¨ shops would no longer be able to compete against big business like Target and Mcdonald's, blocking young people or people with limited work experience from entry-level jobs. The possibility of some people benefiting from a raise in a minimum wage does not outbalance the negative effects of the raise.

The current federal minimum wage is at a staggering low of 7.25 dollars per hour throughout these past couple of years. Many supporters of raising the minimum wage believe that this minimum wage is not enough to support a life in this day and age Also, many advocates state that the current minimum wage is a far cry from being a living wage and that the minimum wage needs to be raised to help this problem. To solve this problem, the minimum wage needs to be raised to 10.10 dollars per hour in order to keep up with inflation, to reduce poverty, to reduce crime, to reduce the federal deficit, and to help students. By solving this problem, many societal benefits could occur.

It has been over eight years since Congress has raised the federal minimum wage. Back when Obama was president, a few stated did raise their minimum wage, which had a higher job growth in that year (2014). Three out of four Americans support an increase, yet Trump and Congress are more focused on other issues such as health care and tax reform (Chris Lu, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor). Raising the minimum wage would help families and children who are living in poverty, diminish the gender wage gap and help racial justice issues, and relieve the government of financial burdens.