The Minimum Wage

There are a lot of people around the world who struggle with money and a satisfactory way of life. Whether they be in the United States or across the globe, there is a standard minimum wage set for the working class of their country. In the Unites States, there is a federal minimum wage of seven dollars and twenty five cents per hour worked. Almost every state has another set minimum wage, which typically is a little higher than the federal minimum wage, but it cannot be lower than seven dollars and twenty five cents. Countries set minimum wage laws, to ensure there is a basic quality of life amongst its citizens. As the minimum wage goes up in certain states, the quality of life also improves. The problem with a higher minimum wage, is now people are getting paid higher for entry level jobs which are meant for teenagers and people new to the workforce. If the minimum wage keeps increasing across the country, teenagers and young adults will have a much more difficult time finding jobs.

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.

The first federal minimum wage mandated by the government was in 1938. When the first minimum wage became law in 1938, it was set at just 25 cents. Today, the federal minimum wage mandated by the government is set at $7.25 an hour. “Many states have their own set minimum wages, which are currently above $7.25 per hour already. Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. D.C. 's new wage of $10.50 an hour makes it the first jurisdiction to cross the $10 threshold among the states,” (Halvorson). The last time that the federal minimum wage mandated by the government was changed was over 8 years ago. “The last time Congress voted to raise the minimum wage to its current rate of $7.25 an hour was on May 24, 2007. Since then, the cost of life 's essentials has shot up. Groceries cost 20% more, a gallon of gas costs 25% more, and average tuition at a community college increased 44%. But the minimum wage remains at

The minimum wage is one of the most controversial issues on our country, which is United States has been facing last ten years. There have been never ending debates over this issue until the government, company, and others party stand together, and raise the minimum wage throughout the nations. There are communities that believe raise the minimum wage has negative impact of every sector of the country. Other communities have different beliefs over the issue, raising the minimum wage helps the poor people, and would help not hurt our economy.

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 was a policy to change the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 in three additions, which began in July of 2009. (http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/minwagebwp.pdf)

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

Another change was made in 1955 to one dollar per hour from 75 cents. In 1961 it rose again to $1.25 per hour. In 1966, the minimum wage was upped again to $1.60 per hour, but this increase was gradual over time as opposed to the prior increases. From 1977 to 1981 the FLSA gradually raised the minimum wage to $3.35 an hour. The 1989 FLSA amendment increased the minimum wage to $4.25 per hour, also in stages.

The first minimum wage laws dated back from 1912 and these laws covered women and children. During the U.S. Supreme Court case of Adkins v. Children’s Hospital in 1923, the “minimum wage law violated the right of contract under the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment” (Thies, 1991 para. 1). The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 provided the legal minimum wage standards and the first wage was 25 cents per hour as of October 24, 1938 (Douty, 1967). Additionally, this act intention was to transfer employment from children to jobless adults (Kocin, 1967). It is amazing that the first minimum wage only allowed certain groups of employees to receive the hourly minimum rate and was focused on interstate commerce. For example in 1967 the large farm employees were established as $1 per hour and prior to this, there was no standard. This was directly responsible because of the amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1961 and 1966.

The minimum wage in the United States has been an ongoing controversy for many years now. The first minimum wage was established in 1938 (Reich, 2015, P. 3). That minimum wage started out at .25 cents an hour; compared to today’s higher wage of a government standard of $7.25 an hour. Many people believe that the minimum wage should be more so that those who live below the poverty level in the United States will decrease, however in many other people’s opinions the minimum wage should be the same. The minimum wage should stay the same at a low $7.25.

the federal government initial Minimum wage permitted was first presented by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938. The Minimum wage was presented as a component of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA additionally covers things like business guidelines, extra hourly pay and recordkeeping.

It was introduced by the 32nd POTUS Franklin Roosevelt, and was referred to as the Fair Labor Standards Act (Sessions). The first minimum wage set in the country paid workers 25 cents an hour. As noted on the website Bebusinessed.com, minimum wage is deliberately set up so it does not rise with inflation. It can only rise if congress believes it should. In other words, lawmakers from the house and senate who make an average of $174,000 annually decide whether or not the wages should increase. Looking at how the minimum wage has increased over the years; in 1968 the base rate at its highest level was at $1.60/ hour which is equivalent to $10.75 today. From 1990 to 2009 the minimum wage has declined sharply since its highest point. In understanding how minimum wage works, it is important to understand who it is intended to help. 64% of minimum wage workers are part-time while 36% are full-time workers (Tufts). It remains a matter of pure debate on if a higher minimum wage causes unemployment. The benefit would have a greater impact on low-income Americans than the risk it poses. "If the US economy were 9% bigger than it is today, it would have created about 11 million additional jobs. Imagine how great that would be for both American workers and

Minimum wage has been a continuing matter since its first establishment, and it is something everyone faces. Though, the recurring problem being brought up again and again is the issue of being underpaid, and is the set minimum wage fair? And will raising minimum wage be more beneficial or harmful in the long run? Through its history can society better understand and find a solution to this problem. Minimum wage was not instituted in the United States until the 1920s, and the idea of wages being determined by the hour was introduced in the 1930s. The Fair Labor Standards Act was born and passed through the Supreme Court in 1938, as well as the Wage and

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).

Minimum wage introduced by the congress as the subdivision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938. At that time, congress set the minimum wage at 25 cents an hour. According to Tricia Hussung, Business Analyst, in 1968, adjusted for inflation, the federal minimum wage

In United States the minimum wage is been set by a network of federal, state, and local laws. Workers are generally been paid no less than the statutory minimum wage as specified by the government. As of July 2009, the federal government officially ordered a nationwide minimum wage level of $7.25 per hour. The federal minimum wage was at its highest at 10 dollars in 1968, as measured in 2014. Since then there were controversial debates over the