Minimum wage Minimum wage has caused controversy throughout history between the two parties in government, the Democrats and Republicans, debating if they should increase minimum wage or not. Minimum wage was first established during 1938 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Sessions). The first act to enforce employers to pay its employees is the Fair Labor Standards Act which followed the Social Security Act (Sessions). Minimum wage started as twenty-five (25) cents per hour which doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was at that time (Sessions). The United States tended to raise the minimum wage when the standard of living changed. Since 1938, two other amendments were created to increase minimum wage laws even more. By 1961, minimum wage raised to $1.15 with another increase in 1963 (wages). Since the 1963 wage change, minimum wage created a trend of increasing yearly or every other year (Wages). From 2007 to 2009 minimum wage increased each year making the current minimum wage $7.25 (wages). Sine minimum wage has been established, Congress has increased minimum wage twenty-two times (22) (). Since minimum wage is supposed to change when the standard of living changes, then why hasn’t the United States government changed it since 2009? Minimum wages laws fluctuate throughout all fifty (50) states. The federal government has minimum wage set at $7.25. Although the government has the law in place, states and cities must right to increase the minimum wage, but they are not allowed to decrease the value below the federal law. According to Caplinger, there are about twenty- one (21) states that have a minimum wage higher than the national level. These states that have higher minimum wage tend to have a higher population. For example, California, as a state, has decided to increase their minimum wage law due to the standard of living. This law to raise minimum wage to ¬¬¬$10.50 in California is in progress to take effect in January 2018(Kravosky). Some cities within states, can create their own minimum wage. Cities create these minimum wages based on the population size, cost of living, and size of the city. For example, Atlanta, Georgia has a minimum wage of $15 an hour but the state of Georgia has minimum wage set
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
Minimum wage is the lowest amount of pay that employers can legally pay their workers. Minimum wage in the United States, is set at $7.25, the federal government takes out up to 12 percent of the whole payment for taxes. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are the ones who have set the minimum wage from 1938 to the current year, 2017. The FLSA is a law that sets various labor regulations that includes interstate commerce employment, requirements for overtime pay, and the limits on child labor. Some argue that teenagers and low paying workers should be paid more than $7.25 dollars an hour, while others argue that they should suck it up and be thankful for what are paid. Researchers have stated that high minimum wage increases have helped bring the poverty level down in the United States. Other researchers have said that the level of minimum wage has little to no effect on the poverty level. Minimum wage is a happy medium that a company or organization sets for an employee; they use this as a starting point for an employee to receive raises and bonuses. Minimum wage is thought out to be by some a terrible thing because it is the reason our poverty levels are down, but with the minimum wage it has helped with economic growth.
Minimum wage has only been around in the United States (US) for a short period of time. Since 1938, the minimum wage has undergone many changes in its laws and regulations and has been raised to extreme amounts in some states. Today states must provide at least the equivalent minimum wage set by the federal government. Some states, however, chose to raise the minimum wage rate higher than that set by the federal government. In those states, the citizens will protest to get higher wages so that they can live more comfortably.
The minimum wage has been changing over time for the past hundred years. Minimum wage is a standard payment that can give people a minimum standard of living. Unfortunately, many minimum wage workers cannot afford a decent living, so they end up going into government programs. Minimum wage is different for every worker. In the past, workers’ wages were based on being a different gender of ages, or even paid for how big the family was”. In addition, the minimum wage is different in every state. Even though minimum wage has increased in the past more people are starting to get into government support programs. Also, the minimum wage payment barely gets people to provide a home. Maybe if the state minimum wages increase by $15.00, there might
Some would say that it is the state's' responsibility to set minimum wage. The cost of living varies from state to state, so each should decide what it's minimum wage is. This is a valid point, but states need to be responsible and interact with the people who want the minimum wage to be the same. There have probably been studies done regarding this and maybe a poll of the people who agree with this.
The minimum wage has been a topic of discussion for decades. It was introduced in the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, originally set at $0.25. It has since been raised 29 times. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 and was set in 2009 (11). This is the reason many people are upset with the wage not increasing. It would take $8.09 in 2016 to equal the $7.25 from 2009. The minimum wage needs to be increased to boost the economy and lift families out of poverty. However, the minimum wage should not be increased to more than $10 per hour to prevent an increase in the price of consumer goods and prevent a spike in high school dropout rates.
Minimum wage had become a big debate in our country, both federal and state minimum wage. They debate whether we should raise the federal wage or we should just let the states determine their own minimum wage rate by getting rid of federal all together. Many presidential candidates and other political officials would like to see the rate get up to at least $10 or even $15. The debate is that this will hurt our businesses and economy if we were to raise the rate. They also don’t think that people working a no skills job should earn almost as most as skilled job workers. The federal minimum wage was put in place to make sure the workers were in America were getting a pay that they deserved. In some states and even cities the cost of living has
3.3% of Americans aged sixteen years or older earn at or below the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. With an estimated 45 million citizens living in poverty, I will attempt to prove why we must increase the minimum wage to at least $10.10 an hour. In this paper, I will discuss the history and definitions of poverty and minimum wage as well as the pros and cons of implementing a higher minimum wage. I will also examine the economic and social effects of the minimum wage and how it pertains to our day to day lives. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established The Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA as a part of The New Deal. With this, a federal minimum wage of $0.25 was introduced. The act also provided overtime pay, a maximum workweek of forty-four hours, recordkeeping requirements, and a restriction on child labor. Before its passage, one in four children were working sixty hours a week for a median salary of $4.00 per week. Over 700,000 workers were affected by the Fair Labor Standards Act and Roosevelt called it the most important legislation since the Social Security Act of 1935. (Grossman) Since its introduction, the minimum wage has been increased twenty-two times by twelve different presidents. (Bose) The act was specifically intended for those working in manufacturing. Only about 20% of the population was covered by the minimum wage law. Other industries were exempt from the law due to concerns that it would restrict employment. The FSLA faced judicial opposition from the very beginning and has never been without controversy. The National Association of Manufacturers or NAM, denounced the new laws as “a step in the direction of communism, bolshevism, fascism, and Nazism.” (Cole) Many politicians and merchants vehemently opposed the Act and considered it an attack on traditional American values. Roosevelt addressed this apprehension in a fireside chat where he is quoted as saying, “Do not let any calamity-howling executive with an income of $1,000.00 a day, who has been turning his employees over to the Government relief rolls in order to preserve his company’s undistributed reserves, tell you […] that a wage of $11.00 a week is going to have a disastrous effect on all American industry.” (Tritch)
The infamous author Mark Twain once said: “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” I believe that is the case for minimum wage employees. They denounce the wealthy for being successful while not trying to improve themselves. Although I firmly believe staff and creators should be treated with equal respect, just as every human being, they are entitled to what they earn. In my perspective minimum wage is acceptable when the job does not require a higher education or degree, as a CEO of a company is expected to have. I do not believe that taking and dispersing capital from the wealthy to the rest of America will help our people in any way as the author from The Trouble With The Super-Rich, Barbara Ehrenreich does.
The debate over minimum wage increases has been a major political issue for decades. Some believe that a higher minimum wage will put more money into the economy and pockets of the lower classes. However; opponents believe that a minimum wage increase would do more harm than good. The Washington Post has published several articles on the issue, one of which being: “$15 is the Wrong Goal for Wage Warriors”, which doesn’t have a specific author; because it is a collaborative piece from the editorial board itself. The Wall Street Journal has also published an opposing article: “The Evidence Is Piling up That Higher Minimum Wages Kill Jobs”, written by David Neumark. The Editorial Boards main point of view is that the federal minimum wage should sustainably be increased, while David Neumark believes that a higher minimum wage would harm those whom the increase is meant to help; the unskilled. The Editorial Board’s
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.
The current federal minimum wage was established by the Fair Labor Act of 1938 making it over a century old. “the stated purpose of the federal minimum wage is to keep America’s workers out of poverty and to increase consumer purchasing power in order to stimulate the economy. Over the years, the act has been revised to accommodate for the inflation in prices, allowing the minimum wage value to rise ahead with it. Along with the creation there has been people who have argued for and against raising the minimum wage. The two opposing camps are the democrats who believe that it should be raised because they value the pursue of happiness and the republicans who believe it should not change because they value security. The issue with minimum wage
The minimum wage has arguably become the most controversial topic regarding our economy today, as it influences one of the largest classes of people within the United States, the working class. Federally, the minimum wage has not been raised in eight years, so it has stayed at $7.25 per hour for all non-exempt workers (U.S. DoL). The opinions on this topic are typically split across a progressive-conservative line, with progressives being in favor of a raise from $7.25, and conservatives wanting to stay at the current rate. This can be seen when looking at the typical progressive stances from states and municipalities that raise the minimum wage for businesses operating within their jurisdiction, since the higher rate among all levels of
My argumentative essay and speech will focused on the reasons on why the government should or should not raise minimum wage and how this would benefit or hurt their workers. Minimum wage is the least amount a worker can get paid according to law. Over the years the amount has been rising and is now currently at 7.25$ per hour. However most states minimum wage is above that. People are arguing that raising minimum wage should be raised, but when I look at it, all I see if people getting 2, maybe there more dollars. If the keeps rising, how are these smaller companies, even bigger companies going to be able to pay for all these jobs. Even if the lowest amount rises to 15$, how big of a difference will that make in paying rent, or buying a car,
Minimum wage in the United States was first established with the implementation of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Initially designed to protect the working class from low or unfair wages in exchange for their work, minimum wage has been heavily debated for its potential positive or negative impact to the economy. In theory, the minimum wage allows for a more equitable society in which individuals can work and participate in. In principle, all states should use the current federal minimum wage set at $7.25, though there are 29 states and a number of cities, such as Seattle and San Francisco, that have voted and passed to use their own higher minimum wage (Brainerd, 2017). Nonetheless, there are a couple of states in which a vote was passed to follow a minimum wage lower than that set by the federal government (Georgia and Wyoming) (Wage and Hour Division).