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Argumentative Essay On Minimum Wage

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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

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