The Benefits Of Raising The Minimum Wage

One of the biggest negative effects of raising the minimum wage is that it would severely hurt small businesses. If the minimum wage were to be raised it would force the owners to pay their employees more money that they might not have. In order to pay the employees the newly raised minimum wage they are gonna have to raise the prices which will lead to the loss of consumers, and might eventually lead to the store going out of business. According to a Gallup poll done in 2013, 60 percent of small-business owners said that raising minimum wage will “hurt small business owners. James Richardson, MBA, Vice President of the fast food chain White Castle, said that the company would be forced to close

Minimum wage is the lowest wage paid or permitted to be paid (1). Americans have been debating raising minimum wage for years. The people that want the raise in pay believe that it will help workers who are not as qualified and need a salary they can support themselves on. The people who do not want the raise realize the damaging effects it will have on this country. These jobs do not require a great amount of skill so having a low pay is understandable. Minimum wage jobs were not created for people to support themselves and a family with. Raising minimum wage would hurt Americans more than help them because in the end prices of goods will increase and people will lose their jobs.

The topic of raising the minimum wage has many different viewpoints. It is thought to be affected negatively and positively. Some believe it increases unemployment and poverty. Others believe it creates jobs, helps the economy and low-income families by giving them more money to give back to the economy.

Many argue that raising the minimum wage makes hiring workers more expensive, eliminates jobs at the bottom, slows growth and ultimately raises unemployment. Economic studies show that raising the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation creates little additional harm, but what the president is

Now the question is what is minimum wage. “An amount of money that is the least amount of money per hour that workers must be paid according to the law” (Merriam Webster’s learner’s dictionary). According to United States department of Labor “The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $ 7.25 per hour effectively July 24, 2009” (Department of labor/ Minimum wage).

Franklin Roosevelt introduced minimum wage as a part of Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. The purpose of minimum wage were to prevent poverty and to stimulate the economy by increasing consumer’s purchasing power. However, in 2015, 78.2 million workers were paid hourly, representing 58.5% of all workers in the United States. Among those people, 870,000 workers earned the minimum wage, $7.25 per hour and 1.7 million workers earned below the minimum. In total, 3.3% of workers earned exactly or below the minimum wage. For years, there have been heated debates about whether the government should raise the minimum wage. In 2016, California, New York, and Washington D.C. agreed to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Some people think raising the minimum wage will decrease poverty and improve the workers living. Instead, raising the minimum wage will make the job market more competitive and it will increase the poverty level. When minimum wage was raised to $10 per hour, it benefited 16 to 24 million people while half a million workers lost their job. Rather than improving, Faces of $15 will damage the U.S economy and deeply hurt living condition of Americans.

There are a lot of opinions about raising the minimum wage, “a higher minimum wage may actually boost job creation” by Harold Meyerson, points out the benefits of increasing the minimum wage across the country, but also mentions the opinion of Republicans that are against of this issue. “A recent study by the Congressional Budget Office argued that a raise would increase the wages of 16.5 million Americans — at least 33 times the number of those who might lose jobs — and elevate 900,000 people out of poverty.” (Congressional Budget Office,

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 most prevalent and steadfast myth surrounding the raising of the federal minimum wage is that it will doom the economy. This might seem logical at first, but just think about it for a second. Why do minimum wage employees need more cash? The answer is simple: To spend it, to buy the things that they and their families need to survive. “Most minimum wage workers need this income to make ends meet and spend it quickly, boosting the economy. Research indicates that for every $1 added to the minimum wage, low-wage worker households spent an additional $2,800 the following year” (Fair). Furthermore, EPI estimates that if the federal minimum wage were raised to $10.10 an hour, it would result in over

The most important factor when increasing minimum wage is that businesses will also increase the unemployment rate in America. There are twenty-seven point nine million small businesses in the United States and if they can not afford to pay their works the state minimum wage then they will have to cut back on expenses. Businesses have to pay for insurance, uniforms, materials, maintenance, and other additional expenses. But, the biggest expense that an employer has to pay is their employees or workers and when they can not do that then people start to lose their jobs. Small businesses will not be able to afford to lose money nor workers and that will result in them shutting down their business.As stated by Sharon Anne Waldrop.

Another thing business might do in a reaction to the raised minimum wage is increase prices. This will indeed make the poverty-stricken poorer. With food and other goods costing more, and jobs being hard to find, it will be extremely difficult for people to survive in the economy.

The minimum wage being raised could have more negative effects on things you don’t really think of. New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, does not think the minimum wage should be raised either. Christie says that raising the minimum wage can hurt small businesses. Businesses should not have to constantly tell people they are not able to hire someone because they cannot afford it if the minimum wage raises to $15 (Trugman, Jonathon). He also says that raising it to $15 and hour can cause groceries to become more expensive. If you think groceries are expensive

Raising the minimum wage also can stimulate the economy by increasing consumer spending without adding to state and federal budget deficits. Low income will received enough of money that will be able to spend it at the local business. That can help build a sustaainable

Those for raising the bill have several arguing points. Their main point is that $7.25 is not enough for someone to live off of. Most minimum wage jobs today become full time careers for the employees, those who were unable to afford college or for some reason or another will not be able to find a salary based job. In 2011, 3.8 million people earned the minimum wage. Half of those people were age 25 or older (U.S. Department of Labor). Unless they are in graduate school, most people have found their career by then.

Should we raise the minimum wage of $7.25? President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938 established the minimum wage of $0.25 per hour during the Great Depression. Congress has raised minimum wage 22 times. The last increase was in 2009 when congress raise it from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour (“Should the Federal,” 2017, para. 1). Those who favor the idea of raising the federal minimum wage agree that $7.25 is not enough for living expenses and that increasing it will better the economy (“Should the Federal,” 2017, para. 2). People who are against boosting minimum wage say it will force businesses to shut down, cut workforce, and put a limit on hiring. Above all, those with little experience will find it harder to find a job (“Should the Federal,” 2017, para. 3). Increasing the federal minimum wage is an inconvenient idea because it will increase poverty, damage businesses, and leave young adults out of workforce.