There have been similar proposals of this type of legislation throughout history. The first type of similar legislation passed was the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) which was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Grossman, 1978). This act applied to about one-fifth of the labor force but set a minimum wage to twenty-five cents an hour (Grossman, 1978). The minimum wage has increased many times since the initial passing of the FLSA. In 1949, “the minimum wage was raised from 40 cents an hour to 75 cents an hour for all workers and minimum wage coverage was expanded to include workers in the air transport industry” (U.S. Department of Labor, 2015, “Wage and Hour Division”). The federal minimum wage has been increased 22 …show more content…
Supporters There are two major players for this proposed legislation. One key player is the bill’s sponsor Al Green. Green supports this bill since he is the sponsor of it. Al is a Democrat who represents Texas. He is a member of the House of Representatives. He is a civil rights advocate. His personal goals are to advocate for those whose voices are not often heard (Al Green, 2015). Al Green is in favor of this bill. He argues that those currently making minimum wage are below the poverty threshold (Al Green, 2015). He also explains that 47 million Americans live in poverty (Al Green, 2015). Green explains that public assistance programs allocate $7 billion a year and 63% of recipients have a member working in the family (Al Green, 2015). He believes this bill would help improve the economy and provide better opportunities for Americans (Al Green, 2015). Green expresses that, ““The Original Living American Wage (LAW) Act should accelerate the growth of our economy and provide greater opportunity as well as prosperity for all Americans, not just the privileged few” (Green, 2015). Another key player that would support this legislation and has expressed a concern for this issue is Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders is a Democrat and is currently campaigning for President in the upcoming 2016 election. Bernie Sanders is very vocal about his support and
There have been no major votes on this bill. The trackers displays the bill being introduced still and it has not yet passed the House.
In 1936 by President Roosevelt who signed the Fair Labor Standard Act(FLSA) making a federal minimum wage of .25 cents an hour (equivalent to $4.18 today)(Grossman) in order to maintain a “minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency and general well-being, without substantially curtailing employment”. This wage only affected about 20% of the entire labor force. The Fair labor Standards act was not always looked at being the best way to go, when it was enacted just like in today 's society it was fought against to raise the minimum wage. Many corporations were arguing against the creation of the
For centuries, there has been a common relationship between employers and employees. Over the course of that time, the workplace and the jobs within it have evolved as new jobs were created, ways to execute tasks became more advanced and laws were enacted to put into place fair employment for those in the workforce. In 1938, congress would pass and President Roosevelt would sign the Wages and Hours Bill, more commonly known as the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). This federal statute introduced a 44 hour, seven day work week, established the national minimum wage, guaranteed overtime pay in specific types of jobs at a rate of “time and a half”, and it defines oppressive child labor, which prohibits most employment of minors. The FLSA applies to those employees engaged in interstate commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, unless the employer can claim an exemption from coverage.
The 1996 FLSA amendment was next and it increased the minimum wage to $5.15 an hour. Most recently, in 2007 more changes needed to be made, so President Bush signed the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. This was another amendment to the FLSA that provided the increase of the federal minimum wage over an incremental plan, culminating in a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour by July 2009.
As the United States endured the hardships of the Great Depression, the struggles of the working class grew and employers were able to take advantage of desperate workers by overloading hours and shrinking wages. In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt, in his New Deal legislation, saw the opportunity to attend to the issues concerning workers involved in interstate commerce. The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, and the President described it in the following way “Except for the Social Security Act, it (the FLSA) is the most far-reaching, far-sighted program for the benefit of workers ever adopted here or in any other country.” (Nordlund). The FLSA, as it is known, set a maximum number of
In the 1930’s a huge factor lead to the passage of income continuity, the Great Depression. During the Great Depression scores of businesses failed, and many workers became chronically unemployed (Martoccho, 2015). The Great Depression brought the demise of smaller businesses and forced many to work in the larger factories. Subsequently, these conditions lead to the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). Since 1938 the federal government has broadened the scope of the FLSA in 1947 twice through the passage of two acts: Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (Martoccho, 2015). These acts are depicted to address the child labor provisions, minimum wage, and overtime pay.
The Fair Labor Standards Act was first introduced and passed on June 25, 1938 and became effective on October 24, 1938 within that bill minimum wage was first introduced (Grossman). The bill itself was an issue because the supreme court kept turning down the bill but after countless attempts, the bill was passed a year later. President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced that bill in hopes for fair pay as he states “all our able-bodied working men and women a fair day's pay for a fair day's work” (Roosevelt). President Roosevelt basically wanted to end the injustice and inequality many workers faced when receiving payment. Minimum wage has been and is currently an issue because of the augmentation on the cost of living and low income many workers
The federal minimum wage was established in 1938 as a part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA established a number of constraints regarding labor including minimum wage, maximum work week, lowest employee age of 14, and other regulations. The federal minimum wage was “first established during the Depression, and it has risen from 25 cents to $7.25 per hour since” (Wihbey 1). The FLSA was established to protect the citizens and ensure a safe and fair workplace. Minimum wage was specifically included in the FLSA to ensure that employees would not be unfairly working for incredibly low wages. When minimum wage was first introduced to the US, it was determined to be “unconstitutional” in a court case. Since then, the wage has been adjusted for inflation about every 10 years.
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 following employment classifications are used throughout this Handbook for purposes of salary administration and eligibility for various employee benefits. Exempt Employee-An employee who is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939, as amended. Non-Exempt Employee-An employee whose work is subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939, as amended. Temporary Employee-An employee who is hired either on a full-time or part-time basis to work for a definite, specified period of time. Contractor- An individual who performs services for another person or entity under a contract between them.
Concerning the wage rate, the United States government has intervened to maintain a lower limit on the hourly wage rate of a worker’s labor by implementing a price floor known as the minimum wage rate. This legal floor on the market price of labor sets a minimum hourly pay rate for workers in the United States. Effective July 24, 2009 the federal minimum wage rate is $7.25; in states that also have minimum wage laws the employee may be subject to both federal and state minimum wage laws, in which case they are entitled to the higher minimum wage rate (U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, 2011). Since the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was created in 1938 the federal minimum wage rate has gradually increased from $0.25 in 1938 to $7.25 present (U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, 2011). Although continuing to increase the minimum wage rate may include potential positive factors, it would hinder the U.S. economy overall.
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.
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 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?
The FLSA was enacted by President Roosevelt in 1938. The bill outlined that there would be a minimum wage that would have to be paid, and how many hours a week could be worked by one individual. The very first minimum wage was .25¢ per hour, and the first amount of hours to be worked during one week was 44 hours. Over the years the minimum wage has been increased and the weekly hours to be worked have been changed as well.