Why The Minimum Wage Should Be Raised

The world is filled with luxuries such as personal islands, gold-plated cars, or crystal pianos. What about everyday items like food, clothing, and shelter? Families in the United States can barely afford such items because of an American tragedy: the minimum wage. Though the sights and sounds of fluttering money is alluring, it is also elusive. The minimum wage is a tragic loss for the United States because it cannot even provide the bare minimum for employees working tirelessly for it. Opposition of raising it can be negated by statistics that show how the country can move into a brighter future. Data from economic research shows

Should minimal wage be raised to $15.00 an hour? I think that minimal wage should be raised and would greatly benefit the economy. Raising the minimum wage can lead to economic stimulus, create more opportunity for jobs, and reduce the expense of social programs. If the economic stimulus is improved, there is more money to be spent. If there are more jobs created, people can appreciate productivity and turn down rates. If the expense of social programs is reduced, low income families would not have to worry about depending on welfare. Raising minimal wages would give hope to the woman, different race, and encourage and motivate others to further their education. (Doyle, 2015).

Many American workers will benefit from raising the minimum wage. 35 million workers, which is more than one in four, are receiving the minimum wage. 30 percent of percent of African American workers, 38 percent of Hispanic workers, and 15.5 million working men receive the minimum wage. These people would all benefit greatly from raising the minimum wage. It is a myth that people who receive minimum wage are working teenagers in fast-food. 89 percent of minimum-wage workers are 20 years old or older. 27.7 percent of minimum-wage workers have children, and may have trouble supporting their children with such a low income. It is also a myth that minimum-wage workers are high school graduates only or high school drop outs. 45 percent of minimum-wage

Many people may believe that raising the minimum wage is a great idea. An employee making federal minimum wage is below the poverty level. But could it be that a decrease in, or not having a minimum wage at all, would be better for the economy?

According to the National Employment Law Project (NELP), one benefit an increased wage would bring would be an improvement in overall productivity resulting in a reduced turnover rate for the company (NELP, n.d.). It makes an employee want to come to work and perform at an optimal level if they are being paid well. Basically, the more we are paid, the better we want to perform and the more we will show up for work. Job satisfaction plays a huge role in an employee’s willingness to commit to a company. If we are satisfied with our employer and the pay, chances are we are going to remain with that employer. That is why this would ultimately reduce the employee turnover rates of companies. Good pay is an extremely important factor in job satisfaction. Some

Raising minimum wage has been a battle for many decades and it has always been a battle to raise it. Many families that work for a minimum wage job often have trouble making ends meet because making $8.75 just isn’t enough in this today’s economy. Some jobs are paying $2.13 an hour but this is mostly at restaurants that are family owned but if they don’t make enough on tips they must get paid $7.25 per hour they worked. Although minimum wage has changed dramatically since 1938 when it was $0.25 cents (Kurtz&Yellin) American families simply cannot live on minimum wage. Raising minimum wage should be raised to help families that need it the most.

It 's the year 2014, and we are in the state of the financial crisis which is still being felt

This hot debated topic about how minimum wage should be increased dates back to where history began. Most people today forget the painstaking, agonizing labor that people had to go through. Think about this for a moment, a world full of men, women, and children working every day 90 plus hours per week and getting less. In 1915, “woman was paid $6.00 a week; she bought her lunch for 15 cents while her struggling co-worker got by on 6 cents.” (http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2015/01/02/a-glimpse-at-your-expenses-100-years-ago) This shows these people worked very hard for little money without complaining about their expenses.

Since 1968 Americans have lost about twenty five percent of their purchasing power. The United States federal minimum wage has not been increased since 2009, this means that minimum wage has not kept up with inflation. In America if you work Forty hours a week you should not be in poverty. The minimum wage should be increased because it has not kept up with inflation and an increase would stimulate the economy.

“The minimum wage is one of the most thoroughly researched issues in economics” (“The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage”). As this New York Times quote says, one of the largest issues in economics today would be the minimum wage. The government still has not come to a resolution for the issue because they are unsure of what the negative side effects of raising the minimum wage will do to the economy. The minimum wage needs to be raised because of reasons that would benefit the national economy and improve the standard of living. One of the reasons why it should be raised is that the minimum wage has not been increased since 2009 (Lu). Since the economy has grown greatly and further jobs have been made, shouldn’t the minimum wage grow too? Another reason why the minimum wage should be raised is that no one can live off of it at its current standard. The minimum wage is occasionally referred to as the “living wage” but as of this moment in time, people can’t live off of it. Many people live in poverty because they don’t have a high enough education which means they cannot acquire a job that pays better than minimum wage. Minimum wage should also be raised because it will

“Every penny makes a difference because low-wage workers make the choice between putting food on the table and paying for electricity or buying clothes for their children,” argues union official and author Beth Shulman. As society continues to grow our means of gathering necessities depletes. We begin choosing either higher education or no debt in the future. The very things we have worked for are simply taken from us all because of price and future impediments. To yield change the minimum wage should be raised to help families, boost the economy and fit the society we have now. The increase in inflation that fluctuates our economy and expenses needs to be adjusted to what the people have to give. However, there are some that seem to have the perspective that if we raise the wage it will cause more disputes. From yours truly I say “How bad could it be. We have to get worse before we can get better.”

There are steps that businesses can take to help prepare for the adverse effects of the minimum wage increase. For example, according to Fallon (2014), “Instead of cutting employee hours to meet increased wage requirements, a better option may be to find ways to increase productivity in your staff's existing hours”. Additionally, businesses should watchfully assess their manageable expenses. Fallon (2016) states, “If downsizing staff or increasing prices aren't the right answers for your business, the most obvious solution is to cut costs elsewhere to offset the expense of rising salaries”. And, businesses can reduce their turnover rate. According to Fallon (2016), “reducing turnover can help you decrease the cost of recruiting, hiring and

As the economic situation around the world continues to deteriorate the questions that has been raised recently are: Should the United States increase the minimum wage? Will the increase make employees more effective? How would the increase affect goods and services? Raising the minimum wage will increase employee output but at the cost of also raising the price to live.

The Impacts of Increases in the Minimum Wage in The Competitive Market on Employers and Employees.

Raising the minimum wage is one of the most controversial topics that affect the working US population. The opposing party might argue that doing so will decrease the amount of jobs and that raising the minimum wage is not going to end poverty. On the other hand, raising the minimum wage would mean more opportunities for the people working and earning minimum wage, with no notable job loss, and would lead to greater well-being and more economic growth for individuals and families.