Premium Essay

Minimum Wage Rates

In:

Submitted By MOlivaria
Words 1363
Pages 6
Minimum Wage Rates in the United States

Algeria Robinson

Kaplan University

BU224

Professor Gurganious

August 31, 2013

The working class citizens are extremely strong people. On a day to day basis they bear the routine rat race. It seems as soon as you clock out for the day you’re right back at work. An endless conversation by the coffee pots at work is how we the employed cannot seem to enjoy life comfortably because of several different reasons; the main reason is wage rates of pay. The people in my firm earn well above the minimum wage rate, but still have some complications financially. This in fact is intriguing; if we’re struggling to be comfortable how are those people able to survive actually earning minimum wage. In the United States the working class citizens are provided a wage by their employer for the tasks performed during their shift. For some time this wage has been under ridicule because it has been considered to be too low to survive and be at ease. The reality of this paper perhaps are shocking. It will contain that innumerable families are now struggling and striving to provide and finance their lifestyles with a single solitary income, nearly all are in need of government assistance, and the same number are long awaiting the new minimum wage to secure decent respectable wage.
After speaking to one of an old high school friends she made it clear the constant daily struggle that minimum wagers endure. Lauren Smith, North Carolina resident exposes her financial turmoil. She is a 32 year old widow with two children ages 3 and 5 with a single income. During my brief interview with Lauren she specifies that she has to budget and make sure that her fulltime slightly above minimum wage job of $8.25 stretches every month to support her family of three. She is one of the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Advantage & Disadvantages of Minimum Wage

...Introduction Minimum wage refers to the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage an employee is legally entitled to when working. Minimum wage is in effect in a range of different jurisdictions with differences in the views on the advantages and disadvantages being disputed by people. Supporters claim minimum wage increases the standard of living for workers whilst reducing poverty. Opposite views are that if it is high enough to be effective then it increases unemployment, particularly among workers who are inexperienced or handicap, thus harming the lesser skilled workers to benefit the better skilled workers The effect on employment rates due to minimum wage rates is a highly contested policy within economics. The introduction of minimum wage into the market can lead to competitive employers cutting employment; this depends on the rate of the wage rises require to comply with the current minimum wage according to the “standard textbook model”. Other models have also been suggested in which a decline in the employment rate may not occur and in fact employment may increase. During my research I found a wide range of literature on minimum wages, particularly on the effects of a minimum wage policy in place. Though a lot of informative research was concluding I also found the argument between weather the effects and positive of negative on employment, both sides of the disagreement present a large amount of information supporting the theories. Research before the 1990’s mostly...

Words: 2611 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Minium Wage

...KEVIN RYEN Micro Economics Minimum Wage State the purpose of this legal price, assess its impact on the market for labor, and evaluate the extent to which it achieves its purpose? The minimum wage is the lowest rate at which a worker can be played. There she minimum wage laws pegged to hourly, daily and even monthly rates, although U.S. law is pegged to an hourly wage. Also, a minimum wage law usually makes it illegal for a person to sell his labor for less than the minimum wage rate The general purpose of the minimum wage is to guarantee a living wage to all workers who work a standard period of time, whatever that might be. In theory, any labor who works 40 houses a week on minimum wage should be at or above the poverty level line. However, the minimum wage has not kept up pace with the inflation in the United States, and the cost of living increases more than the wage increases that are given and that way behind the standards Minimum wage laws were first started in Australia and New Zealand in the 1890s.The first minimum wage to be law was in Massachusetts in the 1912, but it only applied to children and women. The federal minimum wage was established in 1938, by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Initially set at 25 cents 0.an hour, the wage has been raised periodically to reflect changes in inflation and productivity. That minimum wage often involve protracted political battles,” Did you know that one in five...

Words: 2827 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Should Minimum Wage Be Raised Essay

...Should the Federal Minimum Wage be Raised? There are two opinions on minimum wage. Proponents say that if the minimum wage was raised it would help while opponents say that it would hurt them by reducing the size of businesses (EBSCOhost). President Obama would like to raise the minimum wage rate to nine dollars. If president Obama were to do that then the amount of jobs for lower skilled workers would lower, that would also mean there would be more unemployment for low skilled workers. There would be no jobs for the lower skilled workers if Obama were to raise the minimum wage rate. That means that there would be more teenagers that would have to file for unemployment. Some of the effects of the minimum wage rate being raised would be that businesses would start raising the cost of their merchandise and we would start needing to pay...

Words: 528 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Minimum Employment Wages

...qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer...

Words: 808 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Effect of a Raise in the Minimum Wage on Employment and Profitabilty in the Rmg Sector of Bangladesh, Drawing Sources from Other Developing Countries

...22/06/15 The Effect of a Raise in the Minimum Wage on Employment and Profitabilty in the RMG Sector of Bangladesh, Drawing Sources From Other Developing Countries The study of minimum wages has led to many debates surrounding the topic whether a raise in minimum wage can kill businesses in profitability and employment or the change in profitability and employment is insignificant. This is a hot topic for policy makers in both developed and developing countries as a raise in minimum wage affects the economy in terms of economic growth, standards of living for the poor, survival of businesses and employment. A lot of research and literature has shown that a hike in minimum wages do not particularly affect the developed nations but the same hikes in developing countries can cause damage to firms depending on the size of the firms and their profitability. This paper attempts to show that the garments sector in Bangladesh (Ready made Garments Industry) faces the same dilemma. Since the Savar tragedy in late 2013 where a garment factory, Rana Plaza, collapsed which killed more than 1,100 people and injured and more than 2,500 people injured, garment workers and civil society demanded a raise of minimum wage from 3000 tk to 5,300 tk every month. This tragedy and similar events in developing countries lead us to think how businesses especially in the developing countries where wage rates and productivity are low can operate if minimum wage is suddenly increased threefold and why...

Words: 2415 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Wage Bill

...Issue 4, pp. 258-269. The issue of the minimum wage permitted by law increments has been disputable since the initiation of the base wage law in 1938. The minimum wage permitted by law, which incorporates tyke work laws, was established to shield American specialists from exploitation and poverty during tough economic times (Schuldt, Robert; Woodall, Davis; Block, Walter E., (2012). Despite the fact that the law achieved what it was planned to at the time, increments in the minimum wage permitted by law through the years have delivered higher unemployment rates and higher destitution levels. As the minimum wage permitted by law expands, managers are compelled to dispense with representatives who are not living up to expectations up to the current the minimum wage permitted by law level and contract better-gifted individuals who are justified regardless of the wages they are paid. Expanding the minimum wage permitted by law causes an increment in unemployment among specific populaces for this very reason. Totally dispensing with the minimum wage permitted by law is not the answer for the issue, however in the event that the minimum wage permitted by law stays at its current level for a couple of more years, it may rouse the minimum wage permitted by law workers to accomplish more to ensure their own budgetary future. The civil argument over raising the minimum wage permitted by law has been a hotly debated issue after President...

Words: 1825 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Effects of Increasing Minimum Wage

...Increasing the Minimum Wage Jacqueline S. Nock May 19, 2014 Abstract The issue of minimum wage increases has been controversial since the inception of the minimum- wage law in 1938. The minimum-wage law, which includes child labor laws, was put into place to protect American workers from exploitation and poverty during tough economic times (Schuldt, Robert; Woodall, Davis; Block, Walter E., (2012), par.4). Although the law accomplished what it was intended to at the time, increases in the minimum wage over the years have produced higher unemployment rates and higher poverty levels. As the minimum wage increases, employers are forced to eliminate employees who are not working up to the current minimum wage level and hire better-skilled people who are worth the wages they are paid. Increasing the minimum wage causes an increase in unemployment among certain populations for this very reason. Completely eliminating the minimum-wage law is not the solution to the problem, but if the minimum wage remains at its current level for a few more years, it might motivate minimum wage earners to do more to protect their own financial future. The History of Minimum-Wage Law President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the federal minimum-wage law into effect in 1938. It was part of a larger bill called the Fair Labor Standards Act. The minimum-wage law was created to protect workers from not being paid a fair wage for the work they perform. It guaranteed workers a fair wage, ensured safe working...

Words: 1107 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Employee Engagement

...factors. E.g… wage settlements. Labour market situation. Company’s nature and size. etc. Pay structure consists of certain grades. Scale and range of pay in each scale. Each scale has aminimun and a maximum limit. Jobs places within a particular grade carry the same value though the actual pay in a grade depends upon length of service and or performance of the employee. Pay structure in India generally consists of the following components. 1- Basic wage/salary 2-Dearness allowance (D.A.) and other allowances. 3- Bonus and other incentives. 4- fringe benefits or perquisites. Hard variables • Salary • Augmented pay- overtime, extra pay, one time stuff • Indirect pay –things needed for work, uniform allowance, etc. • Parks pay – discount on company’s products, etc. Soft variables • Opportunity for advancement • Opportunity for growth • Psychic income – doing personally meaningful work • Quality of life – workplace flexibility, work-life balance • The X-factor- special individual variables like bringing a dog to work. 1. Basic Wage The basic wage provides the foundation of pay pocket. It is a price for services renderd. It varies according to mental and physical requirements of the job as measured through job evaluation. In India, basic wage has been influences by statutory minimum wage, wage settlements, and awards of wage boards tribunals pay commissions, etc. (a) Minimum wage- Minimum wage is that wage which is sufficient...

Words: 1336 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Proposal Research of Minimun Wage

...Smith, Advertising Department Supervisor From : Jason Vu, Advertising Associate Date : March 24, 2010 Re : New Approach for Extra Income As a consequence of the recent increase in minimum wages, there is an increase in the discretionary income of our current advertising base. People with more money tend to spend more. Our current advertising approach does not take this into consideration. This is a proposal to modify the approach in our advertising strategy so that we can take advantage of the coming shift in our advertising base and enhance our advertising revenue by expanding our potential client base. The rationale behind the proposal and its implementation will be elaborated in the following report. When people have achieved basic survival needs such as food, shelter, and relatively secured physical and financial safety, they seek to attain things that they haven’t yet possess, such as status symbols or a sense of belonging to an exclusive group. If we can encourage our existing advertisement consumers to spend their extra income, hence shift the demand of our current advertising base to consume more upscale products, then we stand to gain an expanded and more profitable set of ads buyers. This project is a market study in potential new products in which ads targeted for the new minimum wage consumers segment can be created. This project will determine the current advertising consumers’ income. The result of this project will be used in devising a strategy to create and...

Words: 2374 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Minimum Wage and Its Effect

...Minimum wage has changed many times throughout the years. There are many people who are affected by the changes that are made. Many believe that raising the minimum wage is a good idea and have pushed for the increase. Minimum wage has many effects on the economy: helping families with the cost of inflation, helping businesses thrive, and can also cause job loss. When minimum wage is raised it creates more money for workers. The boost in pay for families helps them to buy necessities, such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation. When products become more expensive, it is hard for families who only make minimum wage to purchase these items. Government will then tend to step in by increasing the minimum wage to an amount that can help with these expenses. “In his State of the Union address, Obama pressed to raise the hourly rate in stages to $9 an hour in 2015, up from the current $7.25, and index it to inflation. The change, should it become law, would boost the wages of 15 million Americans, according to the White House (Luhby, 2013).” When minimum wage is raised it will help “lift 900,000 families out of poverty and increase the incomes of 16.5 million low-wage workers in an average week (Lowrey, 2014).” Increasing the price of minimum wage can help businesses to thrive. When more people are being paid an increased amount than before, it would cause them to increase spending after receiving their paycheck. With receiving more money, families will tend...

Words: 1001 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Minimum Wage

...the minimum wage, the time is now,” said Delegate Derek E. Davis, of Price George’s County. The increase in minimum wages has been a topic that has been on the rise with much controversy involved. President Obama wants state and lawmakers to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour by 2018. Connecticut was the first state to pass the law, which will increase their minimum wage to $10.10 by January 1, 2017. Maryland is a year and half behind them, making the minimum wage $10.10 by July 1, 2018. The reason for Maryland’s delay is because they want to give businesses more time to adjust to the new and increasing price. The increases will be in steps. The first increase will be from now until July 2018, and will increase to $8 per hour on January 1, 2015. The second increase will be to $8.75 per hour in July 2016. The third increase will be to $9.25 in July 2017, and then the final increase to $10.10 in 2018. The graph below, from the congressional budget office website, shows the increases of wages over the time period. President Obama commended Martin O’Malley and other lawmakers for “leading by example” in hopes that congress will follow. However, some counties have been setting their minimum wages even higher than $10.10. Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have approved their minimum wage increase to $11.50 by 2017. However, businesses are going to be allowed to pay a lower training wage to workers under 20 years old. However, this increase in wages has...

Words: 874 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Minimum Wage

...indefinitely on a job that pays $7.25 an hour? That is the national minimum wage set by the Fair Labor Standards Act in 2009. Projecting this to a 40-hour work week over 50 weeks it comes to a total of $14,500 a year. This is just above the U.S poverty level for a family of 2, but below the poverty level of $22,050 for a family of 4. Despite the fact that the minimum wage has been increased 3 times since 2007, it is almost $3.00 below what it was nearly forty years ago in purchasing power. It has not kept up with inflation. If it had, the minimum wage would be $10.74 per hour. In other words, the minimum wage is a far cry from being a living wage which is a wage that is high enough for fulltime workers to provide a decent life for themselves and their families. For the benefit of American citizens and the economy, the minimum wage must be increased! Those opposed to an increase in the minimum wage focus on a number of assumptions suggesting it would be a bad idea. Under close examination, all of their arguments fall apart.   One of the main arguments for not raising the minimum wage is that it is a job killer. The reasoning is the increase in salary decreases profits and results in cutbacks in hiring. However, a study at the University of California, Berkeley, has shown that raising the minimum wage does not have a negative effect on employment. An analysis of those states that independently increased the minimum wage “had job growth slightly above the national average.” Another...

Words: 1051 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Federal Minimum Wage

...Overview of the Federal Minimum Wage The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a law that guarantees employees and youth a fair minimum wage and overtime pay. It is regulated by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); it mandates employers to pay all nonexempt employees a federal minimum wage no less than the determine amount set by the government (U.S. DOL, 2011). Unfortunately, the federal minimum wage still sits at $7.25 per hour and has remained the same since George W. Bush signed a law to change it on July 24, 2009 (Risher, 2013; U.S. DOL, 2011). So, why did so many government officials decline the increase of the federal minimum wage and why do they fear the positive impact that the increase will have on America? This paper intends to briefly discuss six laws, all pertaining to federal minimum wage introduced to the House of Representatives within a year and highlight one member of the senate who disapproved the law for passing. In addition, this paper will briefly point out statements made about why some Senators chose to decline the bill; and finally, this paper intends to briefly explain any legal issues preventing the wage increase and implications for management. Start of Hope: Minimum Wage Fairness United States senators and representatives have introduced numerous federal minimum wage bills to the House of Representatives in order to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) during their term. These bills were designed to either...

Words: 3510 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Persuasive Essay On Minimum Wage

...only get paid minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25, as of 2009. Over the past 79 years, the national minimum wage has been raised 22 times (Minimum Wage Mythbusters). The wage has been increased due to inflation, or the decrease in value of currency. With inflation, everyday objects cost more than they did 70 years ago. The minimum wage today is less compared to the minimum wage of 1981. The base pay needs to be raised for the good of the people, and the good of the country. Increasing minimum wage in the United States will reduce its poverty, boost economic activity, and benefit and reward...

Words: 1126 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Essay !

...inequality? According to McConnell and Brue, authors of Microeconomics the 14th edition, income inequality is "the unequal distribution of an economy's total income among persons or families.” Recently, studies have shown that income inequality has many connections that have caused the gap in the United States. According to the research I found, income inequality is connected to corruption, trade, wages of workers, and education. The world income inequality had declined since the twentieth century according to the studies found (Clark). Corruption falls increasing on low income individuals more than higher income individuals. Additionally, the trade theory suggests that the free trade might have level up the income inequality higher within countries by the different patterns of wages and demand for workers who are skilled and unskilled (Silva and Leichenko). Moreover, the education of wealthier people has it easier because the learning efforts of education are unbalanced. Besides, income inequality in the United States is hurting our economy due to the all the issues of corruption, trade, wages, and education. They also point out that some of the causes of income inequality are "differences in ability, education and training, discrimination, tastes, and risks.” As a whole we saw these factors very useful in explaining why it exists, but the problem with these is that they are mostly abstract. It is almost impossible to measure someone's tastes and preferences, but it is easy to measure...

Words: 830 - Pages: 4