The Debate Of Raising Minimum Wage - 1910 Words

Debate of Raising Minimum Wage Raising minimum wage has been an ongoing issue for many years. Similar to every debatable issue, pros and cons are inevitable. In the United States, minimum wage started when the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) was passed and minimum wage started at 25 cents per hour. The purpose of setting a minimum wage is to set a maximum workweek and to eliminate child labor. It is defined to be the least amount of money employers are obligated to pay their employees by law. As the years passed, the minimum wage began to increase to accommodate the growing economy. Although the wage has increased from a mere 25 cents per hour to $7.25 over the course of 75 years, living expenses are much higher causing many people to be poverty stricken (Debate.org). President Obama proposes raising the minimum wage, so that it would help minimize the income gap in America. However, most business organizations and the Republicans oppose to the idea, saying that it could potentially lead to more economic p roblems. While both sides have valid points, which one provides a more compelling argument? In the United States, the minimum wage should be raised in every state; therefore workers can have a more comfortable standard of living, lower the poverty line, and minimize the income gap. The increase of minimum wage could lead to a better quality of life. Many had lived barely paying for the minimal necessities such as shelter, food, water, clothes, etc. The topic ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Debate over Raising the Minimum Wage1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe federal minimum wage was raised to $7.25 an hour by Congress in 2009, something that has been carried out only a handful of times since the establishment of the wage in the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. Even with this modest rise in income, the minimum wage today does not provide for a decent standard of living. It has failed to keep pace with the wage growth of an average American worker. The minimum wage was intended provid e a minimum standard of living; to aid in alleviating povertyRead MoreThe Debate Over The Minimum Wage Debate1737 Words   |  7 Pagesduring Carnegie’s time and would mark the very beginning of long and difficult process to achieve worker’s rights that still continue to this day. The minimum wage debate is without a doubt part of these negotiations and has taken the spotlight in recent years. There are two sides to the minimum wage debate: the employees fighting for higher wages who would like to earn enough to keep food on the table for their family, and the employer who is doing what they can to keep costs low and ensure thatRead MoreEffects of Increasing Minimum Wage Essay988 Words   |  4 Pagesidea of having a federal minimum wage is a good one. The idea is to protect low and unskilled workers from discrimination and allow all workers to earn a living wage. The recent debate on the floor, though, is whether or not to raise the minimum wage from the current $7. 25 per hour up to $10.10 per hour. President Barack Obama made this proposal during his annual State of the Union Address on January 28, and following this there were many hot debates about it. The debates focused not only on the advantagesRead MoreMinimum Wage During The Great Depression1419 Words   |  6 PagesThe Minimum Wage Battle In the United States, the minimum wage was passed during the Great Depression in 1938 to protect the buying power of normal workers in a period in which the â€Å"unemployment rate was still a very high 19 percent† (Sklar, 2009, p. 1). Since that time, there has been significant debate about the controversial topic of raising the federal minimum wage. The federal minimum wage law was created to eliminate unfair practices of sweat shops and manufacturing companies during this timeRead MoreEffects of Increasing Minimum Wage794 Words   |  3 Pagesa federal minimum wage is a good one. The idea is to protect low and unskilled workers and allow workers to earn a living wage. The recent debate on the floor, though, is whether or not to raise the minimum wage from the current $7.25 per hour up to $10.10. President Barack Obama made this proposal during his annual State of the Union Address, and after this there were many hot debates about it. The debates focused not only on the pr o side and the con side of increasing the minimum wage, but alsoRead MoreThe Debate Over Minimum Wage940 Words   |  4 Pages The debate on raising the minimum wage has been discussed in detail in Congress for the past eighteen months. But as of late, writer William Finnegan suggests, it is â€Å"among the many urgent issues that it [Congress] certainly won’t address.† Though this issue is important, Congress seems to be putting off making any real decision in regards to raising the minimum wage. The bill to raise minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 and hour over a two year period had been thrown around for monthsRead MoreMinimum Wage Argument Jack Page 2/26/13 One of the hot topics recently in this country is the600 Words   |  3 PagesMinimum Wage Argument Jack Page 2/26/13 One of the hot topics recently in this country is the question, and debate, of should minimum wage be raised? With both sides wildly arguing about raising the minimum wage being good or bad, and the truth behind whether it will do more good than harm to this country. The question still remains with should it be raised? For supporters of the wage being raised they are excited for what the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors stated. â€Å"White House’s CouncilRead MoreMinimum Wage Should Be Legal1435 Words   |  6 PagesMinimum wage is currently a very heavily debated topic. Many are in favor of raising the current national minimum wage of $7.25 to a more livable wage; suggestions for this increase are anywhere between $9-15 per hour. While the minimum wage has been raised several times throughout the years, it has not been kept proportional to raises in inflation which has led to a decrease in the amount of goods that people are able to buy with those wages, in turn making their economic lives more difficult. ThoseRead MoreMcdonald s And The Minimum Wage993 Words   |  4 PagesMCDONALD’S AND THE MINIMUM WAGE Introduction Minimum wage has always been, and will probably always be, a controversial topic. Some believe raising the minimum wage is the solution to poverty, while others believe that raising the minimum wage is a recipe for â€Å"killing† jobs. This age old debate has come to the forefront recently as the â€Å"Fight for $15† by fast-food workers continues to grow. The campaign’s core argument is that the billion-dollar companies in the fast-food industry can afford toRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Debate870 Words   |  4 PagesThe minimum wage debate has recently made a large comeback in United States politics. Contemporary studies show over 3.8 million Americans are paid at or below minimum wage (Dickinson 33). Many have looked skeptically back on past wage systems and have questioned wage’s relationship to current market inflation. In response to this inquiry, a large majority of the general population, relatively unrelated to their degree of income, support legis lation to increase the minimum. However, the issue has