Should Minimum Wage Be Raised Essay
Minimum wage must be raised for us to survive in our very modern society.
The minimum wage must be raised today because the cost of living has gone up drastically. Education is essential today, and that price tag has increased drastically in the past twenty years as well. People should not have to fight for equal pay for equal work. Companies should be forced to pay their workers what they deserve, and that is more than minimum wage is now. With our new technology and the technology in the future work is harder and more complicated. A minimum wage increase would raise the wages of many workers and increase benefits to those disadvantaged workers. Because the cost of living has sky rocketed, it has become almost impossible to raise …show more content…
An estimated 6.9 million workers would receive an increase in their hourly wage if the minimum rage were raised to $6.75 by 2003. Due to the spill over effect the 10.5 million workers earning up to a dollar above minimum wage would also be likely to benefit from an increase. Women are the largest group of beneficiaries from a minimum wage increase. Sixty percent of workers who would benefit from an increase to $6.75 by 2003 are women. In 1998, an estimated 12% of workingwomen would have benefited from a one-dollar increase in minimum wage. A disproportionate share of minorities would benefit from a minimum wage increase. African Americans represent 12% of the total work force, but are 18% of workers affected by an increase. Similarly, 11% of the total work force is Hispanic, but Hispanics are 14% of workers affected by an increase. In 1998, half of the benefits of a minimum wage increase to $6.15 would have gone to workers in households with an annual income of less than $25,000. In fact, 18% of the benefits would go to households with an annual income less than $10,000. Benefits of an increase disproportionately help those working households at the bottom of the scale. Although households in the bottom 20% receive only 5% of national income. Benefits of the 1996-1997 minimum wage increase went to these workers. A majority of the benefits went to families
The minimum wage must be raised today because the cost of living has gone up drastically. Education is essential today, and that price tag has increased drastically in the past twenty years as well. People should not have to fight for equal pay for equal work. Companies should be forced to pay their workers what they deserve, and that is more than minimum wage is now. With our new technology and the technology in the future work is harder and more complicated. A minimum wage increase would raise the wages of many workers and increase benefits to those disadvantaged workers. Because the cost of living has sky rocketed, it has become almost impossible to raise …show more content…
An estimated 6.9 million workers would receive an increase in their hourly wage if the minimum rage were raised to $6.75 by 2003. Due to the spill over effect the 10.5 million workers earning up to a dollar above minimum wage would also be likely to benefit from an increase. Women are the largest group of beneficiaries from a minimum wage increase. Sixty percent of workers who would benefit from an increase to $6.75 by 2003 are women. In 1998, an estimated 12% of workingwomen would have benefited from a one-dollar increase in minimum wage. A disproportionate share of minorities would benefit from a minimum wage increase. African Americans represent 12% of the total work force, but are 18% of workers affected by an increase. Similarly, 11% of the total work force is Hispanic, but Hispanics are 14% of workers affected by an increase. In 1998, half of the benefits of a minimum wage increase to $6.15 would have gone to workers in households with an annual income of less than $25,000. In fact, 18% of the benefits would go to households with an annual income less than $10,000. Benefits of an increase disproportionately help those working households at the bottom of the scale. Although households in the bottom 20% receive only 5% of national income. Benefits of the 1996-1997 minimum wage increase went to these workers. A majority of the benefits went to families