Kauhlil King

Dr. Finney
MCOM 202
April 5, 201
Is Minimum Wage at an Appropriate Rate?

CREDIT: thecabin.net
There are ongoing debates on whether or not the federal minimum wage
should be increased. If the minimum wage is increased, a large number of
people in the workforce will be affected, which makes it a very important
decision. The last federal minimum wage was set 8 years ago. If the federal
wage were to be raised again itd be due to inflation and cost of living.
According to the Department of Labor, the federal minimum wage provisions
are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA.)The federal minimum
wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Many states also have
minimum wage laws. Some state laws provide greater employee wage
protections.
The minimum wage was established during the Great Depression in the
1930s. At the time, it was imperative because there was no national law
preventing employers from severely underpaying employees. According to
Minimum-wage.org the great depression was a time of desperation; tens of
thousands of workers were routinely exploited in sweatshops and factories,
forced to work in horrible conditions and for pennies a week.
There were early attempts by labor unions to create a minimum wage but it
was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court on the thoughts that
governmental laws were restricting the workers right to set the price for his
or her own labor, according to Minimum-wage.org.
From a business perspective Mr. Joe Gass, owner of Heritage Printing &
Graphics says, " I dont think it's a good idea for localities to come up with
what minimum wage should be. My employees dont make anywhere near
minimum wage and it's all a matter of the type or work you do and the
quality. With me having two locations, I can I can pay different wages based
on cost of living He also says, "When you hear states try to increase the
minimum wage to $15 an hour, it's just hurting salary workers. Or what will
happen is employers will just replace workers with better employees which
make it worth the pay raise. What I also would do in similar circumstance is
get equipment that will do the same work with fewer workers."

The raise the wage act (RWA) was proposed by senator Patty Murray and
representative Robert "Bobby" C. Scott will take important and long-overdue
steps to address the national crises of wage stagnation and income
inequality according to www.epi.org.

When asked about whether or not the current minimum wage is a fair Gass
had this to say, "I guess from a socialist standpoint people say it's all about
fairness, but fairness is all about how hard you're willing to work. My
business doesn't hire entry level workers or fresh out of college graduates. I
want workers that have experience and someone who will appreciate the
benefits, level of leadership and the way my company is ran compared to an
old job. Should I feel bad for you because you're making minimum wage?
Minimum wage to me is for entry level jobs. Should a living wage be offered
higher for someone at McDonalds? Personally, I dont think so."