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Increasing the minimum wage will help the millions of poor workers? |
Increasing the minimum wage will help the millions of poor workers Media myth: U.S. workers are barely getting by, and it鈥檚 past time for a minimum wage increase after all these years. A higher federal minimum wage seems like common sense to the media. They can鈥檛 seem to understand why anyone would be against it. Witness this classic exchange on the June 24 鈥淚n the Money鈥? CNN Host Jack Cafferty: 鈥淏ut why don't they want to raise the minimum wage? Where鈥檚 鈥?what's the resistance to that idea?鈥?CNN Contributor (and recently-promoted Fortune magazine managing editor) Andy Serwer: 鈥淲ell, it's obviously coming from big business. They say it's inflationary, and it will cause layoffs. I think that's a lot of bull.鈥?br /> That sounded a lot like the Democratic politicians talking. And New York Times reporter Edmund L. Andrews claimed 鈥渢he Democratic argument is straightforward鈥?on July 13. He repeated Democratic politicians鈥?linkage between private executives鈥?pay and minimum-wage workers鈥?鈥?that it was unfair for CEOs to get raises when minimum-wage workers could not. Truth: Where are the throngs of minimum-wage workers? USA Today鈥檚 July 24 editorial page claimed an increase 鈥渨ould benefit 15 million who earn the minimum or a little more.鈥?The media have used them as the reason why the federal minimum should be increased 鈥?though the actual number is far smaller than they have led audiences to believe. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 1.9 million workers were reported with wages at or below the minimum in 2005. In fact, the percentage of hourly paid workers at or below the minimum wage is at its lowest point since data were first collected in 1979. In 1980, 15.1 percent of those workers were minimum wage or below 鈥?compared to 2.5 percent in 2005. More than 20 states already mandate wages higher than the federal minimum. Several economists have pointed out that the majority of workers move on from entry-level minimum wage positions relatively quickly. The BLS reported that 鈥渁bout half of workers earning $5.15 or less were under age 25, and about one-fourth of workers earning at or below the minimum wage were age 16-19.鈥?br /> Studies from business groups such as the National Restaurant Association have shown that mandated wage hikes put pressure on businesses, many of which have to cut the number of jobs available. Not really, if the minimum salary is increased that means all consumer products and all salaries will increase too lign="right" > Sign in to vote! Call the media, blow the trumpets, -roll the film. Photo Ops galore! All for what? The 2% of the entire work force that actually earn minimum wage. Most of them are high school students working part time. What 30 year old of average intelligence and ability (in the states) is only making minimum wage? You would ave to blown every opportunity ever presented to you for years and years! lign="right" > Sign in to vote! Sutides from the National Restaurant Association? why don't you cite an unviased source? Look, the truth is minimum wage increases don't cost jobs--thats nothing but a myth that employers who are paying abusively low wages have trotted out every time a minimum wage increase is proposed. It has never cost jobs--ant that's based on legitimate research studies. The minimum wage doesn't gurantee "good wages"--and was never intended to. What it does do--and the objection second-rate businessmen really have--is that it reins the abusive tendencies of the minority of employers who are unethical. lign="right" > Sign in to vote! Very few of those working at minimum wage jobs will get a raise because it only applies only to those who work full time (40 hours a week). Most of the 16 -19 age range work part time at fast food restaurants and won't qualify for the increase. Some large corporations like Wal Mart have very few full time employees. Most of their work force works less than 40 hours a week and thereby don't qualify for the minimum wage increase or for employee benefits of paid vacations, health benefits, or paid sick time. Once you subtract all of the part time employees from that list of minimum wage workers - very few people will actually be affected by the increase. |
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