https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8 Should it be raised, lowered, or should it stay the same? en-us 2021-09-17 18:06:41 UTC 2025-03-14 00:40:19 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4b0.png mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749396688 This video produced by PBS Digital Studios discusses the origin of minimum wage in the United States. Several strikes are mentioned as precursors to the establishment of a federal minimum wage. PBS explains how multiple legislative attempts to establish working conditions and wages were deemed unconstitutional and thrown out. In 1938 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into effect the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. It set a cap to the work week and established a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour. The minimum wage has been raised 22 times since the Act was signed into effect. Currently minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and even though states may establish a different rate, employees must be paid the higher of the two rates.]]> 2021-09-17 18:25:01 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749396688 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749451367 This comic first appeared in Chicago Labor Newspaper in 1894 and referenced conditions at the Pullman company: a worker is squeezed between low wages and high rent. As mentioned in the video produced by PBS, the Pullman Strike occurred in 1894 when George Pullman instituted layoffs and cut wages by 25%. As eHISTORY at The Ohio State University indicates, this strike was an important moment in history because it highlighted the industrial issues present in the country.

Source:
Pullman strike. eHISTORY. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/1912/content/pullman. ]]> 2021-09-17 18:56:02 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749451367 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749478321 In 2009 Kanye West and Adam Levine sang about issues like minimum wage. Part of the lyrics state "And I heard 'em say, nothing's ever promised tomorrow today From the Chi, like Tim it's a harder way So this is in the name of love like Robert say Before you ask me to go get a job today Can I at least get a raise of the minimum wage?" The song expresses multiple racial injustices in the United States, with the suggestion that workers and citizens cannot live on minimum wage.

Source:
KanyeWestVEVO. (2009, June 16). Kanye West - HEARD 'Em Say ft. Adam Levine. YouTube. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elVF7oG0pQs. ]]> 2021-09-17 19:12:24 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749478321 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749705266 This DOL website features a map and a breakdown of minimum wage by state. Users can hover over the state to see the current minimum wage and a color coded legend indicates whether the rate is higher than, lower than, or equal to the federal minimum wage. As of July 2021, the District of Columbia had the highest minimum wage: $15.21/hour.]]> 2021-09-17 22:37:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749705266 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749720262 The Durham Living Wage Project believes that a minimum wage of $7.25 does not equate to a living wage. This organization voluntarily certifies businesses who commit to pay their employees $13.35 per hour (or more). By offering a living wage to their employees, Durham Living Wage Project believes that this will help move employees and their families move towards the middle class and out of poverty. Businesses and organizations participating in the voluntary certification include Cocoa Cinnamon, Monuts Donuts, Durham Congregations in Action, among others.]]> 2021-09-17 22:58:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749720262 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749740668 This tweet includes an infographic published on Statista's website that features data from the OECD from 2020. In the United States, a single person would need to work sixty-one hours per week at $7.25/hour to leave a state of poverty. In Spain, however, a single person with no children would only need to work 25 hours per week at minimum wage to leave a state of poverty.  


]]> 2021-09-17 23:26:53 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749740668 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749773212 This conceptual art piece allows any user to turn a crank. As the user turns the crank the machine releases pennies, and if the user works for one hour, he/she will earn one hour worth of wages that match that state's minimum wage laws. The piece forces the user to consider what his/her work is worth, what it means to work for an hour, etc. ]]> 2021-09-18 00:11:52 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749773212 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749791624 Democratic Senator Joseph Manchin III has expressed that he is critically opposed to the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by the year 2025. Senator Manchin has expressed that an increase this large would hurt small businesses. Business Insider cites the The Budgetary Effects of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, a report by the Congressional Budget Office, which states that prices of merchandise would increase and more than one million jobs could be lost due to such a substantial increase in minimum wage. While Senator Manchin is opposed to a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour, Business Insider has stated that he is not completely opposed to a smaller increase in federal minimum wage-perhaps $11 per hour.]]> 2021-09-18 00:34:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749791624 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749795256 This legislation was introduced in January 2021 and would increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. Among other things, proponents of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 state that the minimum wage of $15 per hour would close the income gap for minorities, stimulate more spending, and decrease the need for assistance programs. This PDF is included on Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell's website.]]> 2021-09-18 00:39:22 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749795256 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749810658 Raising Wages NC is a coalition of organizations and businesses who are working together to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour in North Carolina in the next five years. Some organizations or businesses in their coalition include Durham Living Wage Project. On their website they feature an online petition for NC Legislative Leaders that residents can sign. Raising Wages NC claims that the high cost of living in North Carolina must be matched by an increase in wages.

]]> 2021-09-18 00:56:29 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749810658 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749822887 The Pew Research Center published a map in an article published on May 20, 2021, that shows the six ways that countries around the world establish minimum wages. The article explains how in eighty countries or more, national minimum wage laws and policies must be reanalyzed once per year or every other year, but that the United States is not legally required to revise and review its minimum wage policies.

Source:
DeSilver, D. (2021, May 20). The U.S. differs from most other countries in how it sets its minimum wage. Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/20/the-u-s-differs-from-most-other-countries-in-how-it-sets-its-minimum-wage/. ]]> 2021-09-18 01:10:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1749822887 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750472042 This website has a map of states that have been negatively impacted by minimum wage hikes. The website features interviews with business owners in cities around the country that have been negatively affected by mandatory wage increases. One interviewee explained that although the increase was designed to help employees, she has witnessed how it has hurt entire families and children. ]]> 2021-09-18 14:20:48 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750472042 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750483273 This article, written in 2019, is a response to the Raise the Wage Act of 2019, which would have increased federal minimum wage to $15 by the year 2024. Llyod Corter stated that results of a survey conducted by Corter's company, CorCom Inc. showed that raising the federal minimum wage this high would be a poor choice and that most economists have not favored this proposed legislation. Corter cited lower rates of employment for younger workers and referenced a 2014 report from the Congressional Budget Office that estimated that half a million jobs would be lost if the minimum wage was even increased to $10 per hour. Corder cited examples of business owners being affected in New York City and how jobs were eliminated due to an increase. Although Corter has stated multiple times that the majority of economists have been against raising the federal minimum wage, Corder offers an alternative: an increased Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Corter claims that this would be a more effective way to help people out of poverty.]]> 2021-09-18 14:30:38 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750483273 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750516188 This study by Luca and Luca examined the closure of restaurants in San Francisco, California, due to an increase in minimum wage. While the results showed that a hike in minimum wage did result in closures of restaurants, the researchers concluded that restaurants with lower ratings (in Yelp) were more likely to be impacted by a higher minimum wage than restaurants with higher ratings. The lower quality restaurants were already closer to exit or failure as a business, even before the wage increase occurred. Luca and Luca suggested that there was the possibility that higher quality restaurants were better able to adjust to an increase in minimum wage, possibly due to hiring more productive staff (Luca & Luca, 2017, p. 18). I have placed this study under the 'neutral' column because while it shows some negative consequences for lower rated restaurants in California, the authors acknowledge that the study showed short-term impact. Also, the authors acknowledge that prior studies have had mixed results on this topic.

Source:
Luca, D. L., & Luca, M. (2017, June 28). Survival of the fittest: The impact of the minimum wage on firm exit. Harvard Business School working paper series # 17-088. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/33111775. ]]> 2021-09-18 14:58:01 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750516188 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750533258 This project is opposed to focusing on an increase to $15 per hour for federal minimum wage. It has suggested that a better goal is $50,000 careers instead of $15 per hour jobs. According to this project, an entry level wage of $7.25 at a job should be considered more of a training wage as the employee develops skills to move into a career. The project states that there are multiple careers that pay $50,000 per year; they require more than a high school diploma but less than a typical four-year college degree. Future legislation should focus on helping workers attain the education and skills needed to acquire these jobs that pay $50,000. The website states that the Trump administration had been working to provide initiatives for developing job skills, and there is a link to signing a petition to support this leveling in the workforce. ]]> 2021-09-18 15:11:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750533258 mbericso https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750545737 This article was written in 2018 by The Century Foundation, which advertises itself as a progressive think tank group that examines different issues within the United States. Through eleven key facts and data sets the authors showed how the United States has not kept up with the rest of the world but stressed that trends could be reversed if the country was willing to accept or enact more policies in line with that of other peer countries (Example: the country has experienced a decline in labor unions and the authors claim that by increasing the amount of employees backed by unions, employees would gain back some power.)]]> 2021-09-18 15:22:25 UTC https://padlet.com/mbericso/sqvm3oou3q8bske8/wish/1750545737