Increase Minimum Wage Essay

Increase the Wage to Curb the Rage According to a study conducted at UC Berkeley, as reported by the NPR food and heath consultant, Allison Aubrey, nearly half of all fast food restaurant employees depend on government-funded assistance, including food stamps, to support themselves and their families. The executives at the top fast food chains make 1,200 times more money per year than their workers (Schneiderman par. 3). The workers earn a meager $11,000 per year, says Demos, a public policy organization specializing in providing equal representation to workers in economics and politics. Although there have been minor improvements in how employees are cared for in fast food restaurants, workers are often paid less than the minimum wage and their rights as people and staff members are often violated. Worker’s rights, especially their wages, should be the priority of these large companies. It seems as if turning a profit is the main motivation of the fast food corporations. They accomplish that goal by paying their employees at or below the minimum amount of money they are supposed to make, even though menu prices would barely increase if the minimum wage rose. If only the major fast food corporations would realize that they would still be making about the same amount of money per year even if

Those who enjoy the low prices of their favorite fast food dollar menu items would obviously be disappointed if these prices went up. In contrast, a study conducted by economists Michael Reich, Arindrajit Dube and T. William Lester demonstrated “that a ten percent increase in the minimum wage would increase corporate costs by only one percent”(Satran par. 6). The fast food companies would not allow the prices of beloved products to rise too much because they would lose business. Even if the minimum wage were increased, it is doubtful that restaurants would swell the prices to unthinkable