Is it ethical to raise the minimum wage when it doesn’t necessarily affect the very poor, the people it’s aimed at helping? The minimum wage is the lowest hourly wage an employer is permitted by law to pay an employee for his work. The current federal minimum wage is set at $7.25 an hour. Across the country, there is an overwhelming push in favor of raising wages for our poorest workers. In January 2016 the minimum wage in California was raised to $10 an hour. Cities are also allowed to pass minimum wage rates and several cities have recently adopted regulations that establish a higher minimum wage rates. For example, Los Angeles signed into law a bill that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020 (Wattles). According to a Pew Research