ipl-logo

Minimum Wage Debate

609 Words3 Pages

The minimum wage was first established in the United States as an institution in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. It was a $0.25 an hour wage, which would equal approximately $4.22 in today’s dollars (Cipriano). The FLSA also introduced a 44-hour per week maximum limit, guaranteed time-and-a-half for overtime labor, and prohibited most child labor (29 USC Chapter 8). Because of its unprecedented protections of the working class, the Fair Labor Standards Act was described by President Roosevelt as one of the most important pieces of New Deal legislation (Samuel 32). Roosevelt was a proponent of the legislation because instituting fairer labor laws such as, a minimum wage, were very much in line with his well-known progressive political philosophies. The federal minimum wage has been increased 29 times in accordance with various laws since 1938 and is currently $7.25 an hour. One of the most significant recent historical developments in minimum wage …show more content…

1010 is how many American employees are making the minimum wage today. This is a very important facet of the debate because this researcher would strongly suggest that the research is slightly misleading. Thought it is important to note how many employees in the US are making the federal minimum wage today, that is not the question that should be considered when trying to determine how many people passing H.R. 1010 would help. The much better question to consider is how many employees in America make less than $10.10 an hour. The reason for this is that though a relatively low number of Americans are earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour: approximately 4.4% of American Employees (U.S. Minimum Wage History), a very historically high number of Americans are working jobs that pay them less than $10.10 an hour, more than 25 million Americans (Casselman), (compared to just over 6 million that make the federal minimum wage of

Show More
Related

Great Depression Dbq Essay

625 Words | 3 Pages

On average a worker would make a few dollars a week, which lead a factory worker from Texas to write President Roosevelt, “ I can’t see for my life President why a man must toil & work his life out in Such factories 10 long hours ever day except Sunday for a small sum of 15 cents to 35 cents per hour & pay the high cost of honest & deason living expences,” (pg 171). This reality of people working for nothing needed to come to a conclusion. In order for the people to receive a higher hourly wage the government needs to implement a law that dictates the minimum amount of money a worker gets paid hourly. This amount needs to be determined based on the cost of living, and in order to prevent people from working for little to nothing in the future it needs to fluctuate with the cost of living. Owners of factories and other business will be upset and not follow the law, and that is why the government will need to be strict and enforce this minimum wage law.

Read More

Why The Next President Should Raise The Minimum Wage

876 Words | 4 Pages

In the last few years, the topic of the minimum wage has been a highly debatable subject. There are numerous perspectives regarding raising the minimum wage. “The concept of the minimum wage can be defined as the minimum amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage earners for the work performed during a given period,” (ILO,2014). A few of the common disagreements are how unemployment rates will be affected, who will be most affected by a change, and what alternatives are available. In the article “Why the next president should raise the minimum wage” Roger Lowenstein argues that it is his belief that raising the minimum wage will benefit society by reducing unemployment rates and thus reducing the amount of the population living in poverty.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of Raising Minimum Wage

1810 Words | 8 Pages

The first national minimum wage was not set until the year 1938 during the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As a piece of the New Deal legislation, the Fair Labor Standards Act set new requirements regarding labor and wages. This act affected many things including setting a national minimum wage for the first time. Until this point, different groups had tried to set minimum wages but had failed. Courts generally found minimum wages unconstitutional against the ideal of liberty of contract.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Minimum Wage

623 Words | 3 Pages

Today’s minimum of $7.25 an hour is worth 25 percent less than the minimum in the late 1960s. From research, a full-time, minimum-wage worker earns about $15,000 per year, which is below the federal poverty line for a worker with just one child. We need to raise the minimum wage to the point where the lowest-paid worker can afford their basic needs, such as food and other necessities. An increase to $10.00 an hour as proposed by President Barack Obama would actually reinstate the wage factor to the same value it had back in the 1960s. In doing so, it would lift earnings for nearly 28 million workers nationwide roughly 1 in 5 U.S. workers.

Read More

Should Minimum Wage Be Raised Essay

1002 Words | 5 Pages

The Minimum Wage: Should it be Raised? In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed the Fair labor Standards Act of 1938. This set the minimum wage for the United States to be $0.25 and a maximum work week of 44 hours (Grossman, n.d.). Since 1938, the federal minimum wage has been raised 22 times averaging a raise of 31 cents every 3.25 years (Bose, n.d.).

Read More

Pro Minimum Wage Essay

1765 Words | 8 Pages

The United States’ minimum wage was enacted by the federal government in 1938 by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Cornell University Law School defines minimum wage as laws to establish a base level of pay that employers are required to pay certain covered employees” (“Minimum Wage”). The minimum wage started out at $.25 per hour (equal to $4.19 in 2015 (Kurtz and Yellin) when the law was first established. This law was part of the New Deal President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law in 1938. Although the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25, several states have their own minimum wage laws above $7.25.

Read More

Federal Minimum Wage Essay

435 Words | 2 Pages

Whether the United States federal minimum wage should be increased, is often debated. The federal minimum wage has been changed twenty-two times since its inception. In 1938, the minimum wage was set at 25 cents per hour. Our economy has drastically changed since the early 1900s, the 25 cents per hour minimum wage has been changed to $7.25 an hour. Even with this change, due to the current inflationary situation, living standards are nearly impossible.

Read More

Should Minimum Wage Be Increased Essay

839 Words | 4 Pages

Should the minimum wage be increased? Some say yes while others argue. This is one of the biggest economic question in the U.S. today. The minimum wage was last increased on July 24, 2009, when it rose from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. Proponents of raising the minimum wage declared that it will help the American economy while the opponents argue that it will harm the economy.

Read More

Federal Minimum Wage Essay

618 Words | 3 Pages

Federal Minimum Wage In 1938, the federal minimum wage was established by Congress under the Fair Labor Standards Act, initially set at $0.25 an hour. President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed it as part of the New Deal to protect workers during the Great Depression. An increase in the federal minimum wage has been an ongoing subject of controversy in the US, because of the perceived gap between the actual minimum wage and the need for a true “living wage.” Congress has kept the federal minimum wage the same since 2009 when it went from $6.55 to $7.25.

Read More

Minimum Wage Thesis

1347 Words | 6 Pages

Josh Ilyadzhanov English 10-2 Ms. Tunick Minimum Wage Essay Did you know that over forty five million Americans lived under the poverty lines just last year (Census bureau)? Minimum wage is the lowest wage permitted by law for any job in the United States of America, and was established in 1938 by the Fair Labor Standards Acts. Minimum wage started at an all time low $0.25 and over time has changed twenty two times. The current minimum wage in America is $7.25 per hour. Nowadays in America, poverty is at an all time high of 14.5%, which is atrocious for the economy.

Read More

Should The Minimum Wage Be Increased

792 Words | 4 Pages

It found that a $10.10 minimum wage, implemented by 2016, would mean higher earnings for 16.5 million workers, resulting in $31 billion more in higher earnings. It would also lift nearly 1 million people out of poverty. But it also found that an increase would reduce jobs slightly. “Once fully implemented in the second half of 2016, the $10.10 option would reduce total employment by about 500,000 workers, or 0.3 percent,” it projects. That figure takes into account what it says would be a decrease in jobs for low-wage workers as well as an increase of “a few tens of thousands of jobs” for others thanks to higher demand.

Read More

Raising The Minimum Wage Essay

1568 Words | 7 Pages

The United States has had a national minimum wage for workers since 1938. President Roosevelt established the price floor for labor after various states adopted differing laws for workers. He believed the government needed to regulate the workforce to improve working conditions, like preventing child labor and taking advantage of passive workers. Doing this, he thought, would optimize the country’s resources. Over the years, Congress has raised the minimum wage many times to account for inflation and the increase in productivity.

Read More

Should Minimum Wage Be Abolished Essay

810 Words | 4 Pages

In modern society, one seeks out a job that pays far above minimum wage, simply because one feels it is not sustainable enough for simple needs. Thus, the issue of what price the minimum wage should be comes about. One begins to seek and advocate for a higher minimum payment for a job well done. In 1938, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a federal document that set the tone for generations to follow, the Fair Labor Statistics Act. This long anticipated document set forth rules regarding a minimum pay requirement for people across the country, setting the national minimum wage at $0.25 an hour with a forty-four hour work week and the banning of cruel child labor, making it the first document of its kind to pass through Congress.

Read More

Raising Minimum Wage Research Paper

864 Words | 4 Pages

Many conclusions of research have stated that raising the minimum wage will unlikely ease poverty, while some states say that raising the minimum wage will help lower-skilled workers out of poverty. The minimum wage of the United States is $7.25 per hour. Most people start out with a minimum wage and eventually move to higher paying jobs in the future. Those who have minimum wage careers are usually mothers of young children, less educated, or live outside urban areas. Minimum wage increases have lead people to poverty, having a negative impact on society; therefore minimum wages should not be increased.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Raising The Minimum Wage

1325 Words | 6 Pages

Raising the Minimum Wage Joshua Yascavage American Military University Abstract In this paper we will look at why the increase in the Federal Minimum Wage standard and those implemented by states benefit business, and the community. Raising the Minimum Wage Working forty hours a week and you get home open the mail and realize you have a bill you cannot pay. You make the minimum wage, a wage that was meant to allow you to meet a minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency, and general well-being. (Fair Labor Standards Act 1938)

Read More

More about Minimum Wage Debate

Related Topics

Open Document