Minimum Wage On Saturday, June 25, 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. This bill prohibited child labor, set the minimum wage at 25 cents an hour, and made the maximum work time per week 44 hours. This signing marked the beginning of a never-ending debate on what workers should be guaranteed for their labor. While some people believe that there should be no minimum wage, and the free market would decide the wages of employees, others believe that minimum wage should be much higher than it is currently.
Minimum wage is a term to describe the legal minimum amount of money an employer must pay their employee. The intent of implementing a minimum wage requirement was to make sure employees were not being taken advantage of by their employers. Many argue that without these protective laws, businesses would pay very little for their workers.
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Now almost 10 years later, the federal minimum wage has stayed the same at $7.25 an hour. Many people believe that this minimum wage is outdated, and needs to be adjusted to fit into the current economy. While the federal minimum wage has not changed, states are able to set their own minimum wage. In 2018, the minimum wage in urban California is $11 while in rural Alabama, it is still $7.25. The increase of minimum wage for many urban areas is to accommodate workers to the higher costs of living.
In today’s society, minimum wage work are usually entry level, and require little to no skills. Many of these earners require governmental assistance to take care of themselves and their family. Many people believe that the minimum wage of working a full time job should be enough to cover the cost of living. Raising minimum wage will help these workers in specific situations, but it also causes major issues in the