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The Pros And Cons Of Raising Minimum Wage

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Abstract
In 1938 President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law The Fair Labor Standards Act, which among many things established a minimum wage; the law was created as a way to help the poorest in the US during the Great Depression. Then and now there are strong opinions on both sides of this issue, and without an automatic cost of living adjustment built into the law; any increase requires a bill passed by both houses of Congress and the President’s signature to make it law. In the following essay I will be analyzing two articles that outline both the for raising minimum wage side and the side that opposes raising it; by examining their claims, and the evidence that they use to support their claim of why raising the minimum wage is a good …show more content…

Many of these headlines have read something like “Income Inequality Gap Growing” or stories of teachers, or Boeing employee’s complaining of unfair wages. While large company executive salaries have hit record numbers; but over the last year, one of the biggest headlines has discussed the idea of raising the minimum wage to help fight the growing income gap between the rich and poor in this country. Federal, State, and City governments have been debating this topic frequently over the last year; President Obama has made a public call for a Federal $10.10 minimum wage, while cities like Sea-Tac, Washington put the issue on the November 2013 ballot for a $15.00 minimum wage, which voters narrowly approved, but is still being challenged in court (Martinez …show more content…

(2014, February 13). $15 wage floor slowly takes hold in SeaTac. The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022905775_seatacprop1xml.html
Grossman, J. (2014, January 1). U.S. Department of Labor -- History -- Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938:. U.S. Department of Labor -- History -- Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938:. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.dol.gov/dol/aboutdol/history/flsa1938.htm
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Recession of 2007–2009. (2012, February 1). . Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2012/recession/pdf/recession_bls_spotlight.pdf
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012. (2013, February 26). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2012.htm
Fairchild, C. (2013, February 13). Minimum Wage Would Be $21.72 If It Kept Pace With Increases In Productivity: Study. The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/minimum-wage-productivity_n_2680639.html
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). 2014 Poverty Guidelines. (2014, January 22). ASPE. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from

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