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Should minimum wage be increased?

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

Frumious Bandersnatch
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Updated March 23, 2013: President Obama has called for an increase in the federal minimum wage - to at least $9 an hour. In addition, President Obama has also proposed indexing the minimum wage to inflation, so it would increase when the cost of living increases.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. If passed, it would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour by 2015, and adjust it each year after that to keep up with the rising cost of living. The legislation would also increase the minimum wage for employees who receive tips.

The legislation would need to be passed by both the Senate and the House for the increases to go into effect. Until legislation is passed there will be no date set for a minimum wage increase.

Here's a list of the current minimum wage rate for each state. The minimum wage increased in 10 states on January 1, 2013. Here's a list of the states and the new minimum wage for each location.

Arizona - $7.80
Colorado - $7.78
Florida - $7.79
Missouri - $7.35
Montana - $7.80
Ohio - $7.85
Oregon - $8.95
Rhode Island - $7.75
Vermont - $8.60
Washington - $9.19

The federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour. The last increase was in 2009. If an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages.
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http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2013/03/23/minimum-wage-increases-for-2013.htm


What do you think? Should minimum wage be raised?
 
What? Obama! What about Hawaii?? :( We love you here. :(
I see how it is no love to your homies! :p

Min. wage is $7.25 here.
huffinton post said:
In Kailua, located on the island of Oahu — the same island as Honolulu — high prices are reflective of most of the real estate market in Hawaii. The state has limited available property, explained Huskey, which drives up prices. “While there’s only one particular market in Hawaii that reached the top ten, Hawaii proved the most expensive on an aggregate measure.”
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Gas prices range from $4.20-$4.80
 
yes. it's too low in the uk too when compared against the cost of accommodation and living costs. the way wealth is balanced between top and bottom earners is criminal.
 
-=SS=- said:
yes. it's too low in the uk too when compared against the cost of accommodation and living costs. the way wealth is balanced between top and bottom earners is criminal.
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historical comparisons of min wage to CEO pay are quite telling (overlay productivity)

the workers have been, are and will continue to get fucked.
 
Care said:
If we had no minimum wage poverty would explode to 3rd world levels.
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True,here in south Florida people would be trying to pay workers with chickens and mango's if they could get away with it. The working conditions for most blue collar workers are substandard at best.
 
Pretty_Diamonds said:
What? Obama! What about Hawaii?? :( We love you here. :(
I see how it is no love to your homies! :p

Min. wage is $7.25 here.

Gas prices range from $4.20-$4.80
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I remember you from ED back in 2009ish.

The reality is, that what obama is proposing is exactly what Hawaii needs to raise the minimum wage. 7.25 is the federal minimum, and if its more than that in a certain state it is because the state decided to raise it on its own. If House republicans would go along with what Obama wants the minimum wage would be 10.10 in Hawaii within a month.

As for the gas prices im not exactly sure why they're so high but im guessing its a combination of shipping costs and state taxes. At least you guys never have to drive more than 25 miles :P.
 
Gas prices are high because the price of crude oil is high. Total tax on gasoline sales make up about 12% of the final cost while crude prices make up 65+% of the final consumer price. The rest lies in refining and marketing costs. Plus, if you think prices are high in America, check out the unsubsidized (or less subsidized) fuel prices in Europe or Australia.

Regarding the OP, I don't think $9 per hour is high enough. Those who are worried about cost of living increase should first consider that there are other ways to cover costs than to jack up prices. The price mechanism is what keeps firms competitive, and it will be the last resort. Second, outsourcing is already a reality so we might as well double our current minimum wage as outsourcing isn't a distant consequence of future wage increases, it's already happening even though taxes are lower than they've been in several decades and real wages have flatlined since the 1970s. Reducing our standard of living in order to compete with third word countries is a losing battle and frankly, makes no sense. There should either be penalties in place to discourage outsourcing or regulations should require American owned firms to operate under American labor standards regardless of where they set up shop.

Tax cuts and laxed labor regulations have not stimulated the rise of living conditions for the middle class or the poor, but have increased overall productivity beyond any historical precedent.
 
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Captain.Heroin said:
No, there shouldn't be a minimum wage.
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Why? So corporations can hire people at $1.00 an hour?

Fuck that bro. The minimum wage is in place so corporations can't do that.

In America, if you take the cost of living and inflation into effect the minimum wage should be $18.00-$20.00 for someone to live comfortably and pay all necessary bills and taxes. But it's not and that's why you have people addicted to Food Stamps, Medicare, and Welfare.
 
why would anyone accept a job which pays less than unemployment welfare?
 
L2R said:
why would anyone accept a job which pays less than unemployment welfare?
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not that everything has to be about the US, but since the tune here drops that way:

No such thing as unemployment welfare in the US, at least not in the way you mean it. There's unemployment compensation, which is 50% of your former salary for only a few months after termination (unless you quit the job). There's also disability for those physically or mentally unable to work.

I think the best thing for the US would be a government run employment agency with compulsory participation by both employees and employers. The reason so many are unemployed is that a lot of people don't know how to look for work. Centralize the job placement process so it can run as efficiently as possible. Until unemployment is below a certain threshold, it should be a bigger priority than minimum wage hikes.
 
L2R said:
that's fkn bs. how could a modern nation be like that?
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Because once the bourgeoisie exploit wealth from the proletariate they don't like to give anything back.

Trickle down economics in America, is basically just the rich pissing on the poor.
 
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