Double the Minimum Wage NOW to $15/Hour. Apply It to Tip-Earning Wage and Commission Earners, Too.

@GERRI

As George W. Bush said, "It's not the [i]government's[/i] money. It's the [i]people's[/i] money."

I should have a right to give a [u][b]gift[/b][/u] if I want to.

@beckyromero Then none should include "gratuities" in the bill

@GERRI

That's there because the IRS taxes tips at a minimum amount. Even if they aren't give!

@Baremine [quote]25 years latter he is a senior master tech makes good money ...[/quote]

You're talking about the economy of 25 years ago. Hard work without a college degree is far less likely to get you up the rungs on the ladder than two or three decades ago.

[quote]On the other side I am in favor of teaching people skills, trades not so much college degrees as most of them have a hard time finding a job that requires a degree.[/quote]

YOU going to PAY FOR THAT? Because they can't afford apprenticeships and the necessary licensing or college on the current minimum wage.

@beckyromero you and I agree that there needs to be programs that help people get the skills they need to make good money. Ford not only trained my son but paid him while he learned. There have been 6 others that dealership has sponsored as well. Minimum wage jobs is where you learn to work. That is not a career.

@Baremine

You failed to describe how you are going to pay for all the skill-teaching and trades you proposed. You said Ford trained your son. That was during the Clinton administration.

And how did your son, and at what age, support himself while he was being "trained"?

I think you fail to realize that for many people a minimum wage job (or something barely about it) is all that is available to them - and they aren't even full time jobs so they often need to rely on 2-3 such jobs to survive.

Not everyone is as fortunate as you son or me.

Even $15/hr isn't sufficient to survive on in higher costs areas of the country.

George W. Bush was the last president to sign legislation raising the minimum wage.

@Spokeskitties75

Stop giving [i]tips[/i]. Give a [b]GIFT[/b].

@Duckduckgo

A bonus tied to job performance or guaranteed by employment would be income.

A tip is not guaranteed and the person giving it should be able to say it's a gift.

I'd like to see a $15 minimum wage established for ALL workers in the U.S., regardless of the size of their employer.

@beckyromero a bonus is like a tip or a commission, nothing is guaranteed. $15 isnt enough to survive on. After taxes and everything else you'd be lucky to clear $400 a week.

@Duckduckgo [quote]$15 isnt enough to survive on. After taxes and everything else you'd be lucky to clear $400 a week.[/quote]

That's double what it is now. And states near that will see pressure to raise their own. States can have a higher rate than the national minimum.