Should minimum wage be raised? Absolutely to what? $?$?$

I won't quote a dollar numbers. What I will say, is that it needs to be a single living wage.

Defined as enough for a teen out of high school to reasonably afford Rent of a 1 bedroom apartment, transportation, food, healthcare, education.

INDEPENDENT of mom and dad at the rate of 40 hours a week. 160 hours a month or less.

That's supposed to be the minimum. Not the top tier of the skilled pay scale. More skilled trades should be paying FAMILY LIVING WAGES. Which of Defined as a wage that is MODESTLY capable of SELF SUFFICIENTLY supporting a family of 4 at the rate of 160 work hours a month 40 hours a week.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

trollslayer · 46-50, M

My mom and another elder family member were commenting on a sign at a nearby fast food place how much they were paying per hour. Both of them remarked at the wage they earned at their first job, implying that the fast food place is paying too much, making their hamburgers too expensive. My mom and the other family member failed to recognize that the cost of living increase since then has far, far outpaced the wage increase.

My feeling is that any person working a 40 hour per week job with a few years' experience should be able to afford a cheap apartment, health care, and a reasonably priced used car. College education is not for everyone, nor is trade school. Our economy workers, and they need to know that working will allow them autonomy, otherwise they lose incentive. The problem is, in many parts of the USA, that is not happening now, and is only getting worse.

I don't know what the solution is. But raising minimum wage hasn't really solved the problem so far.

justanothername · 51-55, M

@trollslayer Cost of ingredients and cost of fuel in the trucks to get the ingredients to each store also has an impact on the price of fast food. Not just the hourly wage.

trollslayer · 46-50, M

@justanothername Well, that also includes the wages of the truck drivers and those that produce the ingredients, losses from natural disasters, cost of lawyers to protect against lawsuits...

PoetryNEmotion · F

@trollslayer Again. Your second paragraph is in error. See my comments. The world has changed vastly even in the past few years. This is about people surviving. All ages. All levels of education. Maybe not university or professionals, but the rest of the people. Average people.

justanothername · 51-55, M

@trollslayer Depends on the size of the company with regards to lawyers. Smaller companies only get legal help if or when they need it. Most can’t afford the luxury of on call lawyers.