New York Must Increase the Minimum Wage Essay - 2099 Words

Living in Bushwick commuting to school four days a week to Coney Island, and going to work four days a week at Rite Aid in Sunnyside, Queens, is more overwhelming than what it sounds. Working overnight from Monday to Friday, earning minimum wage and being taxed on top of that isn’t enough due to prices of gas, food, and necessities sky-rocketing. The job pays $7.25 per hour but I make a $0.75 differential for working the night shift. It’s difficult to be a student and work when you only have yourself as a form of financial support. There are days I don’t sleep and hours before I get a meal, because I get trapped by my living expenses, its long before I am able to splurge on luxuries and wants. Nevertheless, it has become challenging to†¦show more content†¦In between the early 1900’s and late 1930’s laws regarding organized labor and laws protecting businesses were passed or declined. Different industries had different minimum wage requirem ents and some didn’t follow at all. When Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, one of the first things he did was sign a New Deal. The New Deal consisted of new proposed ideas and laws; many in particular pertained to labor. This was due to the happening of the Great Depression. The New Deal helped ban child labor, raise the minimum wage, and regulated the appropriate amount of hours a person should work. While my job isn’t the best; it’s better than nothing. Working in the past eight months at Rite Aid, I’ve seen employees come and go at least once a month. My job title is â€Å"Sales Associate†. This merely doesn’t describe all my responsibilities. They range from receiving new merchandise on Mondays and Thursdays, which what we call ‘truck night’ to mopping the floor of pharmacy before I am able to call it a night. We are understaffed and consequently, I am overloaded with duties and by the time the morning comes, I am exhausted to the point where I am unable to concentrate in school. During the eight months, the majority of the Monday and Thursday nights, it has been the Night Time Assistant Manager and I. this is basically two people singleShow MoreRelatedShould The Minimum Wage Be Raised?1307 Words   |  6 PagesSHOULD THE CURRENT MINIMUM WAGE BE RAISED TO $15.00? Fred Wehmer Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Author Notes Fred W. Wehmer, Professional Aeronautics, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Contact: wehmerf@my.erau.edu ABSTRACT Fred W. Wehmer Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Rolf Hemmerling /ECON 211 11 October 2015 This paper will explore the pros and cons of raising the current minimum wage to $15.00. It will start with the history and reasons for the minimum wage. It will cite theRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Policy During The United States1714 Words   |  7 PagesNews stories abound with demands from workers, organizations, and lawmakers to increase the federal minimum wage. Headlines throughout the country highlight recent minimum wage policy changes in major cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle. Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced an approved minimum wage increase to $15 an hour for all fast food workers in the state (McGeehan). Even the website for the White House has a separate page, â€Å"Raise the Wage,† advocating for Congress to increaseRead MoreEconomic Outcomes Of Raising The Federal Minimum Wage1489 Words   |  6 Pagespercent of all wage and salary workers. Among those paid by the hour, 1.3 million earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. About 1.7 million had wages below the federal minimum. Together, these 3.0 million workers with wages at or below the federal minimum made up 3.9 percent of all hourly paid workers†(Ratio of Minimum Wage). The Federal minimum wage drives debate among people today, and with many wanting the federal government to raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollarsRead MoreThe Minimum Wage War1167 Words   |  5 PagesLabor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) or otherwise known as the Wages and Hours Bill. This new law created a maximum forty-four hour workweek, guaranteed â€Å"time-and-a-half† for overtime hours in certain jobs, banned oppressive child labor, and established the nation’s first minimum wage. By definition, a minimum wage is the lowest wage permitted by law or by a special agreement (such as one with a labor union). Throughout the years, the minimum wage has been a central debate topic for the socioeconomic worldRead MoreMinimum Wages During 21st C entury America1649 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum Wages in 21st Century America In the United States the time has come for the next president to be elected and the political fervor has come early this year with an unconventional, surprisingly interesting primary race. With the coming of a new commander in chief the incessant grilling of the candidates has begun and issues, such as poverty in the United States, are being given the national spot light during debates. The issue of poverty has recently gained traction among citizens as wellRead MorePublic Policy Is Minimum Wage1486 Words   |  6 PagesAn important matter in public policy is minimum wage. Researchers Neumark and Wascher states, â€Å"It has been one of the highest controversy topics in the political arena.† Laws regarding minimum wage have been imposed by the federal government and changed within the years since 1938 when former president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards (FLS) from $0.30 to $7.25 an hour. Previously in the labor force, those in the mining, manufacturing, and transportation industries only compromisedRead MoreThe First Minimum Wage Laws1595 Words   |  7 PagesThe first minimum wage laws dated back from 1912 and these laws covered women and children. During the U.S. Supreme Court case of Adkins v. Children’s Hospital in 1923, the â€Å"minimum wage law violated the right of contract under the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment† (Thies, 1991 para. 1). The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 provided the legal minimum wage standards and the first wage was 25 cents per hour as of October 24, 1938 (Douty, 1967). Additionally, this act intention was to transferRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Men We Reaped 939 Words   |  4 Pagesa massive upsurge. Americans are getting poor and poor by the minute and that’s a problem. In the book â€Å"Men We Reaped† Jesmyn Ward explains that society sees our life being worth nothing. If I had the choice to change poverty I would raise the minimum wage so more people would want to work and the money can at least accommodate for a 3 house family with one person working. In the book â€Å"Men We Reaped† Jesmyn explained about her hometown of DeLisle, on Mississippi s Gulf Coast. She explained thatRead MoreJob Openings And Labor Turnover Essay1422 Words   |  6 Pagesspeaking companies are aware of that role. However, companies seek out every avenue necessary to keep internal cost at a minimum while being able to offer price commitment. A great deal of these cost reduction strategies maybe the cause of the increase in the latest turnover number in 2014. It was reported that for the past four years prior to 2014 there has been an increase in turnover rate in the accommodation industry. In 2014 According to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor TurnoverRead MoreWays Of Reducing Unemployment During The United States1570 Words   |  7 Pagesgovernment can do to reduce Unemployment. In order to reduce unemployment rate, the U.S. government should reduce minimum wage so that employers will have more money to pay for more workers, increase the number of long term construction jobs, and decrease the number of people that are outsourced from other countries. Some might argue that taking these actions could cause could cause poverty, increase death rates, and effect other country’s economies. Reducing the amount of jobs outsourced to other countries