Debate about the Minimum Wage

Students who are not yet certified to get a higher paying job and who also do not have the time to work a full time job are also not making enough to live off of. This is where the infamous “broke college student” stereotype comes from. Paying students who are either just graduated from high school, or are trying to get into college the absolute minimum possible is an outdated and unworkable method for today's society. Students who were going to college say 30-50 years ago were able to pay off their student loans without going into major debt and simultaneously be able to live off of what money they had left over. Over the years, college tuition has skyrocketed, while the minimum wage has risen hardly at all. In an article from The Wall Street Journal, the author writes, “Taking into account tuition, room, board, and fees across 2,312 public and private colleges and universities in the U.S., the average price of an undergraduate degree increased $63,973, or roughly 161%, since 1987.” (Berman, et al, 2017)

Furthermore, companies are not new to taking advantage of their employees in order to cut corners and save their executives some money. In Sam Dogan’s article, How Employers Take Advantage Of Employees To Save Money, he mentions ways in which a worker’s company might be taking advantage of them and how to protect themselves by knowing their rights. “Even the best salesman … doesn’t do well with at least 10% of his clients. Come bonus time, a … manager will … cherry pick the accounts you do not do well in as a reason to not pay or not promote you. … the manager can cherry pick all 10% as reasons to lay you off.”

Additionally, another argument that I have come across is that raising a minimum wage would kill off small business owners who could not survive paying their employees above a poverty wage. Largely. this is an argument made by those who oppose the idea of raising the federal minimum wage in the U.S. The kind of people that try to assume the role of a hero to the small business, working class, and average earner in America.

Many have strove to make the appearance that they are on the small business’s side, saying that a wage increase above that of minimum wage would shut down small businesses and force them to close their doors. However, a poll from 2014 indicates that 3 out of 5 small business owners can afford it and staunchly support a raise to $10 or more an hour. “[A]ccording to the U.S. Department of Labor … , a review of 64 studies on minimum wage increases found no discernible effect on employment…Those that responded believe that a higher minimum wage would benefit business … 58% said raising the minimum wage would increase consumer purchasing power; 56% said raising the minimum wage would help the economy; and 53% agree that with a higher minimum wage, businesses would benefit from lower employee turnover, increased productivity, and customer satisfaction.” (COSE)

While it is evident that the debate over paying more for the labor of those who work in low wage, low status jobs will continue, having a layout of the facts matters. Opponents of a living wage have been cited as repeating emotionally based propaganda that lacks a factual basis. On the other hand, arguments that are in favor of increasing the minimum wage cite statistics, social data, and evidence from history.

Not many argue against the idea that those who can not work due to disability should be given the assistance needed. But many still stand against the argument of increasing the minimum wage in order for those that can work to be able to live comfortably with the wages that they are working for. No one deserves to suffer in a country that is bursting at the seams with resources, while working for companies monopolizing those same resources.

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