Ethics & Religion
Column #1,986
September 5, 2019
Let's Raise the
Minimum Wage
By Mike McManus
The federal minimum wage is only $7.25 an hour, and has not been
raised in a decade. It is condemning millions to poverty.
It should be raised to give 33 million Americans a long overdue pay
raise.
Fortunately, the House voted this spring to raise the minimum wage to
$15 an hour over six years. The vote was 231-199, with only three
Republicans supporting the initiative.
Nine of the 10 Democratic candidates for President who will appear in a
debate this month - support the measure, with only businessman Andrew
Yang opposing it.
However, the Republican Senate has ignored the issue, and is unlikely to
vote for it.
It is high time to raise the minimum wage. At $7.25 an hour, a person
working full time earns only $290 in a week, $1,160 a month or only
$13,920 a year. In today's economy, that is way too little.
Interestingly, 29 states have raised their minimum wage above the
federal standard. For California companies with more than 25 employees,
the minimum is increasing from $11 an hour to $12 this year. For
companies with fewer than 25 employees, the rate is increasing from
$10.50 to $11.
Maine increased its minimum from $10 last year to $11 in 2019 and
Massachusetts rose from $11 to $12 this year. Poorer states such as
Louisiana, Kentucky and North Carolina are at the federal minimum of
$7.25.
However Arkansas, which is also a poor state, raised its minimum from
$8.50 to $9.25 in 2019 and will step up to $11 by 2021.
A number of states such as Connecticut, New Jersey and Illinois enacted
new laws that will raise their minimum wage to $15 an hour.
There is also growing support in Congress for a law guaranteeing paid
family and medical leave. Any such minimum standards are important, but
not enough to compensate for wages that are too low. As The New York
Times editorialized, "In recent decades, workers have received a
declining share of the nation's economic output in the form of wages and
benefits. The need is for changes in federal law to shift the balance of
power toward workers."
Another change that is needed is to reverse the racially motivated
exclusion of agricultural and domestic workers from the full protection
of federal minimum wage laws.
Sen. Kamala Harris of California is leading the field on this issue. She
has introduced a "Domestic Workers Bill of Rights" that would extend
basic protection to the nation's caregivers and housekeepers - including
a mandated minimum wage, eligibility for overtime off and paid time off.
Republicans opposing a higher federal minimum say it will hurt small
businesses and cause many employers to cut jobs to offset the costs of
higher wages. Younger workers would be among those particularly impacted
they say.
For example, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the top Republican on
the House Education and Labor Committee, said the bill is "unnecessary"
and put politics ahead of the needs of workers. "Increasing the federal
minimum wage by 107% is a harmful and unprecedented mandate that would
result in millions of job losses for vulnerable Americans, small
business closures and significant damage to the U.S. economy."
However, major employers have been increasing their own wages in
response to heightened political pressure - such as Amazon, Target and
Wal-Mart. Amazon late last year boosted its minimum pay to $15 an hour,
as it geared up for holiday season hiring and in the face of public
chastising by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Wal-Mart raised its base pay to $11 an hour. And its CEO, Doug McMillon,
announced the company will urge Congress to raise the minimum wage. It
was a rare step for the nation's biggest employer to demand action,
although McMillon didn't endorse the $15-an-hour minimum Sanders and
other Democrats seek.
Sen. Sanders has promised an executive order barring federal contracts
for firms that don't meet the standard of a $15 minimum wage.
All the Democratic candidates have proposed to expand the availability
of health insurance for people without access to affordable private
sector plans.
There is also broad support by Democratic Presidential candidates to
subsidize child care, and to provide universal access to affordable
preschool.
Of course, the likelihood of passage of a $15 minimum wage and other
benefits is near zero with a Republican-controlled Senate and President
Trump.
Fortunately, there is hope with an election in 2020.
__________________________
Copyright (c) 2019 Michael J. McManus, a syndicated columnist and past president of Marriage Savers. To read past columns, go to
www.ethicsandreligion.com. Hit
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