Thursday 23 July 2015

Minimum wage being raised to $15 an hour


New York is planning to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour for fast food workers who have more than 30 locations.


http://finance.yahoo.com/…/york-set-15-minimum-wage-1900523…

Here is a comment made about the looming rise.
Some basic math: 52 weeks in a year, 40 hours in a standard work week is 2,080 hours in a year. Now multiply 2,080 hours by $15.00 and we get $31,200 a year. So a full time worker on minimum wage would earn $31,200 a year.
That's not a minimum wage, that's a wage someone could live on. It's a living wage. Granted $31,200 will not allow you to live like a king, but the concept is MINIMUM wage, not a living wage. When this topic gets hot, the media invariably drags out a 40-year old father of two that cannot make ends meet on minimum wage. Minimum wage is for people entering the workforce or for jobs that have extremely minimal skill requirements. Minimum wage is not designed to fund a family of four. To pay $31,200 to a teenager that has to be instructed how to use a broom is ridiculous. Paying $31,200 for an employee that says "Welcome to XYZ store" is ridiculous. If you are 40 years old and still earning minimum wage, well maybe that is the best you can do in life, and that's ok. But before you start a family you better have a thought about how to finance that family, and minimum wage isn't it. At no point is anyone entitled to a living wage. Get your butt out there and earn your way up .... and no, it isn't easy.

What are your thoughts?

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