U.S. – The Democratic Party has recently come out in favor of a minimum wage increase which would bring the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. This happened after a wave of campaigns lead by minimum wage workers across the nation. The city of SeaTac, in Washington, however, has already raised their local minimum wage to 15$ an hour for hospitality and transportation workers.
The movement known as, Fight for $15, just got a major shout out from former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, who served underneath the Clinton administration. In the form of a YouTube video, Reich highlights seven reasons we should raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour gradually over the next three years.
1. If the minimum wage of 1968 was adjusted to inflation it would be much higher than $10 an hour. The average worker today is also twice as productive. When we adjust for both the minimum wage would be about $15 an hour.
2. $10.10 is not enough to lift all minimum wage workers out of poverty. The majority of minimum wage workers are the bread winners for their family.
3. Many companies are, in effect, being subsidized by government assistance programs by making up for companies’ low wages in the form of Medicaid and food stamps programs.
4. Some jobs may be lost due to a raise in the minimum wage initially but many people will be lifted out of poverty. The increased wages will raise spending from people, thus creating more jobs overall.
5. Most of the money that will be given to workers if the minimum wage is increased will come from profits of companies rather than increased prices of goods and services. This is due to fierce competition between companies to keep prices low.
6. Republicans will push for Democrats to go lower than their proposed increase to $10.10.
7. Lifting people out of poverty is morally responsible to do, in addition to it being the smart economic move.
Robert Reich, after the release of his documentary “Inequality For All,” has quickly become a prominent figure in the fight against neoliberalist policies that seek to further undermine marginalized communities affected by income inequality.
Joe Fletcher is Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Green Action News. He is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is very passionate about the environment. He is dedicated to telling
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Edited by DH.
