Can you believe that minimum wage is still only $7.25?

Here you go OP. And you get change.

Not where I live. It's double that.

This would come out to $250 a week working full time. What is somebody supposed to do with that?

Rent, food, transportation etc costs minimum $500 a week. That’s the rock bottom minimum.

How can anyone live on $250 a week? That’s not even enough for rent.

OP what is the point of this post? You didn't even link to an article on it. Most think the minimum wage is too low, Republicans in Congress are blocking attempts to increase it.

Were you just trying to think of something to post and this came up on your list of "potential clickbait topics"?

In the Bostom area, I think it's over $13 per hour, but maybe even $15+ now?

Whole Foods Market starts at $16, I think?

Target at over $15? here.

But just outside of town, Stop & Shop starts at only $13+, I think. Maybe even in Boston. And I think it's hard or impossible to get full time hours, at first.

No I’m just in awe at how low this wage is and especially relative to the current pandemic price gouging it’s stark. Shocking really. How can this be?

OP just wants to cunt and be Nellie Negative.

Minimum wages are set by states and localities as well as the Federal government.

R4 I went to get breakfast this morning and 3 restaurants were closed. I’m a tad bitter and this is why I made the thread.

All these restaurants have raised their prices. But still refuse to pay anyone.

It’s like being a slave but then being told you’re on your own for housing.

You get $17/hr to START at Kohls in my town, FFS.

$25 should be the absolute minimum in 2022.

It’s working, not volunteering.

So get off the DL and do something to raise it. Start with your city and state, instead of cunting that it's all the Federal Government's fault from the comfort of your home.

It looks like it’s only still $7.25/hr in third world (red) states.

This is the NATIONAL minimum wage, people. As in this NATION is pathetic and can’t gets act together because the Koch corporate lobbyist have their boot on the neck of Congress.

They need the support of the people to overcome this type of power.

Just like cost of living varies in different places so should minimum wage. If it was raised to $15 in Alabama even I would consider moving there

R14 you seem not to understand that people don't live generically in the United States. They live a specific location. A town, city, and state.

Think harder, hun.

Unless you'd just rather cunt.

Minimum wage is academic at this point. I doubt there is a single worker in America making $7.25 right now. It is a completely irrelevant factor in the current labor market.

Where I live it's less than half of that.

R17 if they would raise the fed min wage, then it would be a factor.

Surely you agree it should be at least $15 for states like AL and MS. Price gouging is going on there too.

r11 I'm all for the automated future where I never had to deal with bumbling cashier or wait staff, but I'm a cold heartless bastard. But I'm guessing you're a bleeding heart idealist and not intending to promote corporate monopolies, the destruction of small businesses, increasing the divide between rich & poor by eliminating fulltime jobs (& overtime) or entire work sectors, while hastening the future towards meeting our robotic overlords.

If you are over 21 and don't have the skills to get a job that pays higher than minimum wage, how is that anyone else's fault but your own?

People wouldn’t need overtime at $25/hr and companies wouldn’t need to pay it due adequate staff to cover the schedule.

The shitty rural town where I live, which has no industry, save Walmart and a men's prison, has seen its rents increase by 50% since 2019. Then, I have to hear fucks at the Safeway complaining that the Jack in the Box isn't being staffed anymore.

R21 it could be the cuts to education, the lack of parental support due to them working two jobs each, the inability to afford college, having to drop out to support the family

How is that their fault? Corporations have gotten so greedy these days. Even colleges are ripping people off. Everything is a corporate scam now. It’s not the 21 year old’s fault. Jesus.

No one wants to work so it has become a standoff. Employers are beginning to learn the hard way they are screwed unless they start paying fair wages. There is no way people can exist on $7.25 per hour and many are refusing to return to work. If the conservatives are able to regain political power, wages will remain stagnant on the lower end. These conservative business owners, whether large corporations or smaller business owners, do not want to hurt their stock prices or their own parachutes, perks, and bottom lines. Cheap labor is their mantra. I suspect t's going to get very ugly.

rainbows and lollipops, moonbeams and kisses for everyone! Tax free! unless you're rich.

Republicans would rather die than pay someone a fair wage or treat people decently or with basic respect.

Leave it to the states and localities, FFS. It's not a one-size-fits-all issue.

Those "work from home" jobs, the white collar jobs we all should be able to get, have 100 applicants per, and now white collar Americans are having to compete with people from countries with very low COL.

R21, not everyone lives in an area with tons of jobs requiring a college degree, so. Before you screech that people should "Just Move", please look up the costs of moving these days. It is not 2002 anymore.

r28 Yes, that crackhead twirling a sign on the sidewalk DESERVES 25/HR. Do you know the price of crack today? It's totally whack!

R31, where do you live that people are doing crack on the sidewalk? Most of the people you are whining about are doing fentanyl these days, which should make you v happy, the rate of OD and all.

r32

r32 Have you been keeping an eye on the US Dollar value?

You can’t threaten the popes with inflation when it’s already here.

Now wages need to rise substantially or this is not real inflation. Just corporate hunting and we are the targets.

*poors

You can raise wages in prosperity but a federal mandate now would be worse than pulling out of Afghanistan. . . especially for small businesses that still haven't recovered from losses during shutdown and the restrictions since..

if you want people to earn a higher wage, then recall what journalists promoted to ending other industries we rely on ---- learn to code.

Personally, I'd rather we give tax credits to families in need and provide incentives to businesses to keep work in the U.S. as well as other perks to make up for the deficit in our communities and local services.

Do you know how many walmarts have closed in the past two years?

And not counting the economic damage done by Walmart appearing in small communities to begin with but let alone, what happens in those communities where it closes? The costs that arise because of it?

You're going to have to outline the pros in the argument.

Tell me how small businesses would operate with this increase?

If I didn't have other people to support, a simple increase in wage would appear attractive. . . but ultimately lead to more harm than good.

or we could conside rthe practical If the minimum wage goes up, then that of my work should increase too, right? It wouldn't make sense for skilled workers & unskilled workers should be that close in income in the same line of work, right? And if you're a skilled worker, I wonder how you will feel about everything if you move from middle class to upper class? Are you ready to pay your fair share?

Likewise, have you considered how many people on disability/public benefits, maintaining p/t work, would be impacted? these kind of changes don't operate in an immediate vacuum... especially with such a huge price differential as many desire. This also extends to students seeking financial aid, basic medical support, qualifying even for non-govt private aid and relief, and so on to any other services.

It goes on and on... but like kids in a candy store

Just raise the wage to $15 and stop making a bunch of stupid excuses.

Just raise it already.

The federal minimum wage when I was a kid was worth a whole lot more than the minimum wage is worth now.

The people warning of raising the wage don't understand the concept of inequity, particularly the older ones who benefited from a higher wage (when adjusted for inflation) when they were younger.

It's like pulling the ladder up with you after pulling yourself up, and then basically telling the people below to go fuck themselves.

R1, totally getting the point. Such empathy. You’re definitely part of the solution.

The minimum wage in Silicon Valley is 7.25 million an hour.

Goes to show you the divide between the haves and have nots has gotten to the point the oligarchs are now buying up other planets.

Meanwhile regular professionals are ending up homeless and living in city owned hotel shelters. It’s really pitiful.

[...]

This is a country where half of Congress thought $300/wk. was disincentivizing people from returning to work. Apparently because that amounted to an extra $50/wk beyond minimum wage.

If you bought a home 5 years ago, then you would have no idea what the housing market is like now. There is a lot of ignorance at play. People think you can just pick up and move or “save money” like it’s 1965 or something.

People have no idea. I volunteer at Christmas every year and you wouldn’t believe the people that are homeless/displaced now. These are not junkies anymore. These are average professionals who are now homeless and many with young families. What are they supposed to do? There is nothing to grab ahold of anymore. Once your down that low now there is now climbing back out. It’s extremely depressing.

And what year was that R43? Because in1991 I was making $4.25 an hour in food service. That was over thirty years ago and the pay has only gone up $3 an hour? Gas was like $1 a gallon then.

keep an eye on turkey

(USatards recognize the existing laws and limitations of the state (federal) that would negatively impact and likely exasperate the homeless problem. it's not that minimum wage couldn't be incrementally increased but a sudden jump to 15, let alone 25 would only fuel the immediate inflation crisis while doing nothing to solve the issues leading to... )

[R25], it's never my fault, it's always YOU who make things difficult. You're always in my face, telling me what to do. I'm just fine, not doing anything, because YOU'RE the problem! You always create drama! I never do anything! YOU make things up to make ME look bad! YOU are victimizing ME! I don't deserve this! YOU make ME look bad! It's all YOUR fault! I didn't do anything! YOU started this! Now look at how upset YOU'VE made MEMEMEMEMEME!

Nothing that happens to you is ever your fault R25, is it?

You would be considered rich her in Croatia with this wage.

Well everything is cheap there. That is not the case in the US.

Eh, that's plenty for the peons.

First world cis pussy problems. Queefing out babies so they can get child support checks and alimony and never have to work a day in their lives.

R51 Bullshit. Food and clothes cost the same as they do in US (and most of Europe) and gas is way more expensive than in US.

Europe has much to offer some of these boys.

I heard the ferel government raised the minimum wage to $30 / hour today.

^huh you wish.

It's a $13.00 cap in my state, starting this January 1...for most areas. My town is $12.00 per hour. The abuse many workers endure...verbal and violent, doesn't seem to be worth it. I think it's more than the minimum wage.

It needs to be pegged rent and food prices. The more expensive a place, the higher the minimum wage.

/antiwork is all about raising the minimum wage, but then they had an angry post about a church-run child care going up $300 a month. Like, what did you THINK would happen?

If there was one huge thing the Fox news watching CEO crew could push for right now to get labor, it would be uncoupling government benefits from income limits. It has killed the poverty class' ability to work because the wages are so low that it shuts off benefits that are worth far more than working.

People need food, shelter, and healthcare. People who don't or can't work are provided that (or some assistance) by the government. We need to allow these people to get back into the workforce without immediate penalties. They'll work for the extra money. They won't work if it means putting their subsidized apartment at risk over a low paying job with variable hours. Remember, most retail and food places have awful scheduling practices that change from week to week. I knew someone who actually was scheduled 4 hrs per day and they would sometimes send him home after 2 hrs because business was slow...and he wasn't paid for the 2 hrs they sent him home for.

Let's say you're an unemployed person with 1 health problem that requires you to see a doctor and get bloodwork done 3 or 4 times per year. You currently have medicaid. If you earn more than about $1500 per month, your medicaid goes away (and that is zero deductable healthcare). Why would you risk it over a potentially shitty job that does not provide healthcare (or healthcare you can afford).