"Minimum Wage work is for school kids." Even the language of the legislation belies that statement. Look it up if you don't believe me. Read the text of the actual law creating Minimum Wage. Anyone who works forty hours a week should be able to, at the very least, eat and keep a roof overhead.
"You want more pay, get the skills". How can the worker get the skills if he can't even afford gas to drive to work? They should have gotten the training before entering the job market? Sure, that lady ringing you up totally knew she'd end up raising three kids alone. Also, the real world is full of people who do have the skills but are (for various reasons) unable to get a job using said skills. Others lost "better" jobs through no fault of their own.
The one that really galls me is this: The assumption that no one, ever, would do a minimum wage job for the enjoyment of the work. That no one, ever, can simply take pride in an honest day's work. I know from experience that there are freaks out there who actually enjoy providing customer service or doing manual labor. Some people are without a "need to succeed" in the financial sense.
But I don't think raising the Wage is going to fix anything. Because bosses are greedy. If they have to pay more, they will find ways to protect the profits. The worker who was getting 40 hours a week will suddenly be getting 30 or 35 - if that many. Some workers will be fired and not replaced - increasing the workloads for the rest (who are now working fewer hours). Prices will go up.
And people will start calling for an increase in Minimum Wage. It is a vicious cycle. If we do raise the Wage, we need to also prevent the protection of the profit margin. Since God Money dictates all this, maybe employers who don't do that stuff could get a tax break. Or outright fine them if they do raise prices and cut hours.
But we definitely need to get past the thinking that minimum wage earners are somehow wrong for not being doctors or lawyers. We will always need ditch diggers.
No comments:
Post a Comment