The minimum wage remains at $7.25 and hour, and while some states have raised it a bit, nearly half of the states have continued to keep the minimum wage at the $7.25 level -- and show no signs of raising it anytime soon.
It needs to be raised at the federal level, so it would apply to all states -- even the red states that don't seem to care about their workers.
How bad is the current minimum wage? It hasn't been raised since 2009. And while it would buy $7.25 worth of goods in 2009, it now will only buy $5.27 worth of goods. That's a drop of 27% in buying power in the last 13 years.
At $5.27 an hour, the minimum wage is truly a poverty wage. A minimum wage worker with a full-time job (40 hours a week) would only bring home enough weekly to buy about $210.80 worth of goods. The monthly wage would buy only about $843.20 worth of goods.
Could you live on $843.20 a month (before deductions)? No one can!
The minimum wage must be raised to a livable level -- at least $15.00 an hour. Anything less is a poverty wage. And it's not right to force a full-time worker to accept a poverty wage!
Sadly though, as long as the Republicans hold veto power in Congress, the minimum wage will not be raised. They must be voted out of power so low-wage workers (between 20% and 25% of the national work force) can make a living. The $15.00 wage is not going to make anyone rich (or even middle class), but it will allow them to buy the necessities they and their families need.
It will also help other workers by putting an upward pressure on all wages.
Our government doesn't hesitate to give more to the rich (the people who don't need it). It's time they helped workers -- the people who need a bit of help.
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