American Minimum Wage Research Paper

Is the American minimum wage a living wage?

I was at the CenturyLink Stadium working my ass off. I was holding up a banner on the field for what felt like an eternity. That day I worked 7 grueling hours on the field while taking breaks in between. The disappointment came two weeks later when my direct deposit showed up on my debit card. I got paid 59 dollars and twelve cents! I felt as though I was being underpaid. This helped set in the reality for me that even though Washington minimum wage is higher than the $7.25 national minimum wage; it still isn’t a living wage. Had I been independent, and working full time I wouldn’t have been able to survive on the minimum wage. It made me question why we didn’t just increase the minimum wage. Why couldn't we have a 15 dollar minimum wage throughout the United States of America? Income inequality in America is a direct result of a low federal minimum wage.
To understand the scope of the we must look at the net income of a $7.25 wage compared to $15 wage. Based on a 40 hour working week, $7.25 produces 290 a week, and a net income of $15,080 before taxes. On a 15 wage, based also on a 40 hour work week produces $600 a week and $31,200 before taxes. The difference is $16,120. This amount is life …show more content…
Most likely someone in the train makes minimum wage. They are brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles. Do you think that they deserve a living wage? Enough so that they can make above the poverty line, enough for a better workforce, enough for a stronger America. The call for increasing the minimum wage to $15 is long overdue. That is why it is imminent that we increase the minimum wage to create a better workforce, make the American economy stronger, and bring Americans out of poverty. We should stand united and fight on the forefront of the issue and urge Washington to increase the minimum wage to $15 throughout all of the United States of