There is a very large group of unskilled workers in the United States labor force today, and many of them do get paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The condition of the lower class in the United States today is at a very low point due to the immense income inequality and unemployment rates. Not only are the economic conditions substandard, but also the lower class environment. Many of them are living in very bad conditions and are struggling to make ends meet. There has been a huge controversy about whether the minimum wage is a livable wage. A livable wage is defined as the wage needed to pay for basic needs, which includes minimum food, childcare, health insurance, housing, transportation, and other necessities (ex. clothing,
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The minimum wage is absolutely less than the livable wage. As seen in the photo of a protester holding the sign saying “With 7.80 I Go Hungry”, many people are still suffering from hunger with a $7.80 an hour . The irony in this photo is that with a fast-food chain in the background that employs the lower-wage workers, their workers cannot even afford the cheap food provided within their restaurant. In an interview with Paul Solman of PBS, Terran Lyons, a crew Trainer in McDonalds, expressed her difficulty with her nutrition . Solman asked if she could afford to eat at McDonalds, one of the cheapest restaurants anyone can eat, if she didn’t have her employee discount. She responded with “if it wasn’t for the discount, uh-uh”. Lyons gets paid a wage of $9.32, well above many McDonald’s employees in different states. However, if she didn’t get assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as Food Stamps, she could not afford the cheapest of meals not only for herself but also for her two kids. Even with food stamps, she only receives $355 a month for herself and her two growing kids. For the people who don’t get paid as much as she does, it must be much harder to maintain a nutritional lifestyle. There is obviously a pretty big gap between
The minimum wage is absolutely less than the livable wage. As seen in the photo of a protester holding the sign saying “With 7.80 I Go Hungry”, many people are still suffering from hunger with a $7.80 an hour . The irony in this photo is that with a fast-food chain in the background that employs the lower-wage workers, their workers cannot even afford the cheap food provided within their restaurant. In an interview with Paul Solman of PBS, Terran Lyons, a crew Trainer in McDonalds, expressed her difficulty with her nutrition . Solman asked if she could afford to eat at McDonalds, one of the cheapest restaurants anyone can eat, if she didn’t have her employee discount. She responded with “if it wasn’t for the discount, uh-uh”. Lyons gets paid a wage of $9.32, well above many McDonald’s employees in different states. However, if she didn’t get assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as Food Stamps, she could not afford the cheapest of meals not only for herself but also for her two kids. Even with food stamps, she only receives $355 a month for herself and her two growing kids. For the people who don’t get paid as much as she does, it must be much harder to maintain a nutritional lifestyle. There is obviously a pretty big gap between