The current national minimum wage is $ 7.25.
This is the result of a 2 year long 'slow bump' up from the
equally ridiculous $ 5.15 it was when law-makers decided
to 'update.' (Of course, by the time the legislation passed
and the outdated info had been utilized, the low wage was
still hopelessly behind the times. Add to that the harder
times and price spikes, and it's a recipe for disaster.)
It's long been established that the working poor of this
country have no quality of life available through the lowest
jobs available. Even if $ 7.25 were sufficient to do good
for a family, after you deduct the federal withholding,
expenses that are work related, and throw some coin
at the essentials, you're still hopelessly behind the eight ball.
Many folks take up 2 and 3 jobs (or more) to try and make
ends meet....maybe go into business for themselves....whatever
it takes. But businesses make money by virtue of getting a
whole lot of something for nothing, and workers are often
intentionally scheduled just under the number of hours needed
to get benefits.
Or perhaps you work in the agricultural/farming industry,
where government does not interfere, and you are actually making
less than the dictated $ 7.25.
(Wages also differ from state to state and based on age.)
Maybe you're in the food service or other 'tip based' field,
where $ 2.13 is the minimum, regardless of whether you have
the first table or not, regardless of whether the people tip you
or not.
Or maybe you get paid by the job. The reality is that it may take
7 hours, but they're only paying you for an estimated flat rate.
(I did a 'day job' for $50 last year; it took 9 hours, legitimately,
so the breakdown is of course about $ 5.50 an hour, plus the
comped lunch.)
Maybe you work under the table, where they can 'lose' your
time card, 'forget' that you worked a certain day, invent fees and
fines that were not previously agreed to, or other bilking nonsense.
Some places 'round off' their employees' time so that they can
shave off upwards of an hour from any one time card.
There are 'right-to-work' states, like lovely Georgia, where
you can be terminated in an instant for no good reason or even
an illegal reason (like racism, sex discrimination, ageism, etc.)
There are states that don't protect workers from firing under
specific discriminatory practices, like anti-gay issues. Like
the issues I had with the US Census and the Georgia State
Peanut Inspection.
There are dangerous and illegal work conditions that make
'third-world' countries look upscale, right here in the good
old U.S. of A....Like a local crate factory that is dirty, dangerous,
and waiting for its Norma Rae.
This country is run by the blood sweat and tears of the service
industries who employ people who have nowhere else to
go; who can't get other work due to lack of education, lack of
geographic availability, lack of options, lack of ability. These
businesses use and depend on these workers to keep things
running and to put the gold in the coffers of the greedy.
With even more dwindling resources and a larger than
ever workforce fighting it out for even bottom of the barrel
jobs, those in charge will take more advantage of its workforce.
Longer hours, more responsibility, less benefits,
The pyramid is always building it's minimum wage base,
while the top percentage gets smaller and smaller.
http://www.minimum-wage.org/
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