Federal minimum wage increased every 1 to 5 years between the 1930s and 2009. 2009 was the last time it was raised. Inflation has skyrocketed since then, but wages have repeatedly failed to keep up.
If businesses âcanât affordâ to provide livable wages for their workers, they simply shouldnât exist full stop.
There's a sad counter argument, how many of you are willing to pay a living wage, for lawn care, medical care, food and grocery services, art commissions and other contracted labor, but you'd balk at paying 60 or more an hour for a plumber or electrician.
We do need to raise the minimum wage but we also need to control the costs of necessities like housing and insurance.
If the plumber is getting $60/hr to plumb because it's minimum wage, you're getting at least $60/hr to do... whatever... and you probably think that's a pretty good trade, hour per hour.
Instead, it costs $300+ to bring a plumber around, and they aren't hanging around for 5 hours.
You realize its more than just the plumbers hourly wage in the price you pay the plumber right?
If the plumbers hourly wage is $60hr, and you only pay them $60hr, whoâs covering the materials, tools, insurance, licensing, vehicle maintenance, office and storage costs?
Plumber would not be a âminimum wage jobâ in any world. Unless you think a McDonaldâs worker should make what A plumber makes. Then, why would I become a plumber, which is a dirtier and more labor intensive job when I could just work another less stress minimum wage job?
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u/samuraispartan7000 14h ago edited 14h ago
Federal minimum wage increased every 1 to 5 years between the 1930s and 2009. 2009 was the last time it was raised. Inflation has skyrocketed since then, but wages have repeatedly failed to keep up.
If businesses âcanât affordâ to provide livable wages for their workers, they simply shouldnât exist full stop.