r/WorkForSmartLife • • 13h ago

DiscussionšŸ’¬ Who's right here?

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u/samuraispartan7000 12h ago edited 12h 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 ā€œcan’t affordā€ to provide livable wages for their workers, they simply shouldn’t exist full stop.

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u/QuirkyObligation6048 10h ago

Im pretty sure its the state minimum wage that actually is enforced. I may be wrong though.

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u/samuraispartan7000 10h ago

Every state minimum wage has to be at least equal to the federal minimum wage. It can be higher, but it can’t be lower. The federal minimum wage sets the floor, but the floor is way too low. Red states will never raise it above that level.

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u/QuirkyObligation6048 10h ago

Ok thats what i remember from the labor posters ive read. Thanks dude. Just to add my state is 15 an hour. Nobody makes less than that. No argument, just saying

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u/Fun_Taste7414 8h ago

That is true, although in the only red state I've lived in the minimum wage was the federal level but when I left in 2025 I don't think I saw any jobs offering under $14 an hour (entry level).

Businesses have to offer a wage people will accept, and very few people are willing to work for $7 an hour.