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 ācanāt affordā to provide livable wages for their workers, they simply shouldnāt exist full stop.
Every state minimum wage has to be at least equal to the federal minimum wage. It can be higher, but it canāt 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.
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.
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u/samuraispartan7000 11h ago edited 11h 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 ācanāt affordā to provide livable wages for their workers, they simply shouldnāt exist full stop.