Practical considerations aside, what should the minimum wage be today?

[PETRUS]

This is intended as an abstract question. Please don't factor in considerations like political feasibility, or immediate economic disruption (i.e., a sharp overnight increase in the minimum wage would be a painful adjustment). I'm just wondering what people think is morally appropriate.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Morally appropriate would be whatever would

be a living wage, which is something economists can figure out. In reality, that number varies considerably across the country. Maybe the compromise would be whatever would be the median for a living wage in this country, which means workers in high cost of living places would not do as well. As it is, individual states can and do have higher minimum wages. Also some cities have higher ones.

[rampartc]

2. the real question is "what is a dollar really worth?"

a typical home economics text circa 1960 would suggest a budget of 25% of net income for rent. if rent on a modest apartment is $1000 per month, i don't think wages of $1000 per week are unreasonable.

[struggle4progress]

3. The minimum wage in 1968 was $1.40/hour

which works out to be about $10.75 - $10.90 today, depending on the inflation calculator I use

The minimum wage in 1960 was $1.00/hour which works out to be about $8.90 - $12.90 today, depending on the inflation calculator I use

It should be at least $11/hours

[dugog55]

6. Your math may be correct, but, back in the 1960s

the large majority of people earning minimum wage were teenagers working fast food joints or menial jobs in stores, etc... Gas station attendants were men making a living for their families, as were people working almost any other job that now only pays minimum wage. I honestly do not remember anyone over 18 or 20 years of age getting the minimum. Milkmen, store clerks, receptionists, secretaries, mechanics, you name it, they were making enough to raise a family.

Of course, health insurance and/or hospital costs were next to nothing back then. A friend of mine broke his arm in 1972 and complained it cost him $125 for the ER visit, x-rays and the cast. You can add all the inflation values to that total that you want, and it will come nowhere near the cost of that visit would be today.

[LizBeth]

14. I know in '80 I was in acct for major corporation and got basically minimum wage and no it was not

enough to cover cost of living let alone raise a family. Maybe women jobs looked different than men jobs as far as pay went.

[GemDigger]

4. It all depends on where you live.

15 would be acceptable where rent, food and whatnot are not that high. 15 is not acceptable in places where rent for 1 br apts go for 1500+. If you have kids, tack on more money for the second or third bedroom

Food is another factor. Here, on Jan 1st, everything went up. A gallon of milk went up $1.00, bread, canned goods, meats, everything went up.

15 was good before Covid but Covid made everything more expensive. 15 is no longer enough.

Everyone that supplies basic needs got greedier and greedier until they too are sucking the people dry.

Edite: In some places 15 will let you live like a king and other places like a pauper.

[Progressive Jones]

13. $20/HR, regardless of location. We live in the United States. State lines are meaningless. nt

[LizBeth]

17. I figure I need 17 and I am a penny pincher and do not spend money and can't cut budget back anymore

17 would allow me not to be afraid. I have not been out to dinner, picked up fast food or gotten a coffee since middle of May. That should not be an expected way for a person to live. It cannot be, it won't happen mostly. For me it has become a challenge so kinda a game.

[KPN]

5. No less than $20 an hour for a single person. And that really is not enough to afford

rent in anything but a run down dive in many places, dependable transportation, healthy meals, sufficient clothing to cover the 4 seasons as well as work vs leisure, medical expenses, basic utilities, and other typically normal sundries. It really should be more like $25-30/hour for a single person.

There is no easy, one size fits all answer. The best answer is to peg it to cost of living for the locale -- what the federal government does for federal salaries/wages.

It may be more practical to come up with a way to create an additional tax employers whose employees must depend on public assistance (food stamps or other) to make ends meet sufficient to offset these public costs. We already do such things with tobacco and alcohol taxes.

[Bayard]

7. I multiply any hourly wage x 2,000 hours in a year

Which is the normal person working 40 hours a week. I don't see how anyone survives on $14,000 a year, although the two of us aren't making much more than that now on Social Security. When do those of us depending on SS get a raise?

[LizBeth]

19. Thanks. I generally figure weekly then 53 weeks. I love this. I never knew.

[dawg]

8. Federal minimum wage should be increased to between $10 and $12 an hour ...

and then permanently indexed to inflation.

High income locations could then pass higher minimums within their jurisdictions.

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[Progressive Jones]

15. Notice where the shit truly hit the fan. Reagan era. nt

[Johnny2X2X]

9. $20

Inflation says $17, but we should be looking to improve on the past, not get back to it. It wasnt all that fair back then either.

[Hortensis]

10. Democratic Party's clear and consistent: A living wage for full-time work.

And how about, geographic adjustments to local conditions are appropriate as long as properly managed, and minimum wages should be indexed to changes in costs of living, like Social Security?

This is the information and IT age. It can be done and done well.

[Progressive Jones]

16. No "region" or "state" should be treated differently than any other. nt

[Hortensis]

23. Is that a religious-level belief? None of this is free money, as I'm

sure you'll remember. We all pay in, the national kitty's not bottomless, and we should be thoughtful about how to get the most benefit for the most people.

Where I'm living right now, by choice, has very low land prices. The same MW paid to someone in a high-density area would be a happy boon to people here, leading to inflation in local real estate prices of course, and very likely also lead to shorting the urban someones.

I also just don't think it's right, and of course not equitable, to support people making MW in some areas at a lesser standard of living than we do others.

Nor do I think it's in our nation's interest to lure younger generations away from their families and social support structures with higher standards of living on the same MW elsewhere.

[essaynnc]

20. I can see it now...

Corporations scaling a lot of jobs back to part time so they don't have to pay minimum....

[NurseJackie]

11. This feels like a good time to remind everyone that @RepTerriSewell introduced a minimum wage bill..

Is there a compromise that can be done to mollify the Bernie and AOC crowd on the minimum wage or is it an all or nothing proposition?

As we've seen time and time again, the "all or nothing" philosophy never works. Those who espouse this way of thinking always walk away with NOTHING, and for some odd reason, many express pride in making NO PROGRESS at all. It's as though the "effort" is more important than the actual RESULTS. That kind of stubbornness and pride only serves to remain stationary and it preserves the status quo. So why does it seem to be such a popular tactic when it continually fails? Ego? Vanity? I don't know. I think I'd rather compromise and have have a half a loaf (or even a meager SLICE) of bread instead of boasting of my "effort" and delivering an empty plate.

In any case, check this out. We need a different approach, and this looked interesting to me.

Link to tweet

This feels like a good time to remind everyone that @RepTerriSewell introduced a minimum wage bill that ties the wage floor to the cost of living and purchasing power of each region. This bill has the support of many moderate swing-district Democrats.

https://sewell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/sewell-leads-democrats-introducing-regional-minimum-wage-legislation

[LizBeth]

21. +1. I am in Oregon where it has increased by .75 yearly. Bosses try to take credit as a wage. Pisses

me off and I correct and reiterate to fellow employees this is not a raise, from your boss, and raises should still be happening. People would walk up to bosses and thank them for the raise and I am all, hell no. Bosses would take the thank you and give a "your welcome". NO!

[LisaM]

12. I think indexing it to inflation is crucial.

We got here because it was stuck at the same rate for an unconscionable period of time. I don't mind that it was pulled out of an omnibus bill, as long as it's dealt with soon. But I think we need to do more than just raise it. We need to make sure it doesn't stagnate again.

[Turbineguy]

18. One of the problems with an increased minimum wage

is with those who are above the minimum wage now and won't get an increase. Republicans like having somebody to look down on. Their mindset of freemarket value is that if you get $7.25 per hour, it's because that's all you are worth. And that's generous. The only reason you get $7.25 is because it's the law. If not for big government you'd only get $5. They on the other hand, get 20 bucks an hour so they are worth 3 times as much as human beings. A $15 wage means they will only be 1/3 as much better.

[LizBeth]

22. Mostly if a person is getting two dollars over minimum when it increases, their pay should be

increasing right a long and there should be a hiring increase on wage.