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In reply to the discussion: The Most Addictive Infographic About Walmart's Greed We've Ever Seen [View all]exboyfil
(17,857 posts)One thing I would ask. What about the father? Faith should not have to carry this burden alone.
How to make Faith's labor more valuable? In a world that competes for investment capital the only way to directly intervene in it is through minimum wage laws. You are not going to shame Walmart into paying more. What Food Stamps, EITC, and Medicaid/SCHIP does is create a minimum guaranteed income (granted in a very inefficient manner given the administration of the varied programs). What would industry reaction be to a $15/hr. minimum wage? In many cases additional labor saving approaches would be adopted that would otherwise not be used because of the added expense (loss of employment opportunities). Many companies would be forced to reduce business (or even close). It was interesting to hear my brother complain about an increase in the minimum wage in his state (he owns a small ice cream shop). It did not impact him directly, but it bid up the wages for his employees who now had the next best alternative. His family is probably pulling down less than $10/hr. in his ice cream shop, but I guess I really don't know for sure.
As others have mentioned on the thread, what is said about Faith can apply especially to CNAs who arguably work in a more demanding job and usually make in the $8 to $10/hr. range. For them especially ones who work with Medicaid patients, you have no profit available to pay wages. Wages are defined by how much society values the services that they provide.