Minimum Wages Are Rising Across the Country. Should They Apply to Minors?

[pugetres]

14. I was torn until I investigated...

Last edited Sat May 30, 2015, 04:11 AM - Edit history (1)

I worked during my senior year in HS and was paid student wages (around $2.50/hr? I don't remember). But, the job was for the experience and I also received credit hours for school along with the tiny paycheck. No nights, no weekends, out of school by lunch time everyday (I already had more than enough credits to graduate with an honor cord) and again, a tiny paycheck. It was good.

I went to Missouri's website this evening to see if they still have student wages. This is what I found:

-Missouri Under 20 Minimum Wage - $4.25 - Federal law allows any employer in Missouri to pay a new employee who is under 20 years of age a training wage of $4.25 per hour for the first 90 days of employment.

-Missouri Student Minimum Wage - $6.50 - Full-time high school or college students who work part-time may be paid 85% of the Missouri minimum wage (as little as $6.50 per hour) for up to 20 hours of work at certain employers.

If there is no benefit to the teen or to the student, then it is an out-right abuse to make a person work for less due to their age or current enrollment in school. A full-time 20 yr old college student can be paid less for the same work than the part-time 20 yr old college student? Legally? Can that 20 year old full time student cut back their school hours and demand minimum wage?

And, the Under 20 wage law is also open to abuse. I know this from an incident working at a unionized grocery store. Contract negotiations were ongoing with lots of you gimme this, I'll give you that. A fax from the union was given to me, a cash room clerk. One of the things that the union was pushing for was an increase in the starting base pay. Over the years minimum wage had risen enough so that the union pay was only 25 cents more per hour. The union knew it made them look bad. But, they had a suggestion for Kroger:

Increase that base pay. New hires should be paid state minimum wage. Only if they make it through the 90-day probationary period will they receive the new higher wage. The union then explained that cost-wise it was cheaper to hire, train, and fire before the 90 day period was up.

This is bull crap. Those effing crooks won't be happy until this nation brings back indentured servitude.

EDIT: I went back to the MO state website and noted that the older verbiage was "Under 18 Minimum Wage". It was 18. Now it is 20. At what age do you think they will stop?