Fight For 15!

Fight For 15!

What do the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland all have in common? Besides being some of the most prosperous and financially stable countries in the world, they boast some of the highest minimum wages for their workers. The Fight for 15 is a national movement to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Hundreds of supporters took to the streets on April 15 to fight for a hike in the minimum wage. The heart of the movement came from fast food workers who are tired of working at unlivable wages, while the corporations in which they are employed gain in hand out bonuses that when combined, add up to larger amounts than their employees’ combined annual salaries. Primarily, the common concern is the rising cost of living but stagnant minimum wages. How is it justifiable for corporations to continue paying their employees the same wages while inflation and cost of living is consistently rising? The current NJ minimum wage is $8.38 an hour. If a person works 40 hours a week at that wage, they’ll be earning an annual salary of about $16,000 before taxes. It is close to impossible to support yourself, let alone a family, on such a small salary.

 

This country’s labor, fast food, and health aid workers are all the backbone of this country. It is a widely accepted misconception that the majority of fast food workers and those being employed at minimum wage are college-level students who are just trying to earn some extra cash for the weekend. In fact, about 75% of minimum wage earners are adults. At least 70% of those minimum wage earning adults have a high school degree or some college education. In addition, this goes beyond just a labor movement. It is also a gender movement. Increasing the minimum wage would help to shrink the gender pay gap as 56% of minimum wage workers are women. An Economic Policy Institute study revealed that increasing the minimum wage would actually create 85,000 new jobs. According to a study performed by the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United organization, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would push more than half of America’s working poor out of poverty, . By increasing the minimum wage, workers will have more money to spend, thus moving the economy and raising the GDP by $619 million, according to the National Employment Law Project. A single dollar hourly wage increase would create over $2,800 in new consumer spending for every minimum wage worker. Finally, if the minimum wage kept up with the rate of worker productivity, the minimum wage should actually be closer to $18 an hour, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

 

Despite the overwhelming amount of studies and research performed that would emphasize the importance of raising the minimum wage, there are still opponents. These large corporations spend millions lobbying in congress to keep the minimum wage low but the movement is picking up traction. You can go on fightfor15.org and sign their petition to demand a $15 dollar minimum wage hike. Earning a livable wage and being able to provide for your family is something that should be offered to every person in this country. Act now.

 

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