Minimum wage not enough to live on; uncaring public shares in blame
After being ravaged by Hurricane Sandy’s floods a little more than a month ago, the streets of New York City were ravaged by yet another wave on Thursday. Early that morning, dozens of employees from our favorite fast food brands took to the streets demanding better pay (in hopes of doubling their pay to $15 an hour), benefits (such as health and dental) and the ability to unionize. They claim that their conditions were unbearable and that their wages essentially kept them in poverty. And they’re right, but sadly, their message once again went unheard.
For the record, there’s no way that someone could survive on minimum wage. Currently, the federal minimum wage law is $7.25, of which 30 states follow. Someone who works full time, which is defined as working 40 hours a week, would receive $290 a week, provided that they even work all 40 hours, while their annual paycheck would be $15,080. While that’s barely above the federal poverty level for an individual, it would be nearly impossible for someone with a family to survive on.
The immediate knee-jerk reaction for a some is to request that the government increase the minimum wage. But basic economic theory says that increasing minimum wage would actually increase unemployment. It would only decrease the demand for workers and cause employers to stop hiring.
Some others would blame big business. These corporations shouldn’t be able to rake in record profits at a time in which countless Americans are struggling, they claim. Wal-Mart, for example, reported a 9 percent increase in its 2012 third-quarter profit and McDonald’s global sales increased about 1.9 percent during the same time frame. But these corporations are businesses, and its main priority is to make money for the business itself and for its shareholders. Call me a cynic, but it’s unrealistic and naïve to expect that these corporations would willingly raise employee’s pay unless there’s a need for it.
I, however, would blame the majority of people, the consumers who simply don’t care. Unfortunately most of us, myself included, continue visiting these various establishments without a thought of the lives of the people who provide those services. The people who check you out at the grocery store, who clean our public places and even the people who hand you your meal at the drive-thru struggle constantly to make ends meet, yet we do nothing about it.
I know it’s a stretch to say, but most of us here at Carolina are fortunate. Even if we aren’t from well-to-do families, or even if your families have struggled from time to time due to the recent economic crisis, we’re here at a great university, receiving an education that’ll last a lifetime. We should all take it upon ourselves to learn more about the struggles of our fellow Americans and then try our best to do something about it. Whether you simply donate to your favorite charity as you’re shopping or decide to serve for the AmeriCorps, every action counts. It is, after all, the holiday season..