Politicians and mainstream media have a tendency to make issues with widespread public support seem contentious. Background checks on guns, the legalization of marijuana, and paid maternity leave are some of those issues. Yet while all of those do indeed have the support of most Americans, today we're going to be focusing on something else entirely—the $15 minimum wage. According to a recent survey conducted by Pew Research, around six-in-ten Americans support a $15 federal minimum wage. Specifically, it has the support of 87% of Democrats and 28% of Republicans. But is $15 enough, or is it too much? Won't increasing the minimum wage lead to massive amounts of inflation? Will hiking it up too far lead to the collapse of Western civilization as we know it? To answer those sorts of questions, we're going to look at history, facts, and evidence to reach a conclusion. Let's get started! Gilded OriginsTowards the end of the 19th century, the United States was suffering through the Gilded Age. Wealth inequality reached record levels, and industrialists employed men, women, and children in brutal conditions across the country. In response, labor movements began fighting for workers' rights. With the dawn of the 20th century and the Progressive Age, groups began to fight for policies that we now take for granted. These include things like child labor laws, the five-day workweek, and of course, a minimum wage. In 1912, Massachusetts was the first state to pass minimum wage laws, and in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act set the federal minimum wage to $.25 an hour (or around $4.55 today). Over the next hundred years, the minimum wage climbed every several years. You can see its growth on the darker line on the chart below. Today, the minimum wage is at $7.25. Many states across the country have increased it, but the last time the federal government did was in 2009. The Inflation IssueAt first glance, the graph above looks great. You can see that there is consistent, measurable growth over the 20th century. However, problems become apparent when we factor in inflation. As any person over the age of 65 can tell you, a dollar (or even a quarter) could get you quite a bit years ago. Today, you're lucky to get a pack of gum with such small amounts of money. That's because of inflation: when your purchasing power declines over a period of time. In a perfect world, our wages would increase consistently with the cost of living. This would negate the damaging effects of inflation and ensure that one day, you too tell your grandchildren about how far a dollar could take you 50 years ago. However, if you look back at that graph, you'll notice that there's an orange line above the darker one. That represents the actual value of the minimum wage after taking inflation into account. From looking at that line, you can see that the inflation-adjusted amount has remained more or less the same for 50 years. You can also see that minimum wage workers in the 60s had greater purchasing power than those today. The Productivity ProblemUnfortunately, inflation isn't the only factor that we have to take into account. We also have to consider worker productivity. One of the pillars of most economic systems is the idea that hard work deserves reward (or at the very least, adequate compensation). The easiest way to measure "hard work" is by looking at worker productivity. And, when you look at worker productivity over the course of the past century, you find that it's increased dramatically. Yet, as the chart below shows, the minimum wage has not only failed to keep up with productivity—it's fallen far behind. You'll notice that the difference between these two figures isn't off by a small amount. In fact, after factoring in productivity, minimum wage workers today should be making more than $24 an hour! Fargo vs. New York CityNow, if you're a small business owner who operates in rural America, you might hear "$24 minimum wage" and think it's insanity. And to some extent, that's valid. One important distinction that people need to make is how local economies differ across the country. A one-bedroom apartment in New York City will cost you around $3,000, while a similar apartment in Fargo, North Dakota, will cost you around $800. Wages reflect this. However, that doesn't mean that the minimum wage shouldn't increase. As these figures show, it needs to go up somewhat across the entire country. In certain places with higher costs of living, $15 might not even be enough. It's also important to point out that the majority of minimum wage workers work in urban environments. They're not working in places like Fargo—they're working in areas like Queens and the Bronx. Policymakers need to avoid a one-size-fits-all model. However, we also need to make sure that workers make the money they deserve. No index justifies why the minimum wage is as low as it is today. Inflation 2.0Many people worry that if the government increases the minimum wage, it will accelerate price inflation. While this is a valid concern, it's unfortunately become a talking point that people use to shut down discussion of even moderate increases to the minimum wage. Remember that all proposals have "a downside". Funding public education is expensive. Holding corporations responsible for environmental damage is difficult. Medicare For All might cause some people to lose their jobs. The key is not to let these potential problems bog us down, but instead, figure out how to solve them. The fact is that to some extent, yes—the prices of certain goods can increase when you have more money in circulation. But, governments have ways to offset that. That's why we have institutions like the Federal Reserve. It's also clear that people having more money isn't a bad thing. When people have more disposable income, they spend it. That money then ultimately makes its way back into businesses, in turn, creating more jobs. Of course, this process doesn't happen overnight. But most economists realize that and propose gradual increases to the minimum wage. The reason people are demanding $15 now is because there hasn't been an increase in 11 years. As we saw, it also hasn't kept consistent with inflation or productivity. And remember, inflation happens either way! The Million (or Fifteen) Dollar Question: What Is the Minimum Wage for?Another common argument is that the $15 minimum wage isn't meant to be a wage that people use to survive. Many see it as something that high school students and other temporary workers use to get some money on the side. Many minimum wage workers are indeed between the ages of 16-24. However, like the inflation argument, too many people use that fact to shut down talks of raising it at all. 55% of minimum-wage earners work full-time, using the money they earn to support their families. The vast majority are not in high school, and many work to support children or other family members. Let's also not forget the origins of the minimum wage—workers that fought for years for better working conditions and pay that doesn't reduce them to indentured servants. The original labor unions certainly weren't fighting for "spending money". A Change of HeartI remember sharing something on Facebook years ago that talked disparagingly of people fighting for the $15 minimum wage. I remember thinking, "Why not $100 an hour, or $1000?" Since sharing that post, I learned that economists and policymakers don't choose some arbitrary number to be the minimum wage. It comes out of several different variables, like inflation and productivity. As for whether or not someone "deserves the money", I would encourage anyone who thinks it's easy to stand on their feet for eight hours and deal with angry customers to work a week at Wendy's or Walmart. I worked as a dishwasher for a few months in high school, and it was one of the most challenging jobs (physically and mentally) I ever had. It also surprised me to learn that the average minimum wage worker isn't a teenager working as a dishwasher on the weekend but rather a middle-aged woman working full-time to support her family. My current feelings towards increasing the minimum wage? The concerns that people have about raising it are valid. At the same time, we shouldn't use them as an excuse to close the discussion. Especially when the evidence shows that an increase is long overdue. The $15 Minimum Wage: Where We Go From HereLike many other issues of our time, the $15 minimum wage has become a politicized topic towards which people on both sides feel strongly.
Yet to some extent, I don't think that it needs to be. It's clear that the minimum wage does need to go up around the country. Exactly how much the government needs to increase it depends on the area and cost of living, and that's something policy experts should consider. Now that we've looked at some facts and the history behind it, I'm interested in knowing your thoughts about increasing the minimum wage. Leave a comment down below and let me know what you think about it. Study With Chandler is young but growing fast. For more great content, make sure to check out the rest of the site.
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