Walking into my job on the first day, there was only one thing I knew with certainty: I was going to be making $7.25 an hour, and nothing was going to change that. No matter how many hours I worked and no matter what I did to go “above and beyond,” that number would remain stagnant. For me, this was a part-time job. However, for many Americans, minimum wage is their only source of income.
The short answer I give when people ask me if we should increase minimum wage is “no”, but that’s usually just to start an argument. However, since this is an article, allow me to extrapolate on that answer.
At the end of 2013, President Barack Obama proposed that the minimum wage should be increased to $10.10 an hour. While I might irrationally say I am against an increase in the minimum wage, I do believe the time has come for some form of change. However, an increase to $10.10 is not viable in the slightest and will definitely have repercussions.
Let’s take McDonalds, for example. Right off the bat, you better believe those easy-on-your-pocket prices we have come to love will slowly disappear. As much as we might like to believe that the great men and women of the golden arches are paid in smiles, something needs to account for this boost in pay. You are going to need to pay more money for your food because raising the minimum wage by $2.85 seemed like the right number.
Now, don’t label me as unrealistic. I know that the minimum wage has to adjust to meet inflation and cost of living. However, a raise of that much, and other proposals, is ludicrous. A small bump may be in order, but all the way up to $10.10 is impossible. Prices will begin to shoot up on every day products just so companies can achieve the status quo.
That said, the minimum wage needs to be increased. The last time there was a change was in 2009 when it was raised from $6.55 to $7.25. That seemed like a reasonable adjustment. But from $7.25 to $10.10 is just unrealistic. If, somehow, our government could come together and agree on a raise in the ballpark of maybe $8.50, then I could get on board. At the moment, the full time minimum wage worker makes $15,080, and there is no way that is comfortably paying the bills, especially in Northern Virginia.
A change needs to be made, but legislators need to be realistic on just how big it will be. My honest opinion is that minimum wage needs to be increased. But, to the people that agree with the $10.10 proposal, you need to understand that this excess money doesn’t just appear in workers’ paychecks at the end of the week. In the long run, you, as the customer, are going to need to account for whatever change is made, especially the drastic ones being considered.