Comments on: Minimum wage on the rise in the U.S.

By: rowan

rowan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:01:23 +0000

yeah 6.55 thats what I am making now at JCPenneys

By: Hal

Hal — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:05:01 +0000

I think different states (CA and NY, for example), might have their own higher minimums. The federal one is simply the lowest you can go. Still, seems like if you have a family, and you and your partner are making anything under $10, it's not enough. A minimum wage should cover all the necessities plus enable you to save a little every month.

By: Eva

Eva — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:30:12 +0000

$6.55?? And that's across the US?! Ours vary by province, which helps (a little) to address varied costs of living… I don't imagine $6.55 gets you very far in San Francisco or New York. When I was slaving over a deep fryer in high school, I was earning $6.85… but that was 10 years ago. I think it's around $10 in Ontario now. The big thing, though, is the question of how many jobs only pay the minimum. Where I live, there are actually very few positions that only pay the minimum – a cashier in a grocery store, for example, would earn at least a dollar or two more an hour. Even McDonalds pays more than the minimum – plus benefits, if you're full time. If minimum wage jobs are restricted to those generally filled by young, first-time employees (in other words, those who don't have dependents) that makes a big difference.