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ECONOMICS
America’s Minimum Wage Epidemic
by: Samiyah Siddiqui
People working full time minimum wage jobs can’t afford rent anywhere in the United States, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has found in a recent study. This report is just one of the many findings that points to the vulnerabilities of the American lower class in their inability to survive on the bare minimum -- especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps it is better put as -- the government’s inability to provide for their people; expanding stimulus coverage, raising the minimum wage, and a whole host of other remedies that have yet to be fully enforced.
It’s not just that the minimum wage (determined by Congress) is struggling now during the pandemic to help support workers and their families - it’s struggled to keep up throughout recent history. In fact, the last time Congress amended the minimum wage was May 2007 -- when it changed to $7.25 an hour on July 24, 2009. The US legislative body has never let the federal minimum wage go on unchanged for this long before, marking the longest period in history without an increase. Inflation of currency erodes the buying power when minimum wage remains unchanged for any stretch of time. According to the Economic Policy Institute and the Fair Labor Standards Act as well as its amendments, the federal minimum wage is today now worth 17% less than it was 10 years ago - and 31% less than in 1968 (shown in the associated graphic).
It’s not just the minimum wage itself that has caused workers to struggle greatly but the grueling working conditions as well. Employers and employees may disagree, but one thing is infinitely clear: no amount of
