As we’ve been seeing, the debate over the minimum wage is heating up again. It’s part of the greater discussion about income inequality in the context of economic recovery, which doesn’t cover everybody. For the record, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and the Florida minimum wage will be $7.93 on Jan. 1. Approximately 2.6 percent of all workers made the minimum wage last year.
For some, it’s not enough to make ends meet. We’ve all seen the media coverage of fast-food workers, including here in Tampa, and their recent strike-and-protest day that underscored the fight for higher wages. Anecdotal accounts reminded us of a blunt reality: Some lives and lifestyles can’t be supported on a minimum wage.
But you don’t have to be a greed-head, captain-of-industry Scrooge to see a bigger picture here. Are we talking wages for workplace labor–with a market value–or are we talking wages+subsidy for lifestyle support? It has to be asked.
It might not be in the Christmas spirit, but you can’t talk entry-level, low-skill jobs without referencing the market value of that labor–and the slippery slope of what it takes to price certain jobs out of existence. You also can’t avoid talking about personal responsibility. What has–or has not–preceded a “just getting by” wage crucible?
The right to organize, sure. The right to negotiate, sure. The right to whatever it takes to meet a given worker’s needs? Surely not the same argument.