ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2008 > June > 10
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Do you get by with the minimum?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This Sunday’s lead story in ajcjobs talked about the minimum wage, which is due to increase in July to $6.55 an hour as part of a three-year federal plan to bring the wage more in line with inflation and the cost of living. The final step takes place in July 2009, when the wage goes up to $7.25.
The story points out that the increase in the minimum wage will affect a relatively small percentage of the work force in Georgia: 1.5 percent of all workers (which includes hourly and salaried employees). Many of those earning the minimum wage are students or people who are supplementing income from other jobs. For many, the jobs are stepping stones to other, better-paying jobs. (The story also talks about educational opportunities and employment resources for job-seekers in Georgia.)
The experts quoted in the story acknowledge that it is very difficult to get by in today is economy if a minimum-wage job is the only source of income. If someone is supporting a family of three on the income from a minimum-wage job, the family falls below the federal poverty level.
Do you earn the minimum wage, or did you ever have a job that paid minimum wage? If so, how did you (or do you) make ends meet? What type of job is it, and is there any way you can advance and earn more in the future?
If you earn more than the minimum wage, what is your impression of the increase in the minimum wage? Do you think workers in these jobs deserve to make more for what they do, or do you worry that the increase will bring about higher prices as companies try to offset the extra payroll expenses?
Is the federally mandated minimum-wage increase about right, not enough or too much?
