Changes to minimum wage benefit students

     After almost 10 years since the last raise, the House approved the increase of minimum wage from the current $5.15 to $7.25 an hour, according to the washingtonpost.com
     Annette Johnson, senior secretary of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs is pleased that it has finally happened.
     “It should have happened a long time ago,” Johnson said. “It’s been almost a decade!”
     The problem with the current minimum wage rate is it has “failed to keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living” according to epinet.org. Some benefits they gave to raising it include: a pay raise for those who need it most (women and minorities); a ‘ripple effect’ that would cause other business to up the pay of their employees; and a strengthened consumer purchasing power.
     Then there are those who say that an increase isn’t needed or will do more harm than good.
     James Sherk from heritage.org said that extensive research has revealed that a higher minimum wage causes employers to decrease the number of workers hired and their employees’ working hours; the beneficiaries of higher minimum wages are not likely to be poor because most minimum-wage earners are not poor; and few individuals living in poverty work a minimum-wage jobs or any job.
     Karla White, a sophomore chemistry major, said she was a little disappointed after hearing the news because she is currently unemployed, but is looking.
     “I’m kind of sad because it’s going to be hard trying to get a job now,” White said.
     Sophomore nursing major Nevada King said she would be glad with the increase since she earns $5.15 working at Milledgeville’s Video Warehouse. She does, however, believe that the happiness may be short-lived.
     “I think it would be helpful, but it would lessen the value of the dollar,” King said. “People will be happy at first, but other prices will rise. It will (have a) benefit in the short run, but in the long run it won’t do anything (differently).”
     Bola Okeleji, a sophomore who works for the GCSU phone-a-thon and makes more than minimum wage said the rise is a positive thing.
     “It’s a good thing because many families are supported by minimum wage and $5.15 an hour is a ridiculous amount to try and live off of,” Okeleji said. “It’s a positive step in the right direction.”
     Odinaka Ezeokoli, a senior chemistry major agrees that the current minimum wage is not enough to live on.
     “(In a way) it is good because you can’t ask someone to live off of ($5.15),” Ezeokoli said. “It’s unrealistic to ask someone to live like that.”
     Ezeokoli still has mixed feelings about the pay increase.
     “I think it’s good,” Ezeokoli said. “But I am scared that it will have a negative effect eventually.”
     Under the democratic measure, the minimum wage would jump to $5.85 within 60 days of enactment; one year later, the wage would rise to $6.55 and would reach $7.25 a year after that. Democrats estimate that a minimum wage increase will lift the income of 13 million workers.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 26 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry