It’s a pretty simple proposition—a full-time worker ought to be able to live on the pay received for that job. Still, there is plenty of debate about the issue, with words flying around in every direction. Reporter Will Perkins states his position in this September 2017 essay in the Richmond Register of Kentucky.
Read it here: Perkins, “Millennial thoughts: Minimum wage and my take”
- Perkins states his argument very clearly—“If you work full-time in America, you should be able to live here, too.” That is, all full-time work should provide a living wage adequate to pay for life’s necessities. How does Perkins support his argument? What evidence and/or examples does he provide? Is the argument well made? Why or why not?
- Perkins is writing for a small-circulation local newspaper in Kentucky. What might he need to do differently (if anything) if he wanted to publish his essay in a larger paper such as the New York Times or the Washington Post? Why do you think so?
- Employing the strategy described in Chapter 6 of your text, Perkins plants many naysayers in his essay. Read (or re-read) the chapter sections titled “Represent Objections Fairly” and “Answer Objections.” How well does Perkins’s essay follow those suggestions? Are the objections represented fairly? Are the objections answered? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.
- According to Perkins, many people believe that fast food workers should not receive “any more than the seven or eight dollars [per hour] that most of them currently make.” What do you think? What would be a fair hourly wage for a full-time fast food worker in your area? Write an essay that addresses that question and takes a clear position. Use Perkins as your They Say, as well as any other sources you consider appropriate.
They Say I Blog 
4) What I do not understand is why a job that doesn’t require a degree or even a high school diploma, for that matter, a job that only require one to be older than 16 than why should they not be paid minimum wage. Why is their work only worth no more than 7 or 8 dollars an hour? If the minimum wage is 11 dollars pêr hour they should be getting paid those 11 dollars, no more no less. Most of the people working at fast food restaurants are either teenagers or people who did not have the means to go to college or it is the only job they could get to support their family. I think its unfair to determine who gets minimum wage or not because a lot of times that’s the only job someone could get so they should be able to be paid fairly and equally.
LikeLike
a person who is working in a fast food restaurant should get minimum wage, because that is what they deserve. Even though they may not have gone to college because they could not afford it, they should still be paid minimum wage. they should be paid fairly.why would you pay someone under minimum wage if they are working a full time job. they should not be paid over minimum wage because they did not further their education. I believe that if you want to be paid over minimum wage than you should take the effort to further your education to get that opportunity ti get a higher paying job. I don’t think that it is right to take advantage of people in the fast food industry and not pay them what they deserve because whether you believe it or not, they work really hard.
LikeLike
4.I dont think that 7 dollars is enough money to make a living. Just because they didnt farther their educations does not mean they should make so little. One of my coworkers works at Wendys with his wife, both there full time, and he has to work two jobs to make payments. Just because the job is expected to be worked by teenagers supported by their parents doesnt mean all of the workers have their living expenses paid for. A argument for pay should never be made based on the age of the employees, that is unconstitutional and discrimination.
LikeLike
Is the wage measured at a higher or lower limit? What is happening a loophole in which the economy did not plot the cost of living for the individual and his salary, which must be continued according to the course of change and development of prices through an actual study and transparent (inflation) and not be silent until the explosion? Not to mention that looking at the side of the economic equation without the other harms the economy as a whole before it hurts the worker. Exit from the capital box serves capital to the square of justice between the owner of money and the worker.
LikeLike
This is really interesting topic, where author finally touching such a interesting idea of unfair situation in our society. You can work hard and productive whole you live but you will still stay at the line where you barely can cover your basic needs. And in my opinion this is awful. So many people just stuck in minimum wage gap,where they are can’t afford normal life conditions and goods. Especially young people who studying in college or school, a lot of kids can’t go in the normal university just because their parents can’t afford it. This is why so many people staying working at the fast food for a long time, where they’re spending whole free time just for gain some money on living or school. And i was working in a restaurant for a 6 month. I want to say honestly, that was worst time in my life.
LikeLike
I do not think workers are getting paid fairly in these days. First of all I do not believe that seven or eight dollars is not acceptable thing for fast-foot workers. In my opinion, the wage should be increased for them or all the wages has to be same for the all workers. Does not matter if it is Starbuck, Popeyes or Wendy’s. I totally believe to writer that if the people work 40 hours a week, I think they can sustain their life. Sometimes people look to places names and popularities for where to drink and where to eat. I think that absolutely wrong because foods or drinks can be more tastier or more cheaper at the less known places than popular places.
LikeLike
i believe that and i strongly agree because of you work alot you live longer and work on your self
LikeLike
I strongly believe that you will never get experienced without working hard and the wage should be increased for workers
LikeLike
I think that yes, people who contribute to society for a majority of their time during the week should have enough to survive. However, how do we determine survival and what kind of quality of life should a fast-food worker experience compared to a tech exec? This is where it can get complicated but it is an idealistic point of view to say the least. Everybody has to take losses and make gains in this life. The nature of our reality is innately competitive and there seems to be an unwritten universal law that everyone gets what they deserve. It is dictated by the amount of strategic work they can do to achieve results.
LikeLike
Although many people say that because they didn’t study fast-food workers should be paid the minimum wage, this idea is completely unjust due to the fact that many of these people did not choose to stay uneducated. Whether it due to cost or when they immigrated to America, some people could never even entertain the idea of going to college. While education level should continue to play a part in wages when it comes to people receiving minimum wage we must consider not only education, but location as well. Whether or not they have a degree we have to pay these people enough to be able to support themselves and their family wherever they reside. Minimum wage should be calculated based off of living costs in the area. If a situation exists where a family is in debt and both parents have two jobs, our minimum wage laws are failing us. We need to stop looking at these workers as uneducated employees who made bad decisions, and start looking at them as human being trying to make a living to support families or even to try and save enough to get educated.
LikeLike
I think if Perkins want to publish it as what New York Times does, first, he should write his essay in a formal way. For example, the first paragraph can consist of the stance on this issue and a brief introduction. The second and third paragraphs can provide some positive examples and strong points to support the idea. The fourth one can provide negative examples and try to convince the protesters. The fifth one is the conclusion. Actually, I think Perkins’s essay is a little colloquial because there are lots of questions in his essay. It’s more like a conversation between the readers. Perkins’ essay just delivers an idea not provide a specific and formal information about minimum wage. Giving more specific information about the minimum wage to the reads is another way to improve the essay. For example, how does minimum wage affect the life condition? Last, examples are also important. A good example can help the author convince the reads and the article might become more persuasive.
LikeLike
Perkins has attracting views on raising minimum wage. similar to a Venus fly trap ,his words work in the same manner as the nectar that attract the insects. Perkins proposed that no matter the job as long as people working minimum wage put in 40 hours, they should get an livable wage. the question is ,what is an livable wage. according to the federal poverty level is $23,050 for a family of four. That’s equivalent to $10.60 per hour for a full-time worker. that’s consider a livable wage. basically what Perkins wants to do is remove people from below poverty line to the poverty line. the dilemma hear is when the workers start becoming expensive.
LikeLike
I disagree with the people that say that fast food workers should not receive no more than seven or eight dollar. They should be getting the minimum wage like everyone else. Just because they work in the fast food industry does not mean they should be getting seven or eight dollar. The people that usually work at fast food restaurants are teenagers or students who did not go to college. Teenagers get a job at fast food restaurant to earn extra cash while going to High School and to gain work experience. There are students who cannot afford to go to college, so they go work at fast food restaurant to earn money to be able to go to college. Most of the people cannot get certain types of jobs because they do not have experience or do not have a degree, so that is why they work at a fast food restaurant. Some people depend on their fast food job to feed their family because that is their only income. People that work at fast food restaurant should be paid fairly like anyone else working a full time job. It is not right to take advantage of people just because they work at fast food restaurant, they deserve do get paid the minimum wage. We are all equal and should be paid the same for a full time job. We all deserve to get paid fairly, if the minimum wage is $15, then that’s what we should all get paid, no more or no less. We should all get paid equally in order to be able to pay for our living expenses and necessities that we need in order to live in America.
LikeLike
Everyone should not be paid the same amount. A high school student looking for some extra cash and working a low end job should be paid minimum wage. Minimum wage shouldn’t be able to support a living but should be able to help. Also, a hard working father who went to school, graduated form college, has work experience and is willing to work hard, should be getting enough income to live here in America. It’s crazy to think that someone who is contributing so much to the economy is struggling to survive in it.
LikeLike
Any full time job should be given enough money to be able to live. Whether you work fast food, retail, or have a higher end job that pays really well, if it’s full time you should be able to pay rent or a house payment, etc. If you only work part time because you are a college student, still in high school, whatever reason, you shouldn’t have to make enough an hour. Part time workers don’t need the extra income obviously because they either don’t have time for it, or they’re too busy to work more than twenty-five hours a week. I disagree with people thinking that everyone should start out and work at the same rate of pay. If you work more than everyone else there and are putting in more hours, you should get more money than the others.
LikeLike
I disagree with everyone saying that fast food workers should be getting paid more then minimum wage. Jobs that pay minimum wage do this because they do not require very much skill or effort. These jobs are for people getting back on to their feet of for high school age kids. Parents of families need to find job that they are able to live off of. For instance the railroad, shipyards, and mines all pay above minimum wage and require no experience just effort. Nobody wants to work, everyone just wants to be given what they need. This is why I believe if someone is unhappy with their salary and they work a McDonald’s they can not blame anyone except for them selves.
LikeLike
I agree with the author in the way that the minimum wage should be raised in United States to permit to everyone who works to afford a stable life.
we should rethink a minimum wage because I believe everyone even a server in a fast food should be able to take care of his family because they are working for it.
LikeLike
Perkins support the fact that everyone working full-time in America should be able to live here too by stating, “ If you are an American and you spend most of your week doing something productive for our society, I firmly believe you should be able to afford to live here.” Which mean even if people do not have diploma and participate in the economy of their society they should be rewarded enough. Another example he gave was: “lot of the people who think fast-food workers don’t deserve a raise seem to be the same ones who frequent fast-food restaurants. I only bring that up because if you frequent a type of business, that industry must be pretty important to your daily or weekly routine.” in other words, even if they have little jobs that do not required any experience at least they are here to do it and are important because without them you could not have the service you have so we should pay them enough in exchange. The argument is well made and illustrated with good examples.
LikeLike
It is fascinating that people actually believe it is okay for employees to be paid 7 or 8 dollars. I agree with the naysayers Perkins included in his article, students in high schools should not be paid a whole lot for temporary positions. But in some cases, there are older folks still working in these establishments. It wouldn’t be fair if people got different wages based on their age but for the same work tasks, so this is a fairly complicated issue. Nonetheless, the wages being earned nowadays are nearly not enough for living expenses and leisure time.
If you have never worked at a fast food establishment, then you have absolutely no say in what is a good hourly wage for employees working in those establishments and other direct work intensive establishments. It can be very frustrating dealing with customers at a fast food establishment. Customers always think they can get away with anything just because they think they’re right. They look down at the employees, but they sure know that without them, they would not be eating that specific meal. That is one of the main reasons why the minimum wage should be higher than 7 or 8 dollars– because every employee has a specific task that will benefit the customers. For example, if there were no one flipping the patties, would the customers be able to eat their hamburgers?
I agree with Perkins when he stated that if the minimum wage were to increase, as would the cost of the products. But that seems pretty fair to me. If you really think about it, the cost of living is always going up. So why not just increase the pay now? There should definitely not be a drastic increase, but there needs to be something done about this wage inequality between minimum wage jobs.
LikeLike
Perkins makes a good point that earning seven to eight dollars an hour while working 40 hours a week isn’t enough to be considered a livable wage. He argues that the same people who say fast food workers shouldn’t get a raise are the same people who frequent the stores. He says that these people frequent these businesses so, why not give the workers a livable wage so that they can continue to service you. The author uses Starbucks as an example of a progressive company that offers benefits to their employees. He also mentions that if the price of the burgers were to go up to due the increase in pay then you can simply go the local grocery store and make your own.
His argument is well made but his solution is a bit extreme. His solution involves a perfect world where everyone can get paid a livable wage for doing any job. He mentions that there will always be people who abuse the system but that it’s an inevitable thing. I agree with him that the wealth gap in this country Is getting out of hand but I his ideas might not fit with everyone. He said he doesn’t mind spending a good chunk of his paycheck on a societal safety net, but would others agree with spending a good amount of their hard-earned money for others?
LikeLike
I know that the idea that every man forges his own destiny is deeply embedded in the American culture and I really support that. However, it shouldn’t mean, that one man can not help another man at least start the forging furnace to forge his own destiny. Therefore, I’m going to provide you with several reasons, why a raise of the minimum wage is overdue.
Critics say that a minimum wage of eight or nine dollars is pretty good and in absolute terms, this might be correct. However, considering an inflation rate of two percent and the minimum wage last being raised in 2009, people working under minimum wage conditions earn much less than the minimum wage stated in absolute terms. Also, we need to consider the different cost of living in different states of the U.S. For example, the costs of living in California are significantly higher than those in Arkansas or West Virginia. Many people would argue, that the individual states installed different minimum wages to adjust to this situation. But, according to a study in no state, a minimum wage worker can afford a two-bedroom unit at fair market rents working a standard 40 hours work week.
Also, many economists say that that raising the minimum wage will increase the unemployment rate. I, on the other hand, say, that companies consider their employees as a capacity and firing their employees in short-term means a decrease in capacity. Also, people fail to consider the spending power effect that a raise of the minimum wage has. People tend to spend the money they earn immediately, so more money means more sales for businesses. Therefore, by increasing the income of people, firms kickstart the economy.
Looking at minimum wages, there always seems to be two sides: The employees requesting higher loans and the employers. They usually claim that minimum wages make their business less profitable. Well, I at least consider loans not only a cost factor but also an opportunity for companies to motivate their employees. By increasing their income, employers can show their subordinates how much and that they value the job they are doing. Overall this increased motivation will result in a higher work quality and output.
So, overall there are many good reasons for companies to fairly pay their employees well. Not just because it is the right thing to do, but also for the sake of their current and future business.
LikeLike
Will Perkins the author of Millenial Thoughts: Minimum wage and my take states that many people in society are against raising the minimum wage for employees working in fast food restaurants. Perkins believes that workers who have a full-time job should be capable of supporting themselves; therefore, the minimum wage rate should increase to $15 per hour. I agree with Perkins in the sense that $15 should become the minimum wage rate for anyone working a minimum wage job because of the cost of living being so high and especially in California. Another reason why the minimum wage should be raised is to benefit businesses with increased revenues.
On the website bestplaces.net, it shows the cost of living in Santa Cruz, California. The average price for a home in Santa Cruz is $917,000 (bestplaces.net, n.d.). The city of Santa Cruz has a higher average cost than all of California, and yet we still don’t raise the minimum wage rate to $15 an hour. Teo Spangler, the author of How Much is Minimum Wage in California, states that an individual who works 52 hours per week will earn almost $21,000 per year (Spengler, 2018). The minimum wage is currently averaging about $10.50 in California. From these statistics its clear that there is a massive gap between the amount people earn working in minimum wage jobs to the ability to afford a home in the city of Santa Cruz. Research also shows that raising the minimum wage can also have a positive impact on businesses.
In an article titled What will a higher minimum wage do? Two new studies have different ideas written by Natalie Kitroeff clarifies that even though retailers and restaurants will incur higher labor costs due to an increase in the minimum wage will result in an offset because of increased consumer spending (Kitroeff, 2017). People always argued that paying $15 an hour will affect businesses and as a result, will charge higher prices. Well, that statement becomes meaningless if businesses are getting more customers who are willing to spend more for a fancier meal.
There are many reasons why the minimum wage should rise to $15 an hour. Buying a home in Santa Cruz is amazingly expensive, and people are not earning enough to pay for a house. Businesses may benefit from paying their employees $15 in wages this may also attract customers thus increasing profits.
LikeLike
I completely agree with the idea that everyone who works should make a decent living, no matter what job they hold. Perkins stated, “If you are an American and you spend most of your week doing something productive for our society, I firmly believe you should be able to afford to live here”(Perkins, 2017). The idea that people today still struggle to make a living in one of the most powerful countries in the world, is extremely sad and depressing. One should be able to achieve the “American dream”, whether that’s owing your house, a business, or simple buying a car, with a decent wage. Raising the minimum wage to at least $15/hour, will ensure that more people have the opportunity to do so. According to a study done by UC Berkeley researchers, “California will actually gain jobs because of the minimum wage hike”(kitroeff, 2017). The study conducted by UC Berkeley was done in Fresno, CA, one of the poorest counties in California. If the study concluded positive results on one of the poorest counties, one can conclude that positive outcomes will result if everyone in the US made at least $15/hr.
When it comes to fast food restaurant employees, there seems to be a divided argument on whether they should earn more than the seven or eight dollars they are most likely currently making. According to the article by Perkins, “They say it’s a job for high school students. It’s a stepping stone. You’re supposed to work there until you can get a “real” job”(Perkins, 2017). People fail to understand that working in a fast food restaurant is a real job, just like any other. People using this as an excuse to allow this injustice, should think of the less fortunate, who can’t get a “real” job, because they can’t even make enough money to live. One should think about the equal treatment of everyone in society and how excluding and making it hard for someone to climb the ladder out of poverty is going against the belief that everyone deserves a shot at their American dream. There is a great amount of judgment towards individual who can’t get a different job, other than fast food restaurants, but should that be sufficient to not allow them to earn a decent salary? According to Perkins, “I know this goes against every American capitalistic ideal — and I may be called a communist for this — but I wish that every member of society could just do whatever they are good at and be compensated enough to survive”(Perkins, 2017). The right for everyone in society to be able to make a decent living should not be considered a communist ideal, rather a basic human right.
Many of the individuals who believe fast food restaurant employees should get a raise, also buy from these establishments, if given the option the majority would not take these jobs for the wages these people earn or even buy the ingredients to make the food, it is more convenient for them to purchase a burger, instead of making it themselves. Perkins said, “I grew up in a two-parent household and I was given all the chances in the world to be successful and where I am today. My parents served as a safety net for me when times were tough” (Perkins, 2017). Many Americans had the support of their parents, and never had to worry about getting a “real” job because these individuals had the means to afford college and get a decent paying job. Given that cost of living has drastically increased, making people who have “real” jobs struggle to pay rent, it would only make sense to help everyone achieve a fair wage to not struggle with a basic necessity, such as rent
Although affording housing, with a decent wage, should be considered a basic human right, there are others who might argue that, “the minimum wage increase did lead businesses to fire existing low-wage workers and reduce hours” (Kitroeff, 2017). The argument that business could be affected is valid; however, this can be adjusted by the amount of money people will have to spend, allowing business to flourish instead of being negatively affected. According to Perkins, “Starbucks is an example of a progressive company that offers its workers benefits. We all hear people complaining about how expensive their coffee is — my co-worker, Daniel Suddeath, often refers to it as “Five Bucks””(Perkins, 2017). Business have shown to adapt and to meet the higher wages, they often need to raise their prices. Starbucks has shown that it can be a successful company and still afford to pay a decent wage to its employees and benefits as well. Therefore, guaranteeing a decent wage will make society stringer and allow business to be more successful.
References:
Perkins, W. (2017, September 09). Millennial Thoughts: Minimum wage and my take. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://www.richmondregister.com/news/millennial-thoughts-minimum-wage-and-my-take/article_fff7c4e8-94f0-11e7-9b4c-4b1df8916279.html
Kitroeff, N. (2017, January 11). What will a higher minimum wage do? Two new studies have different ideas. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-impact-minimum-wage-20170110-story.html
LikeLike
William Perkins, the writer of Millennial Thoughts: Minimum Wage explains his thoughts on minimum wage. He argues that if someone works a 40 hour week, they deserve to be able to support themselves and have a decent living situation. I absolutely agree with his writing because it does seem unfair that someone can spend 40 hours inside a work environment and still not be able to afford rent. And yes, there are many arguments against this idea and Perkins is also aware of this. He states that he is merely “wishful thinking”, he is aware there is no perfect world and there is always going to be people struggling and not making enough even working 40 hours. If minimum wage increased so would many other expenses for people every day, and that is a big argument. It is a nice thought though. I was working 40 hours a week and still not even making enough to pay for community college and my car insurance at the same time, so I feel very strongly about this idea.
My other thought on this: if everyone who worked 40 hours a week could support themselves, would a college education still be as important to people as it is today? After thinking about it, I would still say yes. That’s up to each person if they want to strive for more, if there is the possibility of making more money than just a decent living. I know that I still would, but I am not sure about others. I do believe that whoever you are, if you work full time you should be able to support yourself.
LikeLike
Perkins indirectly claims that employees should be paid higher wages based on the time worked by the employee. I disagree, capitalism is structured to build a competitive economy. I believe that an employee should be paid/hired based on the skills and education that the employee “brings to the table” so to speak.
LikeLike
William Perkins, whom wrote “Millennial Thoughts: Minimum Wage and My Take” described how he feels that minimum wage should be enough for Americans to live off of. Perkins goes on to say, “I strongly believe that if you work 40 hours a week, you deserve a livable wage”. I strongly agree with Perkins’s claims because everyone that works hard should not have to stress over not being able to afford basic needs. The fact that many Americans have to work MULTIPLE minimum wage jobs to afford rent, electricity, water, and food is honestly disgusting. Perkins discusses how many Americans think of the fast food business as a “stepping stone”. Although most people do intend to move past this job, some are unable to do so. This could be due to education, family life, and other personal reason. If a McDonald’s worker works 40 hours per week, is on time, and is attempting to provide for their family; they should feel confident in their ability to pay their bills. I agree with all of Perkins’s points that he makes in his article regarding minimum wage.
LikeLike
In Will Perkins article I think he brings up great points in regards to raising the minimum wage so that people can support themselves, but I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing with his opinion. I agree that if you work hard, you should be able to support yourself, but I do not think it would be fair for both a person who dropped out of school compared to a person who has spent years in school to have money for both bills and miscellaneous things. I think that there is a significant difference between working hard at a full-time job versus working hard to educate yourself better so you can have more financially. Also, at one point in Mr. Perkins article, he states, “I hear a lot of complaints about people on welfare, and how they work the system never to work. What if we raised the minimum wage to a point where we didn’t need welfare?” I think that if we diminish welfare altogether, then the people who cannot work and need that help will be left all alone and defenseless. I feel that raising the minimum wage will not necessarily eliminate those who choose to cheat the system, because cheating the system for them is not about gaining a higher pay to support themselves, it is about receiving money without working for it. In the end, I feel that individuals do deserve more than seven dollars and twenty-five cents an hour, but I also believe that if we raise minimum wage too high people will increasingly take even more of an advantage of the system currently in place.
LikeLike
In that article, the author spotlight the problem of the minimum wage in America. Indeed, there are people that are working hard every day (40 hours per week) and don’t earn enough money to have a decent life.
Will Perkins has a different vision, the article a critic of our modern capitalistic system which values skilled job with a high wage and “rewards” less skilled job with a minimum wage. His vision that he describes himself as “communist” would prefer to reward every worker with enough to survive no matter what the job is as long as they are good at it.
In my opinion, a fast food worker should be paid enough to afford his needs. Any employee as long as he produces and offers an added-value to his country should be paid enough to have a good way of life. Like Perkins says, “If you work full-time in America, you should be able to live here, too.” We live in a society were the wealthiest people become richest, In 2017, 82% of the world’s wealth went to 1% of the wealthiest people. Our society can do a lot of improvement to help and increase the minimum wage of less-skilled workers.
LikeLike
As a former fast-food employee in France, i know how difficult is this job. It was a summer job, so i didn’t really care about work conditions because honestly, it was quite well payed.
I do not agree with people saying that a fast food employee « should not receive any more than… ». I do not think that someone « should not receive more than… », if he works hard for it, he should receive what he deserves.
I think that a minimum wage should be set in function of the localisation of the job. Because, some areas may be some residential areas cost more to live in than others.
I do not agree at all with those who justify a “limit” on the salary of Fast-Food employees solely because they consider it to be a student job only.
On the contrary, I think that fast-food brands allow people looking for a stable job or unskilled people to find a solid job, a good basis for the future.
One of the risks of starting too strong social reforms, such as minimum wages, would be to enter a political spiral where some people would abuse the income system.
I therefore believe that we must find the right balance between aid and equity.
LikeLike
4) First and foremost, I strongly agree with Perkins that people are wrong because they maintain that people who work for example in fasts foods don’t deserve minimum wage. Indeed, they get paid only seven or eight dollars per hours. It didn’t know this at all. Maybe it is because I from another country.
Nevertheless, I come from France, in particular in Paris you will never someone who has a salary as low as this. Actually, the minimum gross salary is a little bit higher than 10 euros. This correspond to about 11,44 dollars per hours minimum so I can say that is really higher that in the United States.
In addition, I know that the cost of the life here (In California) is pretty high. Houses are expensive, you must have a car, and thus you have to but often some gas inside…
In the other hand, in my country we don’t have the same habits in particular talking about the Tips because I know that most of waiters get paid thanks to the Tips that they received from the customers.
As demonstrated above, I support the fact that food workers should have a minimum salary at least ten dollars per hour so they can live in the area of their work.
LikeLike
The quality of service is important for not only fast food restaurant but also all of the shop serving human-related service. The service is affected how do workers serve their services. For good service, I think the manager should give good support to their worker. In my country, the minimum wage is considered a hard issue. So I totally agree with that person who works hard should get more support even if the worker does not well educated, for example, raising the wage, good welfare, and so on.
LikeLike
I strongly agree with mister Perkins on the point that is if you spend most of your week to doing something for a society, you deserve the right to live here at least with the minimum require to live “well”. That is why the minimum wage is important in our society. I mean, if you work in a fast food, the skills that will be required for the job are not really hard to reach, we can define it as an easy job or a student job. On one hand, those workers don’t deserve a high wage, because there isn’t any value from the worker needed. On the other hand, they don’t deserve a low raise because they are serving our community and they are working for a salary.
The example of Starbuck that Perkins took was really good in my opinion. Why? Because Starbuck’s barristas look happier than fast food workers. The company supports their workers that is a key of success for each part. Employee because they will be more enthusiast and productive in their job. Employer because workers are going to work better.
The problem that we can encounter will be that someone with a highly degree deserve in my way of thinking a highly wage than a fast food worker. Anyway I will conclude by saying that a minimum wage is mandatory and for example the Californian minimum wage is efficiency (11$/ hour) with the cost of life. The minimum wage should be at least 10$/ hour in my way. So to put it in a nutshell, I would say that employer should carry more about their workers and provide a decent salary that will be calculated on the employee’s need (Children, car, house, school, food, …).
LikeLike
The subject Perkins is studying is very interesting, as more and more people are complaining about living below the poverty line or they can barely support themselves. Indeed it is a rather controversial subject, my opinion on this subject is the same as Perkins because according to me a person who works 40 hours without powers to put money aside or in the worst case without being able to feed himself enough and feed his family is not conceivable according to me in the 21st century.
However, my opinion is not as clear-cut as that of Perkins,
Indeed, I don’t think that everyone should work in what they love, it would be utopian, and it’s not possible. We believe on this subject that people should be able to support themselves, but it’s important to keep a certain hierarchy with the richest and the least rich because the economies of almost all countries are based on it.
Concerning the average salary in my country for a server at McDonald’s, for example, it would be 7.5 euros or 8.59 dollars in France. Which is not much, however, it is a position for students to make pocket money.
LikeLike
Even though I agree with him partially but I disagree. Perkins argues that if people spend most of their week doing something productive for society, they should be able to afford to live.
As he mentioned, if wages would be raised, the price of product would go higher inevitably. We all know about it and it is not deniable fact. For example, in my country South Korea, our government has raised a minimum wage regularly from $4.5 to $8 since 2014. What happened was, of course unemployment. Perkins already knew that raising wage has an effect on price of product but I think he needs to focus on other side, unemployment. He wanted every people who work hard to be compensated. what he mentioned is like a “killing two birds with one stone”. Unfortunately, I think it is really hard to achieve in capitalism.
To sum up with, I think that it is like a double-edged sword. In other words, it is debatable to choose just one side of the problem. In this regard, we have to watch this issue thoroughly.
LikeLike
In my opinion, I think keeping minimum wage in current state is fine. There are several reasons why people should keep remain the minimum wage of laborers in fast food restaurant than raising the wage.
First, the number of jobs (including part time jobs) are going to be reduced. I know that quite a lot of university students in US work to pay for the school tuition or to earn some money for themselves. However, if the part time job payment raised, then the owner of the shop tended to hire a smaller number of workers. This means that there will be pretty serious damage on job market. For example, the similar situation goes appear in South Korea, where I’m belong to. My current government has raised the minimum wage from 5 dollars to 8 dollars in a year. A sudden change of minimum rage does strike the job seeking market. The university students like me, became much harder to get a job, because most of the market or restaurant owners were tried to hire much less amounts of labor workers than before.
Second, raising fast food restaurant worker’s wage can be discriminate compare to the wages of one who got a job after they finished their university school life. Attending the university and get graduated from it requires lots of time and efforts. And the money for it cannot be disregarded as well. If the minimum wage of fast food restaurants goes above of workers who got a real job, (like working at an office or factory, not like part time job) then it is going to be no use for people to work and pay much harsh efforts to graduate from university.
Lastly, it can increase the cost of fast food than before. The reason people stop by fast food restaurant is to save money and time. But if people raise the wage of workers in fast food restaurant, then the price of food going to be increased. So the price of the fast food will be unreasonable after then.
Therefore, I disagree with the statement that raising wage of fast food restaurant workers should be implemented for three reasons. First, the number of job will be scarce. Second, it can be discriminate payments compare to the people who got a real job after they graduate their university. Finally, the cost of fast food will get unreasonably increased. I hope that the wage issue in US be seriously handled by a few more executives in government.
-Jueun Lee CSUMB CAD 201 class activity
LikeLike
I agree with the idea that the minimum wage should be increased. By increased wage, workers will be motivated to work harder. This lead to more profits. Hence, employers and company can have an advantage.
Now, the minimum wage depends on the area. In the area the cost of living is high, the minimum wage is high. Washington and Massachusetts have the highest minimum wage, $12 per hour (January 1, 2019), by state. There is nothing for it but implement this system, however, I believe this is not good for some people. If someone works in an inexpensive area and she wants to move to an expensive area such as San Francisco in the future, it is difficult for her to earn enough money to move. This is also wage differentials.
Also, I suppose that it is difficult to define the level as a minimum. If the minimum wage becomes too high and workers get comparable wage with educated people, they will definitely protest to raise a minimum wage. That’s because they, or their parents, invested huge money and time in their university education for future salary. Also, if that happens, the demand for the university will disappear. Generally, it is an educated person who decide how much they pay to workers. Hence, I suppose that there is little chance that the minimum wage can be increased.
LikeLike
after reading this article, I can say that I agree with the author on some points, however, I do not agree with him on the entire article.
Regarding the minimum wage for Fast-Food employees, who can say that a job deserves a salary of so many dollars? This job is called “student” so it should be paid less? If a person works 40 hours a week he or she must be paid with a salary deserving of this work. Does an employee in a fast food company deserve a lower salary than a salesman or a waiter?
I don’t know how wages are set in the United States, but in France, there is a minimum wage per hour so that whether a salesman works in a small store or a large chain store, they will get a fair wage.
Concerning the author’s point of view on fair pay for everyone, a thought close to communism, I do not totally agree. I am in favor of reducing inequalities, but if a person has a high level of education and brings in a lot of money through his work (earns big projects, big ideas for the company, which helps to develop) he should, in my opinion, have a salary as the author of what he brings to his company.
LikeLike
I agree with the author when he says employees who work in fast food or retail industries full time, deserve to earn a wage that is livable. “Livable” meaning people shouldn’t be struggling to support themselves even if they work full time. There is a stigma with fast food places that they only employ younger people. This is not true. People who work in fast food industries or even retail, is either because they need a second job for extra income, or these are the types of jobs they can obtain at the moment. Many people working full time and getting paid minimum wage are still struggling. The minimum wage for fast food places is now $12.75. Although that may be an improvement from years ago, it is not nearly as much of what people actually need to live. As minimum wage goes up, so do the prices of goods and services. So, in reality, there is no difference. People still have to work multiple jobs at once just to make ends meet. If a person has a family to support and they are getting paid minimum wage, it is extremely difficult to live their life and be happy. America is supposed to be about equal opportunities for everyone. People come to America only to be faced with the harsh truth, which is, it is extremely difficult to start a life here if one’s income is low. Many people believe that in order to live a comfortable life with a decent paying job, people have to attend college. While I believe that is true, there are many people who make it without a college degree. For one thing that is certain, nothing in life comes easy. In order to achieve something, you need to work hard to achieve it. For the people who aren’t fortunate enough to make it in life or live comfortably, deserve to do so. People who are disadvantaged don’t have the chance to turn their life around, because they need to support themselves or their families. They deserve to have a chance to make their life better. I strongly believe the only way that is going to happen, is if people who work full time, receive a livable wage. This is going to guide and help them have a fair chance to make and live their lives better.
LikeLike
In the article “Millennial Thoughts: Minimum Wage and My Take”, the author Will Perkins discusses the controversial topic of minimum wage in America and how working forty hours a week at minimum wage is barely enough to pay bills and buy food, let alone cover any other necessities. He argues that “earning a livable wage” regardless of your profession is imperative for Americans who are working full-time. Perkins also addresses the counterarguments for his topic and stresses that if people made more money while working, there wouldn’t be a need for welfare. Finally, he states that if you work in America, you should be able to make enough to live, not just barely get by paycheck to paycheck.
I agree with Perkin’s view that full-time workers should be paid enough to live off that one paycheck. I work at a grocery store, and although I’m only there to earn a little extra cash for school expenses, it’s sad seeing some of my coworkers having to work two or three different jobs just to make enough to pay their bills. I think that working one full-time job should be enough. Over-working yourself can be stressful and detrimental to one’s physical and emotional health. Although giving raises and changing the minimum wage is easier said than done, this change could make a big difference in our country.
LikeLike
Everyone should not be paid the same wage nor should the minimum wage be raised. When reading this, imagine $15 an hour as the minimum wage for a full-time 40+ hours a week. It hurts both the business owner and the worker/jobseeker. Raising the minimum wage, will cause business owners to cut workers’ hours and fire workers that are deemed not needed as much or can do without. This hurts worker’s paychecks TO make a living and hurts job seekers as well. Business owners are not going to want to hire job seekers if the minimum wage is raised and they are forced to pay everyone the same. Now the workers that were lucky enough to stay in a business got their hours cut and are making less then they were making say $7-8 an hour for 40+ hours a week. This also not only hurts but strangles the business owner and their pay check. They are human and have families to support as well. If a restaurant owner has 10 people working behind a counter (keep in mind that there are waiters and chefs and dishwashers he/she has to pay) and the minimum wage is jacked up to $15 an hour, he/she is going to want to have money in their paycheck to live so they will maybe fire 5 of those people or they will chop some hours down in half. Perkins said that the common argument against raising the minimum wage was that the prices of goods would go up. Again, the factors I stated above are the reasons that would not be good and would hurt the average American and business owners equally rather then help “everybody prosper as a country” equally. Although this would be a nice “idea/fantasy” to have the government raise the minimum wage and have businesses pay everybody the same, in reality, this would not work at all. This also explains why the government should not be involved in businesses. The only way to fulfill this fantasy and cause the problems as I mentioned, would be government intervention in how businesses run and pay their workers. A lot of people argue for the raising of the minimum wage and equal pay for every single worker out of feelings and entitlement. As Perkins mentioned fast food workers and how they should be paid more, fast food work is generally a high schooler’s job or a college student, it’s temporary. It’s also not a highly skilled job. It’s not the kind of job you’d make a living off of. Perkins also states that if you love a business and their services so much, you should want their workers to be paid more. In reality, people only care about the service or product they are getting and don’t focus or even care about the workers and their personal lives that are providing it. It sounds cold, but that is the reality.
LikeLike
Minimum wage is one of the most debated things today. It is a topic that does not have a simple yes or no answer. There are both benefits and negatives from raising the minimum wage, and that is the reason the government does not raise it that often. The raising of the minimum wage would not benefit the worker, but it would help stimulate the economy. This blog talks about the minimum wage worker, and how they should get paid more. The average full-time worker at fast food is a good example as Will Perkins mentions. The minimum wage workers will see an increase in their paycheck, but the price of goods will increase as well because owners will want to maintain their profit margins. Also, when working for an hourly rate if an employee works over 40 hours a week and gets paid weekly, then the employee has to get paid overtime. This means that the employee will be getting one-half time pay because he or she has put in over 40 hours in a week. This is where the employees are going to see a big change, not an increase in the minimum wage. In addition, the minimum wage should only be raised if the economy needs to be boosted. When the minimum wage is increased, inflation occurs. The reason inflation occurs is because the unemployment rate will increase, and some small businesses will not be able to survive because they will not be able to keep up with their new higher production costs. Therefore, when there is an increase in unemployment and business closings, then that’s when inflation occurs. Thus, inflation will cause the dollar to decrease. On the flip side, consumer spending will increase, but if the minimum wage is too high then that’s when it causes inflation. So, the rise in the minimum wage causes problems if done at the wrong time or if it is too high. Clearly, the minimum wage is not worth raising because of what would happen, and the employees already have rights if they are full time.
LikeLike
NO MONEY I NEED. GIVE ME
LikeLike
Honestly, I do not agree with Perkins, I believe that even a person whom has full time job is not able to have a decent life style because everything is so expensive now a days. Also, there are families that cannot afford even when both parents are working. Many people are struggling trying to have a decent life and it is hard. On the other hand, I believe that people do deserve a raise based on experience, because there are some educated people that just by saying that they have a certificate they deserve to have more opportunities and get paid better, however they work poorly so I do not see a problem in paying over minimum wage to those that do not have a certificate but have more discipline in their jobs. In the case of fast food workers I believe that they should be paid based on skills and experience because they deserve it. Furthermore, I understand that some people cannot afford school and they still have to pay bills and survive working hard to afford, and they should not be excluded from getting a decent payment because they are not slaves but have no options to improve their life style, therefore I believe that business owners should value them and people must respect that for the service they are obtain, because it is not easy to server people whom are rude and prepotent. If a company is doing well, it does not mean that everybody has a certificante with a title because it does not always determines a person, there are many other facts that determines who you are based on values and the effort you put to help the company increase. We are all part of this economy, we all pay taxes and bills therefore, getting paid over minimum wage should be an opportunity for anyone whom deserve it.
LikeLike
I do agree with many of the points that Perkins mentioned about the topic of minimum wage, such as the point that if someone is working 40 or more hours a week, they should be earning a minimum wage they can live off of. It sounds unfair that someone can work every single day for hours and still have trouble paying their bills. Although it may sound like a great idea to raise minimum wage for everyone so they can live comfortably, there are many issues that come along with doing this. If minimum wage were to be increased for every worker, many of them would have to be laid off. Many businesses cannot afford to pay all of their workers $15 an hour. They would be forced to cut their staff down which would result in many people not having jobs at all. The workers who are laid off definitely wont be able to pay their bills then. Another problem that will result in raising minimum wage is that all prices will increase. Perkins mentioned this and gave the example of fast food. He said that although people will complain about the increase in prices, they will still go because it is convenient. This may be true for some people, but not all. Many people will stop going to fast food restaurants overall due to the price increases. The draw for many people to get fast food is because it is quick and cheap. If the cheap aspect of this is taken away, they will lose many costumers. Yes, the idea of raising minimum wage may sound great because we don’t want anyone to struggle with paying their bills and living paycheck to paycheck, but there are many problems that can come along with making this change.
LikeLike
Anyone in America who works a full-time job, no matter if they work at a fast-food company or if they are a CEO of a Fortune 500 company they should be able to make enough money to feed their families. The minimum wage in this country should be raised to 20 dollars an hour. A full-time worker works 40 hours a week but still has to struggle. Only to the rich and greedy does this make sense. This country was built on the backs of the oppressed, and now the oppressor wants to talk about a “competitive economy”. The fact of the matter is if your a Billionaire but you only pay your workers 15 dollars an hour then your greedy, selfish, and taking advantage of the very people who contributed to your wealth. It’s flat-out wrong and this is the reason why other countries look at America and laugh. I cold-heartedly agree with Perkins, not only fast-food workers but anyone who works in America should make enough money not to survive but to live in America and prosper.
LikeLike
Perkins goes to provide the example of “frequenting” at a business, and that if you frequent a business it is important to you and wouldn’t you want the people in that service be able to provide and support themself. He has also conceded with the point that if you increase wages, then you inflate the price of goods, which he refutes with the community is greater than the individual. I believe that this is a somewhat sound argument. I feel that if the author had gone over how we value fast food over a job that requires a degree, they would be able to refute any objections to their argument. However I feel that they had covered and argued well in how short the article was.
As stated previously, I believe that he would need to go over their value in comparison to other jobs. I also believe that they should go over the cost of living, and show the gap between the current federal minimum wage and the cost of living. A graph would help a larger audience that tends to jump to conclusions to visualize the devastating difference.
Perkins represents the objection fairly, bringing up multiple points that would be argued against his point that people working full time should be able to live here. He also refutes those points with simple arguments. They are arguments that anyone can understand and agree on and are difficult to refute.
I think that if you are working full time you should be able to live where you are. In San Jose you would have to make about $16.50+ in order to not live paycheck to paycheck, without amenities. I believe that we should not devalue the workers of minimum wage jobs, simply because they are jobs that do not require a degree or should be seen as just “stepping stones.” People may argue that their experience was worse and it would overall demean all the hard effort that they had to deal with. While that may be valid, there are more factors in our society now that make it difficult for minimum wage paying jobs to continue to support their workers. With the political sensitivity, a pandemic, and an increasing number of entitled customers now, it is difficult for workers to continue a job that pays under the cost of living. There also may be the argument that they can work overtime or work two jobs, however it is difficult for those in pursuit of a degree to better themselves to attend school whilst juggling jobs.
This is also not to devalue those that had obtained a degree, went through difficulties, and obtained a job that allows them to live comfortably. My argument is solely that people that work full-time should be able to live here. Had the minimum wage increased then so should normal wage. I just do not believe that people, who work a third of their life throughout the week, should not be able to live here.
LikeLike
Perkins argues that, if someone is working full-time every week, they deserve to be earning a living wage. He also argues that the people who are against workers getting a livable wage are typically the ones who benefit or use the services the worker provides. He questions, “If their service is something that you benefit from, why wouldn’t you want the people working in the service positions to be compensated to the point that they could continue to support themselves?” (Perkins). Perkins believes that workers should be adequately compensated for contributing to society in whatever way that they do. He argues that citizens should be allowed to pursue whatever career they desire and receive a wage that allows them to live comfortably. I agree that individuals should be given adequate wages. It is almost ridiculous to know that there are people who work 40 or more hours a week, and they still can barely survive and take care of themselves. The fact that people believe the idea of a livable wage is “extreme” or “communist” shows how capitalism has disillusioned us to believe that it is the best way to govern a country. Capitalism is best for anyone wanting to start a business, but I feel it does not help the other 99% of us. To me, it seems like a great idea to provide everyone with the ability to feed themselves and have a roof over their head. Anyone who feels differently may be coming from a viewpoint that everything in life should be hard, and everyone should have to work for it. I am kind enough to believe that other people should be allowed the tools to live in their country, plain and simple. I also agree that those who provide any service of any kind should be compensated for it. This could increase their happiness, which could lead to an increase in productivity. If someone is cooking food for me at a restaurant or helping me to book a hotel room, I would want them to continue to do that job, so I can continue to benefit from that service. If workers are unhappy or stressed from working long hours with minimal compensation, they could quit, which prevents other people from receiving the services they want. I think Perkins gave a great argument, and I liked the way he organized it as well. He could have added some research to aid his argument. I also felt like the article was a bit shorter than it should have been, but overall, we both have similar beliefs.
LikeLike
As someone whose first job was at McDonald’s, I can attest first hand that a fast-food job is not just a job for students. Many of my coworkers were adults who struggled to survive on minimum wage. I agree with Kobe, who stated “we should not devalue the workers of minimum wage jobs, simply because they are jobs that do not require a degree or should be seen as just ‘stepping stones.’” Sometimes a fast-food job is the only one that can accommodate someone’s life schedule, or is the only job that they can get themselves transportation to. Perkins closes his article by simply stating, “If you work full-time in America, you should be able to live here, too.” This article, which was written in 2017, still remains relevant, especially because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the economy. In 2017 the New York City minimum wage was $13/hour, and now in 2021, the minimum wage is $15/hour. Today, a $22/hour wage would allow one adult to live paycheck-to-paycheck. Overall, I agree with what Perkins asserted in the article and with what poster Kobe stated.
LikeLike
This, by far, was my favorite out of the four articles that I read. This was about minimum wage and how every American should make a decent living wage. This has been an outgoing battle for years because people believe that fast-food workers or any worker in the service industry deserve higher wages. As a person in the service industry, I find it horrible that a person has to attend to so many customers per day and have to do many hours to go home to a basic check. This article argues that if you are being productive in society, you should be making a decent salary which I completely agree with. We work for an owner who hardly shows up and doesn’t know what goes down, and sometimes the stress of working long hours under pressure does to a person. In-N-Out is one of the only fast-food chains that start their employees at 17.00 an hour, and they continuously get raises. Why a company such as In-N-Out can offer this but not other places makes zero sense because a consumer goes to places like this regularly and would still benefit the workers and business for their customers to keep coming back. This article was very accurate to where I wish more people would read this and weep because it seems unfair that not everyone gets to live in luxury but could at least afford the necessities needed to live comfortably and not struggle. Finally, we still have a long way to go before workers are treated better, but it’s is satisfying to see one issue that needs to be addressed and hopefully will get resolved in the near future.
LikeLike
I agree with Will Perkins’ opinion that a full-time worker in the U.S. should be able to live on the pay received from his or her job. For many people, America is a place to start their dreams, and it is a belief that a better life can be achieved in the U.S. through unremitting efforts. However, this American dream is beginning to turn sour, for many people cannot afford their daily expenses. In American, many employers just offer their employees minimum wages that cannot be matched with these employees’ essential living costs, manifesting many workers are exploited by the capitalists. According to the news reporter—Ben Casselman, “the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. It’s been set at that level since 2009… [in 2019] there are still 8 million workers who earn less than $10 an hour, 40 million workers, give or take, who earn less than $15 an hour” (1:10). In other words, the national wage floor has remained at $7.25/hour even though years of remarkable economic growth were made. Statistically speaking, almost one in eight people across the U.S. earned less than $15/hour in 2019. As it is known, while the economy grows, prices of goods will be increased automatically. Fortunately, some states with high living standards have already raised their state minimum wages since 2009. However, the federal minimum wage has not been raised due to a partisan issue between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party. It does not make sense that the federal minimum wage is not increased in proportion to the economic growth. With this being said, a retaining $7.25/hour federal minimum wage indicates that the working class’s wages are unsuited by the values that they created, causing an exploitation. In this way, a worker normally works 40 hours a week or 52 weeks a year at a fast-food restaurant with a $7.25/hour rate, and he or she can only earn $15,080 a year. Living on such a low annual salary in the U.S. is hard to survive in today’s society, even without supporting a family. For survival, people may lower their living standards by cutting down most of the unnecessary expenses, just keeping the basic living expenses. If most people do not want to spend their money or do not even have enough money to spend, it will cause the domestic economy to decline; for workers, it is difficult to get jobs or easy to be fired. Hence, the gap between the Rich and the Poor will become wider, which leads to an increasing crime rate and other potential social issues. Therefore, the working class needs appropriate enhanced federal minimum wages to survive themselves, resist being oppressed, and continue their American dreams.
Works Cited
Casselman, Ben. “The Fight for (and Against) a $15 Minimum Wage.” The New York Times, 17 Mar. 2021.
LikeLike