Thoughts on the Minimum Wage

The minimum wage has been in the news a lot as of late, and as any one of my friends can attest, I am firmly in favour of the minimum wage...my elders fought and died for it...

However that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement.

Allow me to present my ideas.


1:I like the Australian idea of different minimum wages for different jobs...dishwashers don't have the same "customer service" aspect as a counter person...an entry level job in a mine is different than an entry level job in a convience store... I think it is perfectly reasonable for an entry level job in (let's say) a foundry, or machine shop to pay a lower wage, with the reality being that those workers will have a better learning curve and more opportunities for advancement...
The skills they learn are easily transferred to other jobs...

But what about the store clerks?...how do you tell New employers that you learned the skill of staying calm when you have a line of 10people, all wanting a deli sandwich, and you could engage 3of them @the same time....keeping their orders seperate... one in the microwave, one in the toaster, and starting the next....switching effortlessly between them????  Isn't that a skill???   How about maintaining a smile, regardless of your personal shit.... another skill ...

The debate about min wage thrives on the lie that fast food and supermarket and convenience stores run on US kids...

Take a moment to go in and look around...there are LOTS of middle age people in those stores.

Which brings me to my second point.

2:The minimum wage should have a progressive base.

Hs and college age kids are STATISTICALLY less reliable, less capable, and work less...more likely to goof off...call out...etc...

Give a 20yr old a kid of their OWN to support and care for...he or she is More likely to be in every day...responsibility and all that...So shouldn't we recognize and reward that???

Same with older people,Late 20s, early 30s are again, more likely to be on time, and less likely to call off for partys, because they are hung over.... or even Sick.


So, here is my proposal...
We make the minimum wage progressive...

Taking the current wage as a base...
7.50 an hour... 16-18yr olds...basic wage
18-20.... more likely to be out of the nest...an extra $40- $80a week goes a long way during those "party years"...So is 9.50 all that onerous? Or even 8.50.... One to two bucks more...(I would lean towards one)

20-25...mostly doing the same but a little more responsible...more likely to be living on their own... but with a roomie or two...now that they are in the "workforce" shouldn't they get a bit of a raise????

How about marriage???? Insurance companies recognize marriage as a stabilizing concept ....why not the minimum wage???? A married person is more likely to be on time, and do more work than the minimum required.... so why SHOULDN'T they be justly compensated???


And THAT isn't even bringing up things like Shift Differential....hs kids CAN'T work at night... college kids need sleep...30yr olds can... and 3rd shift has more responsibility...


Make the minimum wage laws progressive in this way, and we could employ more teens, and give the "working poor" more money in their pockets...which means less welfare,and more money going into the economy....