By Janeth Jaimes |Staff Writer|
Low-wage workers and low-income families would benefit significantly from the minimum wage increase to $10 an hour by 2016, as proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.
I believe an increase in the minimum wage will be helpful for the working class by boosting the family income of low-wage workers.
The increase will help Americans maintain a good quality of life to support their families.
President Obama has supported raising the minimum wage so hard-working Americans can make a decent wage for a day’s work.
Many students, including myself, work in order to meet educational goals and living expenses.
This causes a lot of stress, making it difficult to concentrate in school.
A minimum wage increase will have profound effects on employment opportunities and family income.
Raising minimum wages will allow students that work 40 hours a week to become financially independent.
Students will be able to make more money working less hours, which leads to more time for students to focus on school.
It is argued that increasing the minimum wage will cause people to lose their jobs.
In a review of 64 studies, there was no noticeable effects on employment, according to the United States Department of Labor.
Also, it is said the U.S. federal minimum wage goes up automatically as prices increase.
While some states recently passed laws triggering automatic increases in their minimum wages to compensate for inflation, the federal minimum wage does not operate in the same way.
President Obama and Congress agreed to gradually increase the federal minimum from $8.25 to $10 per hour, as well as adjust the wage for inflation.
CSUSB senior Vanessa Vasquez said she manages her time carefully to be a full-time student and work a part-time job that allows her to pay her tuition.
“Ideally for me, I think it would be just if minimum wage was a bit higher. Most of the time I have to wait for my pay check so I can pay other expenses,” said Vasquez.
“[Our current] minimum wage does not cover all the expenses,” said CSUSB junior Cristina Constantino.
“I earn about the minimum wage in my part-time job, it is enough to pay for college and books, but that is only because I still live with my parents,” added Constantino.
Many students are not able to become financially independent because of their college debts.
I have learned how to manage my money, but it will be helpful when minimum wage increases.
I believe increasing minimum wage will make a difference in pay that allows me to dedicate more time to focusing on my education.
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