Minimum wage increased for Americans? Really?

It seems to me that very soon the increased on minimum wages will became a reality.

However, are you sure are to benefit American workers in some low page jobs?

Or . . . is something more that we are not grasping yet. The reality that this minimum wage increased will became a victory for the Pro immigration groups that are seeking to get amnesty and work permit to millions of illegal immigrants in this nation.

How can that be? Well . . . we have a new Congress that even when the immigration issue is not a priority per say they are more friendly to Bush immigration bill of giving Amnesty and work permits to illegal immigrants.

Even if the amnesty does not fly in congress, the work permit could.

So actually, who will benefit from the increased in wages?

You be the judge.

Everyone will. I personally don't mind anyone coming to this country or care about how they got in as long as they're here to work and become a productive law abiding member of society. The minimum wage has reached a historic low and should've been raised years ago. A simple way to ensure that this doesn't happen again would be to tie the minimum wage to the consumer price index.

I think everyone will benefit from an increase to minimum wage.

All too often I hear of Americans saying how immigrants are soaking up jobs that they do not want to do in the first place. These guys are more than willing to work for a reduction in pay just to have a job. Well if the government throws a hike to minimum wage, all of the sudden honest, hard-working, Americans would be more than willing to fill these jobs that nobody ever wanted in the first place.

Poverty is an issue all over the world. In Canada, we have provinces that have very low rates of unemployment yet very high rates of poverty. Makes no sense really. But what is happening is single parents are working jobs where they are only making $6 and $7 an hour, which is not nearly enough to put food on the table for their children.

Increases to minimum wage will help fend off poverty, and it would help with the issues of illegal immigrants holding jobs that Americans did not want in the first place.

More American money being spent in the American economy? Rather than immigrants working for this money and shipping it to Mexico to feed their families, this money would begin to stay in your own economy.

So, I believe an increase to minimum wage would benefit everyone.

Well, maybe not small business owners. But someone has to make a sacrifice here. There are bigger things at play.

[edit on 14-11-2006 by chissler]

I see one problem with this, how many Americans that has been working on the minimum wage will feel happy if somebody from across the border comes to the US with a work permit and starts benefiting from the increase on the wages when they here in America as Americans has been struggling with the low wages.

Also is a reason why many businesses wants illegal immigrant to work, and that is because they do not want to pay the already establish minimum wage.

Will they be happy to pay more when all alone they want to pay less and benefit from the cheap labor?

[edit on 14-11-2006 by marg6043]

I heard that the increase of minimum wage don't help corporations (YEAH) and they want to move to others countries with people who are paid less (China) so it would be bad for the economy... and the economy now is on the edge...

We'll see.

That is exactly what I am thinking about also, how many companies will move south of the border or to another country to benefit from slave labor conditions to make all the profits.

We already have plenty that has been gone permanently, and the problem is that the statistics of how many has not been kept since 2002 I believe so the numbers could be worst.

If this business do not want to pay American workers wages under law, who is going to make them stay and pay increased minimum wages to immigrants with working permits?

I tell you this is going to create a mess in our nation and with our economy.

Right now the amount of elderly workers that used to fall in the middle income group of 65,000 and up are losing their salary jobs ot outsourcing but these people are not showing in the nation's statistic as a reliable group to show how many people are without jobs due to outsourcing.

Unless the minimum wage is increased to a true living wage, any increase is negligable in my opinion. And even if it were raised to $17-$18/hr. there is a segment of any population incapable of competing for skilled work positions, who would be left jobless and placed in the welfare system.

Average US hourly rate worker earnings: 2006

Most earners of minimum wage are teens, or young single adults. Approx. 30% of all min. wage workers are >25 y.o. with dependants

Minimum Wage Demographics

McDonalds pays, on average, 25% above the current US Fed. Min wage of $5.15.

Take a look at who's working at the next McDonalds you walk into. If these folks are worthy of earning 25% more than the current minumum wage, who is earning the actual min. wage and what are they doing to earn it?

Do you want someone that can't get a job at McDonalds to clean your hotel room? Pack your flat screen TV at the TV factory? Tighten the thingamijiggy bolts on whadayacallit at the whatsitwhosit factory?

See my point?

Sorry to all the McDonald's workers out there - just a example.

The problem is that service corporations won't move, but factory corporation have already moved of the US and the increase in minimum wage would just incit them more to leave.

And what happen if the US economy crash and that no factory corporations are in the US? You're in deep ... because you can't produce anything, you have to import and 10s of you're dollar isn't worth a yen... And if you don't believe me, go see in the nearest Wal-Mart, all products are made in China.

[edit on 14-11-2006 by Vitchilo]

Originally posted by darkbluesky

Sorry to all the McDonald's workers out there - just a example.

Don't worry most of us know exactly what you are talking about. But I agree with you.

While our nation shows job growth it doesn't really tells you what jobs are the ones been created, just that they are services jobs.

Well all pretty much know what a service job is.

I believe that people has the right to find a job and make a living but I also see how can our nation citizens are going to handle the job markets with immigrants and illegals getting amnesty and workers permits and benefit from the increase in wages.

Is not a very happy future we are facing, with outsourcing of high pay jobs and the Creation of low pay jobs.

VERY interesting analysis marg.

Off the top, I think I agree - raising the minimum wage will do more to help immigrants with work permits than ordinary Americans.

Not that it won't help low-paid Americans, but it does do more to support a "service economy" that relies on immigrants than it does to improve the overall quality of life for the average American citizen.



.

Luckily here in California,minimum wage is 6.75. But still,adjusted for inflation is ridiculously low. It needs to be raised.Its needed to be raised years ago. The cost of living rises,yet our pay remains the same?

Originally posted by marg6043
I see one problem with this, how many Americans that has been working on the minimum wage will feel happy if somebody from across the border comes to the US with a work permit and starts benefiting from the increase on the wages when they here in America as Americans has been struggling with the low wages.

Honestly I can't think of any using that rationale. I mean people are going to come to this country regardless of what the minimum wage is. I mean how many immigrants have you met that came to the US so they could make minimum wage?

Originally posted by marg6043
Also is a reason why many businesses wants illegal immigrant to work, and that is because they do not want to pay the already establish minimum wage.

Yeah and thats one of the many reasons why we desperately need immigration reform. We had a great bill up before the Congress but unfortunately fell victim to a rouge element in the far-right of the republican party.

Originally posted by marg6043
Will they be happy to pay more when all alone they want to pay less and benefit from the cheap labor?

They may not be happy about it but everyone is entitled to a descent days pay for a descent days work.

[edit on 14-11-2006 by marg6043]

Originally posted by Vitchilo
I heard that the increase of minimum wage don't help corporations (YEAH) and they want to move to others countries with people who are paid less (China) so it would be bad for the economy... and the economy now is on the edge

Well you can only outsource so much. I don't think McDonalds will be able to get many people to fly to China for a Big Mac.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
The problem is that service corporations won't move, but factory corporation have already moved of the US and the increase in minimum wage would just incit them more to leave.

Well if having raise your workers pay forces you out of the US then your probably not that important to the US economy.

Originally posted by Vitichilo
And what happen if the US economy crash and that no factory corporations are in the US? You're in deep ... because you can't produce anything, you have to import and 10s of you're dollar isn't worth a yen... And if you don't believe me, go see in the nearest Wal-Mart, all products are made in China.

The key for the US manufacturing is to move up the technological ladder. Imagine if a manufacturer of bull whips was able to stop Henry ford buildimnng automobiles. would the average worker have been better off?

The only people who benefit from an increased minimum wage are the politicians. When businesses have to pay their employees more, the increase is passed on to consumers.

When the pot washer gets a pay raise, the dishwasher wants one, too. When the dishwasher gets a raise the cook wants one, too. When the cook gets a pay raise, the manager wants one, too, and because profit margins for small businesses are so small, the business owner has to raise prices and the impact reverberates through the economy so rapidly that within six months of the raise, the minimum wage earners have lost the benefit of the increased wages.

This observation is based on my own personal experience. I've seen it happen several times in my lifetime and there have been no exceptions.

The same principle goes for taxes. People complain about tax cuts for the rich, but the fact is that the rich provide the capital that fuels the economy. When the rich and corporations have less money to invest, the economy and wage earners suffer. When business gets an tax increase, the tax increase gets passed along to the consumer, so the little guy takes a double whammy.



[edit on 2006/11/14 by GradyPhilpott]

The problem is that more and more jobs that were the ones that supported middle class American are gone.

The job grow that we hear so much about are not even a fraction of what many middle class Americans were making on salaries.

A minimum hour job is no going to benefit people that are on salaries and a minimum wage hardly can fed a family now a days without depending on the system for additional help.

If the illegals get amnesty and work permits, many will also be able to depend on te social welfare system.

Now will that be more weight to the burden that our nation is already facing?

How many people will take a minimum wage job to support a family? one job is no enough to support a family in our nation on minimum wage without social welfare.

So who will benefit from an increase in wages? perhaps teens, young people still living at home, and a few others and occurs immigrants if they get to have amnesty and workers permit.

See my point.



[edit on 14-11-2006 by marg6043]

So do members disagree with the notion that increasing minimum wage would prevent immigrants from getting jobs?

I'm sure we've all turned down a job at one time or another due to the lack of pay involved. If these jobs held a decent wage, more legal citizens would be willing to fill them, rather than them filtering through to the illegal immigrants.

I get frustrated when I hear someone complain about immigrants holding down a job, that they would of turned down in the first place.

At the same time, more employers need to be held accountable for hiring illegal immigrants and or paying them under the table.

The minimum wage will affect illegals not at all. Illegals work, for the most part, in the underground economy.

Still the problem is that illegals can hold a job, under pay, they are abuse by the businesses that seek this type of cheap labor.

My point is that Democrats in congress are more agreeable with Bushes Amnesty and work permit reform.

If Bush gets the congress into getting some of his reform points then the minimum wage will benefit more than anything the illegals in our nation that can easily be able to get some compromised on the immigration reform.

But, will the jobs that they hod will stay in the US and pay them fair wages? or will they outsource south of the border.

Then what jobs will they be filling out? or will they then have the right to no only minimum wages but also a piece of th social welfare system when they can not find jobs.

That is my point.

So who will benefit from the increase in wages is this happen.

Increasing the minimum wage will help some people who are vulnerable. This is a topic currently in Canada at the moment too as well as a good number of other employment law related changes especially in regards people working for employment agencies.

Some businesses will be forced to close because they are not competitive and others will have to become more efficient or push their staff harder to pay the wages.

In many markets especially cities the market minimum wage is likely higher than that anyways so it would not affect a lot of people.