From various countries around the world to the United States, the discussion on the minimum wage has been a great topic of debate. Low-wage workers believe it is necessary to increase the minimum wage to guarantee a decent income. The best way to improve the country's economy for the benefit of all is to change the structure of the economy. While we can't necessarily do it ourselves, making changes to the way government is run could help improve the economic structure together. This can reduce the need for government assistance, improve people's health and likely outcomes, and reduce employee turnover. Today, the federal minimum wage is $7.25, leaving an adult with two children thousands of dollars below the federal poverty line. (Scott. 2019) We believe that we should be able to receive a living wage, in order to provide for our families. The living wage is the amount of income determined to ensure a decent standard of living. He should pay the cost of living in any place. It should also be adjusted to compensate for inflation. The goal of a living wage is to ensure that all full-time workers have enough money to live above the federal poverty line. The living wage is often confused with the national minimum wage. The U.S. Congress originally created the minimum wage with the goal of ensuring a living wage. (Amadeo, 2020) There is a difference between the living wage and the minimum wage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAfter more than a decade without an increase in the federal minimum wage – the longest period in US history – it There is now no place in America where a full-time worker earning the federal minimum wage can afford the basics. The Raise the Wage Act will restore the value of work to our economy and lift struggling workers and their families out of poverty. (Edlabor.com, 2019) This also means that the average worker who now lives below the poverty line relies on assistance from local government to help them pay for the essential items of life. These items seem tiny, but they are essential to a typical person's daily spending. When you have a low-paying job, making minimum wage, and trying to raise a family, it's hard enough. The average worker receives food stamps or SNAP, child care assistance, and Medicare for health insurance, all services provided at the state government level. Most workers who participate in SNAP are in service occupations (e.g., home health aides or cooks), administrative support occupations (e.g., customer service representatives), and sales occupations (e.g. , cashiers). (Jennings & Palaciao, 2017) The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009, set by the Fair Labor standards Act (FLSA). The law also states that workers must receive overtime pay equal to 1.5 times the standard wage, for any excess of 40 hours worked in a single week. (Debt.org, 2013) This amount is not huge, but it is the amount that most companies have to pay when paying their employees. The federal minimum wage amount can also vary from state to state because that amount differs from the state's minimum wage law. States can pass their own minimum wage laws. These laws can be less than, equal to or greater than thefederal minimum, or states may have no minimum wage laws at all. If a state does not have a minimum wage law or if its minimum wage is lower than federal law, workers are entitled to the federal wage. (Debt.org, 2013) However, for many workers in some industries, wages are so low that even those who work full time must rely heavily on government assistance to make ends meet. This suggests that many employers' low wages – facilitated by weakened or inadequate labor standards, such as a low minimum wage and outdated overtime regulations – place unjustified demands on public resources. (Tonnelier,2016) For businesses not affiliated with the government, it is not mandatory to pay a living wage, but some employers still choose to do so. However, as living in Washington becomes more expensive, some workers feel that $14.50 is not enough. (Ann-Simmons, 2019) Effective July 1, 2019, the minimum wage in the District of Columbia will increase from $13.25 per hour to $14.00 per hour for all workers, regardless of job size. the employer. Under the new law, the minimum wage will gradually increase to $15.00 per hour on July 1, 2020, and beginning July 1, 2019, the base minimum wage for tipped employees will increase from $3.00 per hour. $89 an hour at $4.45. However, if an employee's hourly tip, added to the base minimum wage, does not equal the district's full minimum wage, the employer must pay the difference. (DOES.Gov, 2019) The average minimum wage worker works in the food service industry. Many make money from tips or gratuities left by a consumer for services. Some companies tax employee tips because they factor tips into the employee's base pay. For employees receiving gratuities, the minimum wage will gradually increase to $5.00 by 2020, beginning in 2021 to increase the minimum wage in each successive year in accordance with the Consumer Price Index . (DOES.gov, 2019)The turnover rate for workers earning minimum wage is slightly higher for companies that pay only minimum wage, and differs from a company that pays more hours. According to data from tens of thousands of small business employers who work with Gusto in the United States, employees earning $7.25/hour (the current federal minimum wage) have a 70% chance of leaving within a year , more than double the average turnover rate. by 32%. This discovery comes amid the recent passage of the Raise the Wage Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Hill is proposing a gradual increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $15/hour by 2025. Gusto data indicates it will rise to $15/hour. Turnover rates drop significantly, from 70% (at the current federal minimum wage) to 41%. (Castillon, 2019) Knowing that turnover rate can decrease depending on the company and the length of time a person stays with a company can also be a clear indication of how much an employer pays the employee. Living in the United States is a great opportunity. that we can afford it, but finding a job that will help us live the life we ​​want is harder than most people can actually believe. We all know that the cost of living increases every year, and it doesn't often affect us. The average person lives paycheck to paycheck just to live comfortably and even that is not the case. Welet's say living paycheck to paycheck which just means they work for one paycheck and use it to offset bills, rent/mortgage and barely have enough to last until we receive the next paycheck, which is often two weeks after the first. While working 40 hours doesn't mean you earn enough to afford anything, the average worker has to put in more hours than that just to make ends meet. To afford the average two-bedroom apartment in the nation's capital, the average worker would need to earn $32.02 an hour, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalitions fact sheet. This is calculated as making a minimum wage of $14/hour. and each week, they work an average of 80 hours to afford a modest one-bedroom rental home at market rent. (NLIHC, 2019)A 2012 study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition examined the gap between income and housing costs. He recorded the number of hours a minimum wage worker would have to work each week to be able to afford a two-bedroom house at standard rent. The study assumed that 30 percent of an individual's income would be spent on housing. The study found that in every country, an individual would have to work at least 63 hours a week at minimum wage to be able to pay their rent. (Debt.gov, 2019) This means the average worker who works less than 20 hours earns barely enough to live anywhere. There is still talk of raising the minimum wage to a living wage to ensure we live above the poverty line. Senator Bernie Sanders said: “We must raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Together, we will increase the minimum wage to make it a living wage. And we will also introduce equal pay for women. Sanders also states, “While the housing market has recovered for many, we nonetheless have an affordable housing crisis, especially for very low-income families. Today in the United States, nearly 11 million families spend more than half of their limited income on rent and utilities. This leaves very little for other essentials. » (Gibson, 2018) As a country, we are putting our population at risk by consuming unhealthy foods; like chips, soda, cookies, and fast food available at a lower cost. If you want to buy a salad at a fast food restaurant, that price can cost you an average of $5 to $8, while you can get three burgers for half that price. So what's a family of four to do when they have to pay bills that exceed what they earn in annual salary? The final report of the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Health Disparities and Inequalities Report identified income as a key factor influencing health outcomes of individuals, families and communities. (WHO, 2011) Studies have shown that increasing the minimum wage can provide better results in trying to improve people's overall health. According to the latest information from the Kaiser Family Foundation, low-income people disproportionately experience health problems, including higher rates of chronic illness and disability and reduced life chances, because wages directly affect ability of a person to access resources such as healthy foods. (NCHS, 2014). Keep in mind: 2019,.