Bridget Beam

ENG 1201

Prof. Barnes

14 March 2019

My essay will discuss the current minimum wage laws and the rates of pay by state vs.

federal, as well as, who can and cannot afford to pay a wage hike. I will further explore if

raising the minimum wage will lift people out of poverty and lower the unemployment rate.

Bellafante, Ginia. "How Far Will $15 An Hour Really Go?" New York Times. Vol. 3L. New

York: the New York Times, 6 Jan 2019. Web Access. <Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A568420763/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=

9d230fab.>.

This article is written by Ginia Bellafante and appeared in The New York Times on January 6,

2019. The purpose of the article it to educate the general population that in larger cities, such as

New York, $15 isn’t enough to make a difference and can reduce the eligibility for government

assistance. The writer’s purpose seems to highlight the fact that there is much to be done in

bridging the gap between wages, cost of living and government assistance. The author is a

seasoned reporter for the NYT and provides some statistical information provided by a third

party food pantry organization. The NYT is a reputable newspaper so it is assumed the

information has been fact-checked and reliable. This article will help me answer the question of

how raising the minimum wage will affect the poverty line. According to this article it is a good
start, but a report by City Harvest and a self-sufficiency calculator explores the hard numbers

needed to support a family with two kids living in the city.

Kessler, Glenn. "Ocasio-Cortez's Misfired Facts On Living Wage and Minimum Wage."

Washington Post. 24 Jan 2019. <Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A570955785/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=

b0064923.>.

This article is written by Glenn Kessler and appeared in the Washington Post on January 24,

2019. The purpose of the article is to “fact-check” a statement made by rep. Alexandria Ocasio-

Cortez on January 21, 2019. The author denotes three errors in regard to the number of

Americans who do not earn a living wage, the number of hours of work required to make a living

wage, and the transfer of wealth between corporations such as Walmart. The Post is a reputable

newspaper and therefore it’s assumed they fact check articles. Additionally this article is fact

checking someone else, so they have data to back up their claims. While on the surface it seems

like an attack piece, it is thorough in its attempt at just getting good information out there, and

includes information obtained from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in an attempt to back up her statements.

I will use this article to highlight the companies that have increased their wages, and also to show

that there are still many who qualify for government assistance.

Blahous, Charles. "No Teens Need Apply: A High Minimum Wage Keeps Teenagers Out Of

The Job Market, Robbing Them Of Crucial Experience And Lowering Their Future

Earnings." Hoover Digest 3 (2018): 26+. Web Access.

 <http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A547757980/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid

=d1e133d4.>.

This article was written by Charles Blahous and appeared in the Hoover Digest a research

publication at Stanford University. It appeared in the Summer 2018 edition. The purpose of the

article is to educate persons regarding the decline in teenage employment. The findings of the

Neumark-Shupe study found that the main reason is the increased minimum wage pushes

teenagers with little or no experience out of a job in favor of hiring a slightly older person with

some experience. The study suggests that it affects their adult earnings as well, suggesting the

earlier a person starts working, the more potential they have for higher adult earnings. The

Hoover Digest is part of Stanford University and therefore is regarded as having high standards

in fact checking. I will use this article to highlight the negative effects of raising the wages.

Neumark, David. "The Effects Of Minimum Wages On Employment." Federal Reserve Bank of

San Francisco Economic Research 21 Dec 2015. Print. 11 Mar. 2019.

<https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-

letter/2015/december/effects-of-minimum-wage-on-employment/>.

This article is written by David Neumark and appeared in the Federal Reserve Bank San

Francisco publication. It appeared in the December 21, 2015 Community Development

Innovation Review. The purpose of the article is to educate the community about research done

exploring the effect minimum wage hikes have on low skilled and older workers. It sites

companies will hire less people and put their money towards automated processes. The theory

being it’s better to invest in technology than people so raising the wage will eliminate jobs.
However, he also cites a study that compared neighboring states and sometimes cities that have

raised their wages and have shown no job loss. But comparing to states with different socio-

economic demographics it showed an increase in job loss. The Federal Reserve Bank is a

government controlled agency, however their publication focuses on bridging the gap between

theory and practice using a variety of sources. David is Chancellor Professor and Director at

UC-Irvine. This article will help me explore who is most negatively affected by raising the

minimum wage and a state comparison job loss.

Neumark, David. "Reducing Poverty Via Minimum Wages, Alternatives." Federal Reserve Bank

San Fransico Economic Letter 2015-38 (2015). Print. 13 March 2019.

<https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/files/el2015-38.pdf>.

This article is written by David Neumark and was published in the Federal Reserve Bank San

Francisco publication. It appeared in the December 2015 Community Development Innovation

Review. The purpose of this article is to educate the community of the effects of raising the

minimum wage will have on low-income families and how it effects their ability to get off

government assistance. The article also discusses other government programs, such as the Earned

Income Credit and its ability to better lift the poverty stricken family. This article does a good

job comparing the two programs and how it plays into small business owners. The Federal

Reserve Bank is a government controlled agency, however their publication focuses on bridging

the gap between theory and practice using a variety of sources. David is Chancellor Professor

and Director at UC-Irvine. This article will help me discuss whether minimum wage increases

will help the individual or the low-income family and how it impacts finances in comparison to

the EITC.
Halkias, Maria. "Amazon Ramps Up Wage War By Raising Minimum To $15 for 350,000

Employees In U.S." The Dallas Morning News 02 October 2018.

This article is written by Maria Halkias and appeared in the Dallas Morning News on October 2,

2018. The purpose of the article is to highlight Amazon’s decision to raise the minimum wage

for its workers to $15 an hour. This article praises the company and cites a quote from Bernie

Sanders. It discusses the employee retention gains and other companies such as Walmart and

their successes in employee retention. The article also discusses the applicant pool as being

much better after raising their starting pay, as well as benefits to the customer experience due to

increased employee satisfaction for earning a more livable wage.

"President Obama's Minimum Wage Proposal." Congressional Digest May 2013. 13 March

2019.

This article is an excerpt from “The President’s Plan to Reward Work by Raising the Minimum

Wage” issued February 13, 2013, issued by www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office. The purpose

of the article is to give a condensed outline of the President’s plan for raising the minimum wage.

Although this article is not current and the plan never came to fruition, it contains statistical

information regarding who is affected, and how it affects the middle class. It discusses how the

minimum wage was in line with inflation until 1980 and how raising it to $9 would help restore

this balance. Single parents and women suffer the most in the wage gap and highlights that

teenagers are the least affected, only 20% of workers are teens and therefore the least negatively

affected. A study in 2011 showed that of those affected by a wage increase, brought home almost
half of their family’s income. The article focus’ on the middle class and single parents and will

help to highlight those that will benefit the most. Further research into why this raise never took

effect, leads to division in congressional voting. Because this information is sourced from the

White House, it is assumed to be accurate information.