* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment

    Country Music Legend Bids Heartfelt Farewell: ‘Y’all Gonna Make Me Tear Up!

    We won’t get a Game of Thrones show this year: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms shifts to early 2026 – Entertainment Weekly

    Game of Thrones Fans Will Have to Wait: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Delayed Until 2026!

    Nile Entertainment Secures African Rights for Thrilling Action Film ‘Son of the Soil

    Florida Highwaymen movie ‘Legends of the Highway’ based on original 26 Black artists – Treasure Coast News

    Unveiling ‘Legends of the Highway’: A Captivating Film Celebrating the Legacy of Florida’s Original 26 Black Artists

    Alabama to expand Entertainment Industry Incentive Act – WVTM

    Alabama Boosts Entertainment Industry with Expanded Incentive Act!

    Toast Sets Its Sights on Revolutionizing Entertainment Venues

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    How will BCI technology change the lives of people with disabilities? – news.cgtn.com

    Transforming Lives: The Impact of BCI Technology on People with Disabilities

    Super Speeders are deadly. This technology can slow them down. – Popular Science

    Revolutionary Technology: Taming the Threat of Super Speeders!

    Celebrating Success: Highlights from the Collaborative College for Technology & Leadership Graduation Ceremony

    Philly police unveil strategy to crack down on car meetups utilizing technology – NBC10 Philadelphia

    Philly Police Launch High-Tech Strategy to Tackle Car Meetups!

    Stony Brook Medicine Pioneers Use of AI Technology for Heart Disease Diagnosis on Long Island – SBU News

    Revolutionizing Heart Health: Stony Brook Medicine Leads the Way with AI Technology

    How to Clean Up and Restore Low-Quality Videos with AI Technology – finehomesandliving.com

    How to Clean Up and Restore Low-Quality Videos with AI Technology – finehomesandliving.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment

    Country Music Legend Bids Heartfelt Farewell: ‘Y’all Gonna Make Me Tear Up!

    We won’t get a Game of Thrones show this year: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms shifts to early 2026 – Entertainment Weekly

    Game of Thrones Fans Will Have to Wait: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Delayed Until 2026!

    Nile Entertainment Secures African Rights for Thrilling Action Film ‘Son of the Soil

    Florida Highwaymen movie ‘Legends of the Highway’ based on original 26 Black artists – Treasure Coast News

    Unveiling ‘Legends of the Highway’: A Captivating Film Celebrating the Legacy of Florida’s Original 26 Black Artists

    Alabama to expand Entertainment Industry Incentive Act – WVTM

    Alabama Boosts Entertainment Industry with Expanded Incentive Act!

    Toast Sets Its Sights on Revolutionizing Entertainment Venues

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    How will BCI technology change the lives of people with disabilities? – news.cgtn.com

    Transforming Lives: The Impact of BCI Technology on People with Disabilities

    Super Speeders are deadly. This technology can slow them down. – Popular Science

    Revolutionary Technology: Taming the Threat of Super Speeders!

    Celebrating Success: Highlights from the Collaborative College for Technology & Leadership Graduation Ceremony

    Philly police unveil strategy to crack down on car meetups utilizing technology – NBC10 Philadelphia

    Philly Police Launch High-Tech Strategy to Tackle Car Meetups!

    Stony Brook Medicine Pioneers Use of AI Technology for Heart Disease Diagnosis on Long Island – SBU News

    Revolutionizing Heart Health: Stony Brook Medicine Leads the Way with AI Technology

    How to Clean Up and Restore Low-Quality Videos with AI Technology – finehomesandliving.com

    How to Clean Up and Restore Low-Quality Videos with AI Technology – finehomesandliving.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Minimum wages rise: Here’s where the changes matter most

February 14, 2024
in Science
Minimum wages rise: Here’s where the changes matter most
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Grace Champagne makes $18.50 an hour, plus a portion of tips, working as a host at a chain restaurant. That’s nearly $2 over minimum wage in San Diego, where she goes to school. In this tight California job market, the college student asked for the hourly bump, and got it. The extra bit goes into Ms. Champagne’s savings to eventually help repay college loans.

“It seems like a small difference, but it makes a really big difference,” says Ms. Champagne, who struggles to keep up with California’s high cost of living.

Why We Wrote This

The idea behind raising base pay closer to a “living wage” – pay that covers basic expenses – is that it builds better communities. But some businesses say the increases push them to the brink.

Across the United States, workers like Ms. Champagne are seeing an uptick in hourly wages. Twenty-two states raised their minimum wages last month, affecting nearly 10 million workers. Many of these increases were in the works years ago, as part of multiyear legislative packages. Some states tie the increases to inflation. Others, mostly in the South and Midwest, follow the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, which hasn’t changed since 2009.

State minimum wages have risen faster than inflation for many workers since 2009, despite stagnation in federal policy. But across the country, minimum wages still fall consistently below what economists call living wages – the amount needed to meet a person’s, or family’s, basic needs.

Grace Champagne makes $18.50 an hour, plus a portion of tips, working as a host at a chain restaurant. That’s nearly $2 over minimum wage in San Diego, where she goes to school. In this tight California job market, the college student asked for the hourly bump, and got it. The extra bit goes into Ms. Champagne’s savings  to eventually help repay college loans. 

“It seems like a small difference, but it makes a really big difference,” says Ms. Champagne, who struggles to keep up with California’s high cost of living.

Across the United States, workers like Ms. Champagne are seeing an uptick in hourly wages. Twenty-two states raised their minimum wages last month, affecting nearly 10 million workers. Many of these increases were in the works years ago, as part of multiyear legislative packages. Some states tie the increases to inflation. Others, mostly in the South and Midwest, follow the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, which hasn’t changed since 2009. The wide variances create a cross-country picture that is at once mixed and nuanced.

Why We Wrote This

The idea behind raising base pay closer to a “living wage” – pay that covers basic expenses – is that it builds better communities. But some businesses say the increases push them to the brink.

The notion of having a minimum wage, say experts, is to have a pay floor that allows for a basic living standard. That living standard, however, varies from city to town and from state to state. Work philosophies and politics also come into play. 

“It really is a reflection of what the body politic in the jurisdiction feels is the minimum that they would like to see any worker in that jurisdiction be paid per hour,” points out economist Jerry Nickelsburg, director of the University of California, Los Angeles’ Anderson Forecast.

SOURCE:

Economic Policy Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator 

|

Jacob Turcotte/Staff

Closing the gap

State minimum wages have risen faster than inflation for many workers since 2009, despite stagnation in federal policy. But across the country, minimum wages still fall consistently below what economists call living wages – the amount needed to meet a person’s, or family’s, basic needs. 

While many minimum wage workers are unskilled teens, the vast majority of workers who benefit from minimum wage hikes are over the age of 20, according to research by the Economic Policy Institute. 

The living wage varies widely among jurisdictions, driven in large part by the cost of housing. The states where minimum wages are highest are the same states where, despite higher costs, the lowest wage earners are within reach of a living wage. Alternatively, the states with lower costs also tolerate the lowest minimum wages – and have the largest gap for low-wage workers to make up. 

“We still have large numbers of workers who do not earn enough to meet their family’s basic needs,” says Ken Jacobs, who co-chairs the University of California, Berkeley’s Labor Center. He adds, “The preponderance of academic research finds that minimum wage laws do what they’re intended to do. They improve low-wage workers’ earnings, which has a full range of positive impacts, both on workers and on society.” 

Connecticut has the narrowest gap between minimum and living wages: A single person with no children working full time at $15.69 per hour is 12% shy of a living wage. Georgia, where the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, has the largest gap: 59%. In all states, the gaps are much bigger for workers with children. 

Fast-food workers Angelica Hernandez (left) and Ronalda Alcazar Cruz celebrate Sept. 28, 2023, in Los Angeles after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the fast-food minimum wage increase legislation that takes effect April 1.

Intervention at the policy level, says Professor Jacobs, recognizes an ongoing, outsize power that employers hold in the workplace. The more workers earn, the more they spend in the local economy, “and that’s good overall, for our local economies, and it’s vital for workers to be able to meet their basic needs,” he says.

“Ready to give up”

California’s minimum wage is $16 per hour, with some cities raising it higher ($19.08 in West Hollywood). The state calls on specific industries, also, to raise their wages in the months and years ahead: In April, California’s fast-food workers go to $20 per hour, and by 2026, health care workers will make at least $25 per hour.  

Business owners here say that they are feeling squeezed. With the country’s low 3.7% unemployment rate, many businesses are already paying above minimum wage for jobs that historically fit that category. The increased labor cost, added to a jump in costs for goods, insurance, and other operational expenses, means that many employers are struggling to emerge from a pandemic slump that caused many to shut their doors for good.

A customer picks up a meal bag at a McDonald’s drive-thru window in Los Angeles, Sept. 28, 2023. California will raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 per hour next year, an acknowledgment that many in the low-pay workforce are primary earners for their households.

The landscape, in a word, is uncertain, according to John Kabatek, California director for the National Federation of Independent Business. 

“Small-business owners in California are frightened, scared, and frustrated that policymakers are doing next to nothing to help them emerge from that COVID hole,” says Mr. Kabatek. “Add to that the legislature’s inaction on retail theft and property crimes, and small-business owners have good reason to feel … ready to give up.”

Lumber and hardware store owner Jeff Pardini says those minimum wage hikes translate to increased costs across the board. It’s “death by a thousand cuts,” he says.

Back in San Diego, Ms. Champagne says she and her friends are still having a tough time keeping up with expenses. Those who work in the fast-food industry, especially, are looking forward to the April pay raise. 

She says she needs her job – and would work at the lower rate, but the extra bit is a big help. “Before I was waiting on checks to be able to get gas and do other things,” she says. “But with this, I have a little extra wiggle room.”

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : The Christian Science Monitor – https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2024/0213/Minimum-wages-rise-Here-s-where-the-changes-matter-most?icid=rss

Tags: minimumscienceWages
Previous Post

Australia, US grapple with reports of rising antisemitism

Next Post

Jenny Cavnar joins A’s as first woman to become primary play-by-play announcer in MLB history

Mapped: The Size of Each Country’s Shadow Economy – Visual Capitalist

Unveiling the Hidden Economy: A Global Map of Shadow Markets

May 18, 2025

Country Music Legend Bids Heartfelt Farewell: ‘Y’all Gonna Make Me Tear Up!

May 18, 2025
Bomb hits California reproductive health clinic which FBI calls ‘terrorism’ – Al Jazeera

California Reproductive Health Clinic Targeted in Devastating Bomb Attack Classified as ‘Terrorism’ by FBI

May 18, 2025
Republicans’ populism can sound very progressive – CNN

Unpacking the Progressive Sound of Republican Populism

May 18, 2025
How will BCI technology change the lives of people with disabilities? – news.cgtn.com

Transforming Lives: The Impact of BCI Technology on People with Disabilities

May 18, 2025
2025 NBA playoffs schedule: Knicks vs. Pacers game times, Eastern Conference finals dates, complete bracket – CBS Sports

Get Ready for the 2025 NBA Playoffs: Knicks vs. Pacers Game Times, Eastern Conference Finals Dates, and Full Bracket Breakdown!

May 18, 2025
How ecology, statistics and interdisciplinary collaboration can save species – UCT News

How ecology, statistics and interdisciplinary collaboration can save species – UCT News

May 18, 2025
150,000-year history of Earth’s magnetic field reveals clues about the climate when early humans were spreading out of Africa – Live Science

150,000-year history of Earth’s magnetic field reveals clues about the climate when early humans were spreading out of Africa – Live Science

May 18, 2025
Experimental gene editing helped a desperately ill baby thrive. Scientists say it could someday treat millions – PBS

Revolutionary Gene Editing Gives Hope to Desperate Parents: A Breakthrough for Millions

May 18, 2025
The lifestyle tweaks that gave me a biological age of 20 – at 61! – Daily Mail

How I Reversed My Biological Age to 20 at 61 with Simple Lifestyle Changes!

May 18, 2025

Categories

Archives

May 2025
MTWTFSS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
« Apr    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (617)
  • Economy (631)
  • Entertainment (21,545)
  • General (15,223)
  • Health (9,673)
  • Lifestyle (635)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (634)
  • Politics (639)
  • Science (15,854)
  • Sports (21,141)
  • Technology (15,622)
  • World (620)

Recent News

Mapped: The Size of Each Country’s Shadow Economy – Visual Capitalist

Unveiling the Hidden Economy: A Global Map of Shadow Markets

May 18, 2025

Country Music Legend Bids Heartfelt Farewell: ‘Y’all Gonna Make Me Tear Up!

May 18, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version