Lew Prince's The American Dream Needs A Fair Minimum Wage?

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More Than a Worker Imagine working under poor conditions for over 40 hours a week to afford basic human necessities only to remain nothing more than a cog in a corporal machine seen unworthy of livable wages. While this may seem unrealistic, it proves as reality for many lower class Americans. Minimum wage has seen a drastic decline in relation to the inflation of living costs, an issue addressed in Lew Prince’s, “The American Dream Needs a Fair Minimum Wage”. In the article, Prince, a business owner, states, “... in 1979, the minimum wage was $2.90 -- that would be $9.50, adjusted for inflation in 2014 dollars”. Even with this information, many americans above the poverty level line argue against an increase in wages. Although opinions often …show more content…

An employer who pays his employees the bare minimum will not see the same appreciation and respect as an employer who pays his employees livable wages. Lew Prince points out the various benefits that have come with paying his workers above the federal minimum since his business began. He states, “We’ve outlasted 20-store local chain and numerous regional and national chains. Most of these companies paid their employees minimum wage or barely above. My creative, dedicated, and better-paid employees won this life-or-death struggle for us” (Prince). Their loyalty also benefits Prince in the fact that he has to pay very little for employee turnover and constant training costs that other businesses struggle with. What Prince and many other business owners alike gain from higher wages reflects only a portion of the nation that will prosper from this monumental economical …show more content…

“Workers Make Appeal to Taxpayers,” also follows Andrew Olson, a McDonald 's worker who makes $8.60 an hour, and his fiance who makes minimum wage in their experience under the poverty line. “Their salaries are so meager [...] that they rely on food stamps and Medicaid to get by,” says Kelly about Olson’s current living status, a lifestyle most Americans involuntarily live. Aside from the benefits wreaked by business owners and taxpayers, the workers living on poor salaries prove as the most positively and heavily affected; the three point nine percent of working citizens treated unfairly by big businesses. “Workers Make Appeal to Taxpayers” concludes with a quote from Olson, “Just because I work in fast food, does that mean I should have to just scrape by in

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