This week we have seen a large push from many labor groups to raise the minimum wage. Most of this is centered around the HR 5901, the “Catching Up To 1968 Act of 2012″. It has been more than three years since we raised the minimum wage. Over the last two weeks I have talked about why it is important to raise the minimum wage : In 1968 Minimum Wage Should Have Been $10 per hour, Why Is It Only $7.25 Now? and Proof That Raising The Minimum Wage Would Not Put Mom and Pop Stores Out Of Business.
Both of these previous post talked about why it is important to raise the minimum wage and that it is large corporations who employ the most minimum wage employees. Now I want to tell you about another reason we should raise minimum wage.
Opponents of raising the minimum wage like to talk about how the minimum wage really only effects young people, like teenagers. Now we are finding that is not true. Today the Economic Policy Institute released some new findings that show the majority of people who earn minimum wage are over 20 years old.
"87.9 percent of those affected nationally by increasing the federal minimum wage to $9.80 are 20 years of age and older." This means that just over 13% of workers under 20 years old are making minimum wage. In New Hampshire the number is a little lower at 78.7%. This means that less than a quarter of the people in New Hampshire who are making minimum wage are less than 20 years old.
With this new information the most appalling thing of all is that "more than a third (35.8 percent) are married, and over a quarter (28.0 percent) are parents". The EPI estimates that more that the parents of "21 million children" would see a raise in their paychecks.
For more information and to see how the other states ranked check out the EPI infosheet.
Posted on the NH Labor News