LETTER: Minimum wage debate missing the facts
Politicians want to increase the minimum wage, claiming this is a crucial matter for all Americans. Let’s look at some facts to have an informed opinion.
First, what percentage of our hourly workers make the minimum wage or less? Fifty percent? Twenty percent? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019 1.9 percent of the 84 million hourly wage workers made the minimum or less.
Who were these people? The minimum wage requirement does not apply to businesses having less than two employees and those with annual sales of less than $500,000. Several categories of workers make the minimum wage or less. These are workers 16-24 years of age, workers without a high school diploma and food service workers.
Politicians have said that, had the 2009 minimum wage of $7.25 been indexed to inflation, it would now be about $20 an hour. Since 2009, the CPI has risen 1.6 percent per year. With that, the minimum wage would now be less than $10 per hour. Politicians used an inflation rate of 9.66 percent, more than five times the CPI growth during that time.
Forget the rhetoric, the hand wringing, the angst and the sound and fury and look at the facts. Then maybe we all can put this matter into perspective. Political energy would be better focused on getting our economy and schools back on track and beating COVID-19. Also, do not confuse the minimum wage with the living wage.
