2001connections-article0005 Consequences of low minimum wage.

2001connections-article0005
Consequences of low minimum wage.

Low minimum wage inflicts immeasurable harm on society. Companies which pay their employees only as much [or as little] money as required by law, should be regarded as bad corporate citizens. Shame, shame!! When employers who, as a rule, provide just the lowest renumeration permissible, they send the wrong message to the rest of society. Particularly to young people entering the workforce for the first time. A teenager getting a first job might question why his or her work is deemed to be worth next to zero. A morally damaging picture of the corporate ladder emerges. On this scale: entry level = minimum wage $. Middle management = medium money $$$. Top brass = mega money $$$$$$$$$$. Of course, the corporate ladder thus described is oversimplified and not exactly proportioned. But the overall concept of the structure remains accurate. Exploitees become eager to rise within the hierarchy and to become exploiters.
    A slogan of underpaid employees might become "minimum wage only merits minimum work". In simpler terms, exploited workers could consider themselves justified in goofing off on the job and delivering substandard performance. "Slacker" may cease to be a four-letter word and could become a fashionable buzzword among minimum wage employees. T-shirts with a progressive motto or two, along these lines, will probably be common at some time in the near future. But caution is required here. Vindictive employers might resort to firings.

Common decency should compel any company to pay their workers at least 50% over the minimum wage. Therefore, if the minimum wage is 6 units [of whatever currency] per hour, then an employer with a social conscience (please don’t laugh) ought to pay at least 9 units per hour to its entry-level workers. I cannot possible imagine any job which really deserves only the minimum wage.
    Raising the minimum wage by 50% through legislation is probably not the optimum solution. Such a move could turn into a socio-economic disaster. Perhaps most or all salaries would rise dramatically, from the lowest to the highest. Even some of the top earners who make too much money already, would get more. Fatcats getting fatter. Prices would rise substantially, once again penalizing the lowest-income population most severely.
    Other solutions merit consideration, to achieve some degree of socio-economic progress. Shaming and ostracizing greedy corporations, in a lawful manner, might bring about some positive change. Perhaps monetary and other sanctions against employers who refuse to pay at least 50% over the minimum wage. If companies were compelled to disclose their salary scale to the public, then consumers could make an enlightened choice when deciding what to buy, and from whom. The situation seems unlikely to be resolved in a fair manner anytime soon. But if we collectively do as much as we can, there is hope.

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