How many of you have actually worked for minimum wage?
371423
I worked for the minimum wage for nearly 3 years in a coffee/shop retaurant ran and owned by my uncle....\n\ni was finally upgaded after that, i left for a short period but came back again as i need money to see my love.\n\nit sucks to work for minimum wage, i am now earning a pound more than the minimum wage, which is not bad for part time work
1036156
I saw in the News yesterday a refusal to a proposal to raise the minimum wage, which is currently 5.15 (Dollars) an hour. It is the National min. wage. Sorry to tell you this.
818472
Nope!   But there are so many of us working, and making ends meet, and pay for that privilege in more way s then one.   It does not encourage you to work and help yourself does it.\n\nWell never mind mate, at least we can live with our consciences\ncant we  !        ;0)
742133
Calculated in today's $$, the minimum wage was about $6.13 in 1950. In 1968, in today's dollars it was $9.12. That is not what they actually made, but the equivalent amount today. Check this link...\nhttp://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/minwage.html\n\nThe minimum wage was first set in 1938\n\n"A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938..." \nPlease follow the link that was in my answer and in my source and save your "!" ... now what is the source for YOUR statement, Sir?
607542
minimum wage is 6.50 isnt it
948005
None of my KIDS made minimum wage when they had summer jobs, so it will only affect us when prices go up because companies have to pay their workers more.\n\n**they made more than the MW
730710
I have mixed feelings.  I have been through a number of minimum wage increases and all I've seen is the price go up and eat up any gains we had, as well as more lay-offs, less benefits and fewer full time positions.  The people at the top control the price and they make sure they get their cut first no matter what.  There is no trickle down anymore.  As it has been figured.....minimum wage still isn't a wage many people can survive on with prices the way they are now.  Whether you are renting or owning, driving your own car or taking a bus.  The essentials alone are taking too much of the wages to get by and still be able to save or meet the expense of an illness or injury.  It is survival wage.  If anything....it should be the pay elected officials are paid and then they might get a different view of the world.  They are looking from the top- down.  Maybe they should get a gander from the bottom-up.\n\nMinimum wage does not apply to a great majority of jobs.  Many people wrongly assume it does.  It does not apply to waitresses and pizza delivery jobs and some agriculture and even some businesses that do piece work.  It's supposed to average minimum wage but it in reality it doesn't.  Big business has discovered ways to even get around that.  Like a waitress.  They are sometimes paid a small wage and then the tips are supposed to make it up to the average of minimum wage.  For some...it's just tips only.  It is not based on the actual tips received but what you are supposed to get.  Unfortunatly people aren't forced to tip and many don't tip what the "proper" percent is supposed to be.  Then they started making it where the bus-boy and sometimes even the bartender get to take a share of the supposed tip while receiving less than minimum wage. So the waitress pays them up and gets whats left.  But taxed on it whether it's actually received or not.  Depending on where you live, the type of restaurant and clientel....you are surviving or can do pretty well.  People assume the delivery fee for pizza delivery is going to the driver and they don't tip.  Wrong.  Depends on the company.  Some pocket that and the driver is working for tips only, no gas reimbursement and usually has to do the dishes for free.\n\nThey need to start looking at the top as well ,before anything will be close to fair and a liveable wage.  As long as there's no accountability to the top dog, they will find a way around minimum wage if it was 100 an hour.  Sounds good, but not if it gets you no-where.
431796
It is 5.15 per hour.  Dang, I would hope you would set your sights higher than minimum.  Try waiting tables.  It pays a lot better and the hours aren't bad.\n\nIt's more complicated than the other answerer would have you believe...some states even have a minimum wage lower than the federal standard which is 5.15.  Colorado's state minimum wage , as of the beginning of April, was 5.15.  Other states have other rules.
951939
I used to work on minimum wage for many years. Yes it sucks and it too low to live on - BUT - it taught me that I needed a good education and inspired me to excel because I knew I would never want to be that poor again! I came from lowly background and paid my way thru college (jobs, loans, scholarships) - nothing inspired me more than wanting to get out of my factory job working a smelly printing press.\n\nWhat you have to understand is the big picture of macro-economics.  When eveyone gets paid more for minimum wages, companies can either hire fewer people to do the same work - or charge more for their products. This increases prices (from McD's hamburgers (crew), to apartment rent (paying janitors), to evrything else.  Now you are back where you were before because you need more money - even though you got a wage hike.  This is an artifically high wage rate if the market can not support it.  This is why so many illegal immigrants are working - they take less money than minimum wage and get by. Employers pay them so they can keep their prices lower to compete and be successful. Businesses that fail cannot hire and pay people.  \n\nWhile I 100% agree that someone earning minimum wage can not make ends meet, raising it only makes the problem escalate. The real cure is eduacation and job development.  If you are stuck in a minimum wage job for your life - you are screwed. Take action and pull yourself up.  This is the land of opportunity and millions of immigrants with no money in their pockets made good by hard work, investments and education. Immigrants (my roots) know that education is the key to escaping poverty - this is why they scrape and save every penny - to help pay for their kids' college.\n\nYou sound pissed at the world  - this will keep you miserable - no way to live life.  Look up - you can make it if you put your mind to it and live to succeed.
782378
I doubt you'll get any job offering pay significantly over minimum wage.\n\nJust get a paper route, be one of those people who pass out flyers, or work at McDonald's.
997650
Definitely.  the current minimum wage pays a worker around $200 for a 40-hour week.  Unless you're eating dog food, you can't live on that little money.  And there are millions of Americans who do their best.\n\nBut Congress doesn't care about poor people, so they refuse to allow them to earn a wage they can actually live on.  It's disgusting, the way the government craps on the very people who need their help the most.
1186633
Whats amazing about this is that, while voting down a minimum wage increase 9 times over the last 10 years, they've voted to increase their pay 7 times. How's that for hypocracy? \n\nI think Congress and the Senate should be paid the same way we pay them here in NH, $100 per year plus expenses.\n\nJust another point - About half of all hourly-paid workers earning $5.15 or less were over age 25. Over 3/4 of minimum wage workers work full time. Just disputing a few "facts" others have quoted without sources.
56082
Last time they did it, before it was even put into action, grocery prices immediately jumped.  Those who made minimum wage spent the extra on groceries.  Middle class people on a salary had to bite the bullet and pay more.  Miminum wage jobs aren't for making a living--they are for a second income or teenagers or college students.  Raising minimum wage won't improve the plight of those with minumum wage jobs.
826124
Case in point MN raised minimum wage to 6.15 an hour (with soc, and medicare and other taxes that is 7.08 an hour.  I had 104 employees of which 68 were minimum wage wait staff.  Their take home pay was about $150 a night in tips plus the $30 in wages for a total of $46,800 a year on average.  The 20% increase in the minimum wage cost all 104 employees their jobs.\n\n(note: this was a upscale restaurant and bar.  Two weeks before they passed the mim wage the Democratic also passed a smoking ban for the city, my daily bar business drove or walked five blocks away across city lines to be able to drink and smoke.\nIn addition my clientele was not minimum wage earners so the wage increase did not effect them.)
25749
min wage + 30%.  that is the standard.
375156
How about: how many people with college degrees work for minimum wage or in a field they didn't go to school for.
510774
Are you still Talking the "JOBS AMERICANS WONT DO" Bullshit.I like millions of other poor americans have done the very work people claim only immigrants do.Ive always done what i has too, to put a roof over my head and food on my table.Yet ive actually worked for less and payed taxes on less wages.Have you ever seen what happens to a $200 check after taxes? I have.It works out to be less than the cash jobs alot of illegals do.Are you blind or do you not even realize there is such a thing as "Poor Americans"