“Working Poor and Young Hit Hard in Downturn”
Read a Nov. 8, 2008, New York Times story about how the working poor and young are hit particularly hard by the faltering economy.
Category: Poverty & welfare
“Delay the Minimum-Wage Hike”
Read a June 12, 2009, Wall Street Journal op-ed column arguing that the third increase in the minimum wage should not be carried out because of the high unemployment rate. It’s written by David Neumark, an economics professor at the University of California, Irvine.
“The economic impact of local living wages”
Read a Feb. 16, 2006, analysis from the Economic Policy Institute of the economic impact of living-wage legislation.
“Living Wage Laws: How Much Do (Can) They Matter?”
See a Dec. 10, 2008, Brookings Institution report on the impact of living wage laws.
“Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012”
About 3.6 million workers–4.7% of all hourly paid workers in the United States–earned the minimum wage or less in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Minimum Wage Laws in the States”
The U.S. Department of Labor Web site provides an interactive map with information about minimum-wage laws in each state.
“History of Federal Minimum Wage Rates Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938-2009”
The U.S. Department of Labor provides information on the history of the minimum wage, from 1938 to the present.
“2013 State Legislation on Minimum Wage”
See a chart that tracks minimum-wage legislation by state. Some of those bills would also link the minimum wage to the cost-of-living index.
Michael Schut
Michael Schut is the Seattle-based author of Food & Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread. He leads retreats on the topics of spirituality, sustainability and eco-justice.