The Minimum Wage Debate

Minimum wage is defined as the lowest amount that employers can legally pay their workers per hour of labor. Most states have laws in place to enforce the minimum wage; those that do not are subject to the federal minimum wage of $7. 25. There are both benefits and drawbacks of this type of policy. Many supporters of a minimum wage believe it increases the standard of living and reduced poverty. Those that oppose a minimum wage believe it will increase unemployment and harms unskilled laborers. Introduction The Fair Labor Standards Act, passed in 1938, mandated a federal minimum wage that now applies to most work and most workers, in the United States. Originally the wage was set at 25 cents, the minimum wage has risen occasionally since 1938 to its current hourly level of $7. 25, where it has remained since 2009. When the minimum wage was roughly half the average wage, in the late 1960’s, full-time, year round minimum wage earnings for one worker lifted a family of three from poverty. Today, a minimum wage worker lives on $3,000 less than the poverty line – and the minimum wage is worth only 37 percent of the average wage (Owens, 2013). Minimum wage laws were established with certain goals in mind. Minimum wage was initially established to reduce poverty. Establishing a minimum wage in the United States removed sweat shops and insured individuals were paid properly for their work. Minimum wage additionally protects younger workers and minorities from being paid less than others. Support for an Increase in the Minimum Wage The positive effects of minimum wage are plentiful; it is believed that the minimum wage increases the standard of living for the poorest and most vulnerable classes in society and raises the average. It also stimulates consumption, by putting more money in the hands of low-income people who spend their entire paychecks. Minimum wage increases the work ethic of those who earn very little, as employers demand more return from the higher cost of hiring these employees. It decreases the cost of government social welfare programs, increasing incomes for the lowest-paid and encourages people to join the workforce rather than pursuing money through illegal means. The minimum wage also encourages efficiency and automation of industry and removes low paying jobs, forcing workers to train for, and move to, higher paying jobs (Fox, 2006). Many believe that minimum wage increases cause adverse employment effects. Three possible reasons minimum wages do not affect employment were suggested by Alan Blinder: higher wages may reduce turnover, and hence training costs; raising the minimum wage may â€Å"render moot† the potential problem of recruiting workers at a higher wage than current workers; and minimum wage workers might represent such a small proportion of a business's cost that the increase is too small to matter. He admits that he does not know if these are correct, but argues that â€Å"the list demonstrates that one can accept the new empirical findings and still be a card-carrying economist. † (Blinder, 1996). In discussing the minimum wage, Robert M. Solow, a Nobel laureate in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the New York Times, â€Å"The main thing about (minimum wage) research is that the evidence of job loss is weak. And the fact that the evidence is weak suggests that the impact on jobs is small. † (Norlund, 1997) The American public supports increasing the minimum wage by a solid margin. Nearly every survey finds overwhelming support for raising the minimum wage. For example, a poll recently conducted by the website Politico, conducted in March of 2013 found that 71% of Americans backed an increase in the minimum wage. Opposition of an Increase in the Minimum Wage Opponents of the minimum wage claim it hurts small business more than large business. By increasing wages, business owners must use their profits to increase wages or increase their prices. Cheaper labor helps small businesses employ younger and more inexperienced workers to perform less skill intensive work. It’s also argued that it may cause price inflation due to businesses increasing the price of goods sold. Small businesses with limited payroll budges cannot offer their most valuable employees fair and attractive wages above unskilled workers paid the artificially high minimum, and see a rising hurdle-cost of adding workers (Jr. , 2005). Some opponents claim that the goals minimum wage was created to accomplish have not been met. In some instances employment has decreased more than the increase in wages and thereby overall earnings are still reduced. Businesses are forced to hire fewer employees because paid wages have increased to meet the minimum. Some studies have shown that few low-wage workers actually come from families in poverty. Thus, minimum wage is more often imposed on the teenage worker with their first job than on people who would otherwise be unemployed. Additional arguments against the minimum wage include how it is ineffective compared to other methods such as basic income (or negative income tax), which is a system of social security that periodically provides each citizen with a sum of money that is sufficient to live on. This does not include a means test, the richest and the poorest would receive it as something similar to a dividend from the government. A guaranteed minimum income is another proposed system of social welfare. It’s similar to basic income, but it is normally conditional and subject to a means test. A refundable tax credit, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit is another alternative for minimum wage, which some claim was an effective stimulus for the economy. Opinion I feel very torn between the pros and cons of the minimum wage debate. I feel that a living wage for employees is necessary to ensure that poverty levels are avoided. In addition to avoiding poverty, fair wages for all is essential to reducing wage discrimination. However, I find that the increased wage paid to employees by small businesses can be crippling to their profits, particularly in our current economy and with how frequently small businesses fail. Conclusion Both sides present valid arguments, so what is the solution? One solution would be to raise the minimum wage to an acceptable higher level for â€Å"adult† workers, while retaining exceptions to allow the businesses to hire teenagers, students and temporary or seasonal workers at a lower minimum wage. This would protect those most impacted by a low minimum wage, families attempting to survive on a single minimum wage salary, while protecting the jobs of traditional â€Å"minimum wage† workers by allowing businesses to hire them at the previous rates. Though this solution has its flaws, however, employers might use a wage disparity as an incentive to hire more young workers at lower rates, leaving older workers jobless. This solution and others are highly debated by politicians and citizens and truly, no solution has been found. In time, the federal minimum wage will rise, as is dictated by laws both purposed and in effect currently. Perhaps a better solution for small businesses impacted would be a tax subsidy to balance the loss in profits from an increased minimum wage. It would increase hiring rates, and would keep small businesses at their previous profit levels. Employment would increase in a sector, small business, which our economy greatly relies on and provide those companies with incentive to increase their labor force.

How to Say Nothing in 500 Words

?In Paul Roberts essay â€Å"How to Say Nothing in 500 Words† he gives us nine tips that we can use to be a more productive writer. The first is to â€Å"Avoid the obvious† in which we should make a list of the things that immediately come to mind and not use them in your writing. Second he says that you should â€Å"Take the less usual side† which most people will avoid. He also mentions that trying to predict what the teacher wants is not a good way to choose a topic. Third is to â€Å"Slip out of abstraction† by not using vague topics but to go into detail instead.Number four says to â€Å"Get rid of the obvious padding† by beginning with more real content so you don’t have to add fluff. The fifth is â€Å"Call a fool a fool† meaning that you should get to the point and not be apologetic. The sixth is to â€Å"Beware of pat expressions† which are common phrases that everybody uses. Next is to use â€Å"Colorful words† to paint a picture or cause an emotion. In number eight he says to use â€Å"Colored words† which have associations either good or bad that are common to us from past experiences. Finally he warns against using too many â€Å"Colorless words† which have been utilized so much that the meanings have been diminished.I agree with what Paul has written because I have made each one of these mistakes, especially trying to find as many words as possible to fill up a page. I found that he used examples in a way that made his points clear and easy to understand. The text is a little dated but well written with the exception of some spelling and grammar mistakes. In one sentence that stood out to me, he used every one of the â€Å"colorless words† that he had listed, which was barely understandable. I plan on using the ideas from this essay in my future writing in hopes that I will not get a grade of â€Å"D. †

Campaign Threats or Implied Promise of Benefits

Did the employer statements constitute an unlawful threat or an unlawful promise in violation of Section 8(a)(1) of the LMRA? Why or why not? Yes, the employer statements were unlawful. The NLRA guaranteed workers the right to join unions without fear of management reprisal. It created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to enforce this right and prohibited employers from committing unfair labor practices that might discourage organizing or prevent workers from negotiating a union contract. Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection. Section 8 defines employer unfair labor practices. Employer interference, restraint, or coercion directed against union or collective activity (Section 8(a)(1)), was violated in this case study. Threats, warnings, and orders to refrain from protected activities are forms of interference and coercion that violate Section 8(a)(1). Section 8 also prohibits union unfair labor practices, which include, according to legal construction, failure to provide fair representation to all members of the bargaining unit. The NLRA sets out general rights and obligation. Enforcing the Act in particular situations is the job of the NLRB. Did the questioning or statements by either supervisor Bates or Lofton constitute unlawful interrogation in violation of Section 8(a)(1) of the LMRA? Explain fully why or why not. As mentioned in the first question, yes it was unlawful interrogation. These supervisors were desperately trying to get the employees to vote against the union. In the event that they were successful at having all of their employees to vote against the union, some of them may have been unhappy and treated unfairly. Without representation, an employee will lose most battles against companies, unless they have solid proof of the employer’s wrongdoing. In the case I notice how the supervisors both told employees about the reduction in their benefits. They were trying to use scare tactics because they know people need their benefits. The supervisors seem to want to make these promising decisions when in fact they should have been offering these things to the employees in the first place. It doesn’t make sense to try to make things better to keep from getting the union involved. The plant manager was trying to convince the employees that they are able to handle things without the union getting involved. The manager tried to say that the unions are known for making broken promises, but it seems as if that is what the employer was doing. Develop a set of guidelines for supervisors and managers to follow when speaking to employees during a union organizing campaign. Employers should not threaten employees during an organizing campaign, but economic predictions regarding matters outside of the employer’s control, which are demonstrable, may be made. The employer should refrain from inflaming racial hatred. They should listen to what the employee has to say and advise them that they are able to speak with anyone on the management staff without union representation. They should advise the employees of the benefits that they are currently enjoying; however there is no need to make a threat to take away any benefits or reduce the cost. In the event that an employee is being insubordinate, they will need to continue to follow company’s policies and guidelines; however they will need to make sure they have sufficient evidence to support their decision. The NLRB prohibits employers from holding captive audience meetings 24 hours prior to the election, because insufficient time will exist for the union to respond; therefore if they decide to hold a meeting it will have to be within reasonable times. There should be a social media policy in place and such policy should be clear and understandable to the average employee. The NLRB’s rulings have in large part turned on the ambiguities of social media policies, and the possibility that employees may misunderstand the policies to bar protected activities. A social media policy must not be overbroad. Policies should be narrowly drawn to address the employer’s legitimate policy objectives (for example, preventing the disclosure of the company’s proprietary information via social media or restricting the use of social media to engage in harassing conduct that would violate the company’s anti-discrimination and harassment policies). Employers will not like what the unions are trying to do, but this does not give them the right to talk down on the unions. When employers talk to employees during a union organizing campaign, they will need to be mindful of what they are saying. Sometimes people talk too much and a supervisor or manager could cause an employer to have a lawsuit. Within the guidelines, I suggest the managers and supervisors to keep their negative thoughts to themselves. This will eliminate someone saying the wrong thing and will allow the employees to make a valid decision based on their own thoughts and opinions. Explain fully how the NLRB should rule in this case and why. The NLRB should rule that the employer is in violation because of the things the supervisors said. This may not be the first time or maybe it is; however it should not go unnoticed and that is what some would like to see. In this case, the employees are being threatened about their benefits and wages. They are also making it seem as if they don’t need a union, when in fact they seem to really need someone there to represent the employees. The company also threatened two of the union supporters. When the supervisor advised that if they strike, there are more people waiting for their jobs; apparently that supervisor is not aware of the employee rights with the union behind them. The employer has to hold their jobs when they go on strike.

The Attention Span of the Preschool Child Research Paper

The Attention Span of the Preschool Child - Research Paper Example He was wearing a navy t-shirt, khaki shorts, plain white socks and white tennis shoes. He paid no attention whatsoever to his clothing during the period of observation. He was accompanied by his mother, a young woman who referred to him exclusively as â€Å"Pumpkin†. I observed Pumpkin run, walk, climb a short ladder, slide down a small twisty slide and write legible letters in dirt with a stick, as well as drawing various human and animal figures and numbers. His physical development and coordination seemed appropriate to his age, perhaps slightly advanced but not significantly so. Pumpkin did not appear to derive the same degree of satisfaction with his playground exploits as did the other children in his age range, and only climbed the ladder to the slide at the insistence of his mother. At no point did Pumpkin interact in a sustained way with any children his own age on the playground. I observed some fantasy play, but no cooperative or parallel play during this period. Pu mpkin engaged exclusively in solitary play for the duration, with occasional attempts to engage his mother's attention. Pumpkin interacted only with his mother during the course of the observation. He was very independent throughout, and showed no discomfort or significant displeasure at any point. He appeared to have fostered a healthy and secure attachment to his mother, and was comfortable venturing a reasonable distance away from her. Pumpkin was fairly polite with his mother, asking, â€Å"Please help me write this† and so on. His mother made several attempts to redirect Pumpkin toward the playground before he gave up and went back to entertaining himself by writing in the dirt. I observed some fairly sophisticated grammar from Pumpkin during this time period. Most notable about his speech was that despite the complexity and length of his statements, the sound /r/ was entirely absent. This made even sophisticated phrasing sound very juvenile at times. Much of Pumpkin's s peech was directed toward himself, in the form of questions and answers (â€Å"What do we call animals who eat plants? Animals who eat plants are called 'herbivores'.†) as well as running commentary about what he was drawing (â€Å"I'm a friendly triceratops, I like to run fast and I have three horns on my face.†) Pumpkin engaged in running commentary at every stage of self-directed play. A smaller portion of his speech was directed toward his mother, usually in the form of a question such as "How do you spell 'diplodocus'," or "How many groups have more than three?" His mother usually responded only by repeating the question back to Pumpkin, smiling and saying, "That's nice, Pumpkin", or with a non-committal hum as she continued working on a crossword puzzle. When I began my observation, Pumpkin's mother had just convinced him to climb the slide. As soon as he got to the bottom, he began drawing with a stick and did not stop before I completed my observations. During his drawing time, Pumpkin drew dinosaurs, dinosaur footprints, letters, numbers, and circles (around â€Å"groups†). His favorite number was 3. This observation leads me to believe that Pumpkin is not a typical preschooler. His attention span was extremely long, and his choice of activities did not align with those of his age mates. At no point did he attempt to engage any children of his own age in play, though he seemed perfectly comfortable speaking with his mother and seemed aware of the other children (if not particularly interested in them).

Sustainability in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sustainability in business - Essay Example Finally, the project presents some of the criticisms that the companies had to face and the steps taken by them to counter the charges. Every business strives to attain sustainability in today’s world. Sustainability is an idea that every business tries to portray. A sustainable organisation is one, which tries to maximise profit for its shareholders while protecting its environment and improves the lives of those it interacts with. The business operates with the view to meet the interests of society and environment. A sustainable business always stands the chance to achieve greater success in future and remain successful for decades and generations. This project talks about three such corporations which thrive on sustainability. They are the three Italian companies, namely Fiat, Pirelli and Luxottica. Each company has its own way of maintaining sustainability. Each has been discussed in brief in this project. The project also discusses the way each company has paved its way to recovery and success. Fiat is an Italian automobile manufacturer company that also deals with financial services, media, engine manufacturer and metallurgy. The company was founded in 1899 by a group of investors in Italy. With time the company diversified its operation in different parts of the world. In 2009, Fiat was considered as the sixth largest car manufacturer in the world and the largest in Italy (Ramsey & Forden, 2009). Fiat is a multinational in true sense. The company has invested in many locations outside Italy. It has announced to invest 10 billion reais in Brazil by 2015; for developing facilities for cars, auto parts and agricultural machineries (Reuters, 2010). The company came into existence in 1899 and soon it was a great hit in the automobile industry. The company faced its first crisis after World War-I. At that time the company acquired a low cost mass production technology and introduced several new models. Fiat established many

A Comparison of Motivation Factors in the UK and China Essay

A Comparison of Motivation Factors in the UK and China - Essay Example From this essay it is clear that the managers should consider what motivation is appropriate for each category of employees in order to achieve required change or performance . The timing of motivation is also necessary to make the desired change at the right time. There is a direct relationship between employee motivation and organization performance. The scope of this document is to examine various factors that motivate employees and provide a comparison of employee motivation in the telecommunication industry between China and UK. In addition, the report will analyze the performance of the telecommunication industries of the two countries and establish any relation between employee motivation and performance. The study will involve only secondary data obtained from peer-reviewed sources but will not include any primary data.This paper declares that  employee motivation is one of the core long-term success elements in many organizations, even though, some employers always try to overlook its importance. â€Å"Work Motivation is a set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individual’s being, to initiate the work-related behavior and to determine its form, direction, intensity,and duration†.  Employee motivation is an internal disposition of a person to be focused on and approach positive inducements and shun disincentives. The employee motivation factors can be categorized as those based on their needs as described by Maslow theory.

Response to Evolution questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response to Evolution questions - Research Paper Example In addition, all human beings have a common ancestor in some part. Hence all living organisms connect or relate through the tree of life in some respect. The second most common feature is that only the fittest of organisms survive and reproduce offspring. Evolution can be noted in various organisms such as butterflies. Butterflies have modified their shape, color etc. over time to adapt to the environment in which they live. Evolution has also affected humans in many ways, and, theorists believe apes are the predecessors of evolved species called humans. The authors, Hughes et al. observe that humans share nearly 95% of their DNA structure with chimpanzees who are considered closest animal relatives to humans. Since evolution has come into the knowledge of people, a conflict between religion and science has emerged. Evolution is primarily based on ideas and concepts taken from religion. Bascom argues that the concept of creation and evolution are not contradictory and, therefore, should be studied together in this respect. Very strong controversy erupted when Charles Darwin presented his theory of natural selection in the year 1859. The author, Myers states that the concepts, which were presented, by Darwin altogether changed the human ideology related to evolution and how we study the human race today. Evolution can be regarded as the mutation which takes place in an organism in consecutive generations. Heng postulates that predecessors often inherit such changes and evolution explains the variety of such changes at each and every level of organic structure. Natural selection is a slow and steady process by which biological mannerism becomes common in any population of an organism. This is the primary mechanism of biological change and is referred to as evolution. The most renowned feature of evolution is that all species living today are somehow successors of species which existed earlier. In addition, all human beings