I have a minimum-wage idea. Would it work?

[DetlefK]

Basically, it would be a two-tier-system:
- Underage workers make at least minimum-wage I, which is about $7 or so. (or none, maybe depends on state or so)
- Adult workers make at least minimum-wage II, which is about $10 or so.

Republicans like to crow how minimum-wage jobs are meant to build character in teenagers and whatnot. Adults are not supposed to have minimum-wage jobs! Go get a real job!



Minimum-wage I would allow companies to exploit young workers, which live with their parents anyways so having a tiny paycheck wouldn't make a difference.

Minimum-wage II on the other hand is based on the premise that it shouldn't take more than X work-hours per month to supply a minimum-household: 2 adults, 1 child, running costs of living, a fraction of static costs of living.



Companies would still be free to hire teenagers over adults, however the number of teenagers and the sort of tasks they can perform (experience&time-schedule) is limited, so companies would have to actively attract low-wage workers.

[unblock]

1. sure, let's give jobs adults need to feed their family to privileged teenagers who need mad money.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. I think the other commenter pointed out the flaw here.

That simply incentivizes employers to hire as many teens as possible, and exclude older adults.

[DetlefK]

4. But there are many times more adults than teenagers.

[rwheeler31]

3. Child labor is still illegal.

Free labor is called volunteering.

[Warpy]

5. Great, get adults with kids to feed out of the only jobs out there

while teaching kids that they're not worth much.

Honey, work is work. Any job to be done should pay enough for the person doing it to live on. Employers should never be given a pool of people, whether young, female, or black, that they're allowed to pay below subsistence wages to because those are the only people they'll hire and they'll fire them as soon as raises put them over what training a green kid would cost.

It's unjust.

I should also add that it's been a Republican wet dream for thirty years. I'm not calling you out as a Republican, I'm telling you why it's been shot down every single time.

Maybe the assholes will ram it through this time and you'll see in real life why it's such a terrible idea.