Keeping an eye on the minimum wage
The federal minimum wage will be increased for the first time in more than a decade this July. On July 24, the wage for people covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act will be a whopping $5.85 per hour.
Better late than never, I guess. Will it make a difference? Especially with the cost of gas, which is reported to have surpassed the $4/gallon average nationwide. In Alaska, it wasn’t unusual to drive 25 or 30 miles–one way–to work; I imagine the same happens all over the country, including places like Kansas and Wyoming, where the density is low and, sometimes, so are the wages (minimum wage in Kansas for anyone not covered by the FLSA is $2.65/hour). It stands to reason that people who commute out there are in particularly dire situations–unable to easily switch jobs to reduce the commute, yet not making enough to comfortably pay for gas on top of everything else. The rise in gas prices may be a boon for public transit, but that is an option enjoyed mainly by urban and suburban populations. The only bus I ever took in Texas, Alaska, or Nebraska was a school bus.
Here’s a map of how state minimum wages compare to the federal minimum, from the Department of Labor:
Green states have higher minimum wages than the federal wage. Blue states are the same. Red states are lower. Yellow states have no law. And American Samoa has it’s own rule, which has been a point of some contention.
Update: The Times is looking at how high gas prices are playing out in rural communities.
