Minimum Wage

11 Pages 2643 Words

er-priced menus, and during less popular hours of the day. The gratuities are inconsistent and unreliable yet they account for half of these workers’ income.

The guideline for $30 per month in tips is terribly outdated. A waitress who works 40 hours a week at half the minimum wage would be paid $443.76 ($2.58 half min wage x 40 hours x 4.3 weeks) per month by the employer. She would need to earn $443.76 in tips to simply meet the minimum wage. The guideline cited above for $30.00 per month is half of the minimum wage for an employee who works eleven hours a month. Employers following the dollar guide, rather than mathematically checking that employees are earning at least the minimum wage each month, are paying less than the legal minimum. The explanation of this commonly used exception ought to be on the minimum wage signs that employers are required to post, so employees may understand the law and check their own earnings.

In 1996 an amendment was made to the FLSA that allows employers to pay employees under 20 years of age only $4.25, rather than the minimum wage of $5.15, for the first 90 calendar days of employment. No specific training must be given during the 90 days but it was adopted on the assumption that young workers require extra training and a longer initial adjustment time than more experienced workers (Cong. Dig, 2000). Minimum wage work is generally low-skilled labor, so it is doubtful that the average young employee needs any extra training to perform at the same level as coworkers. People just entering the workforce need to learn to present themselves appropriately in a business setting, to communicate effectively, and to understand how the business world differs from the private world. However, these lessons are not directly taught by employers. The justification for this amendment is questionable.

Ten states have a higher minimum wage than the federally regulated $5.15 an hour. The ten pro...