Decrease Minimum Wage

Bryant Irawan /Indonesia Media

Imagine the following scenario. A teacher assigns your class a group project. You are randomly assigned to a group consisting of several students, several of whom you know to be lazy individuals. As is the case with many group assignments, one diligent student emerges as the leader, coordinates the efforts, and ends up doing the majority of the work. On this day, that individual is you. While you attend to the matter at hand, the rest of the group engages in idle conversation, perfectly content to watch you complete the assignment. They are confident that you will do the best job possible because you care about the quality of your work. Despite being disgruntled at their lackadaisical attitude, you finish the project and submit it on your group’s behalf. Your hard work is rewarded with an A+. But does it seem fair that all the group members that contributed virtually nothing receive the same grade as the student who did all the work?

This situation is similar to the issue of minimum wage which guarantees all workers, yes, even lazy, good-for-nothing ones, will receive a certain payment for their efforts. From the time minimum wage was introduced in the United States, it has been exploited by one group or another. In fact, the key reason minimum wage was introduced in 1938 by Northern manufacturing companies was not as a way to offer fair treatment for their employees, but as an obstacle to prevent Southern manufacturing companies from competing. I understand people earning minimum wage hold several jobs to make ends meet and if the wage is decreased, these individuals will have a hard time making a living. I also understand that everyone has different circumstances. However, are we willing to let our economy be drained away and let the hardworking citizens suffer? We have to remember that America is a place where everybody has the privilege of attaining an education free of charge for twelve years. Some individuals will choose to take advantage of this, while others will not. For this reason, the people who can only attain a minimum wage job deserve it. For each example like this, there is a person, rich or poor, who has utilized his/her education wisely to achieve monetary success. The government provides so many resources to help people during their crucial formative years as well as providing low interest government loans, scholarships, and grants to worthy students who show potential. Basically, people don’t have anyone to blame except themselves.

Employees are aware that the money the government guarantees is sufficient to support themselves. Thus, there is no compelling reason to apply effort. If we continue to let this happen, America’s working class will be nothing but a burden to society, dependent on other people to pay their bills.

Having a minimum wage that matches the cost of living also stifles growth because companies are forced to pay employees this higher wage. It is reckless to believe that an employee receiving higher wages is always positive. Every company has a budget for employment. If the labor cost rises and the company’s budget does not, then the employer will fire current employees or limit new ones to lower expenses. In addition, less money will be allocated to important areas of growth such as marketing, research and development of products and customer service because companies must deal with higher expenses due to the rising labor cost. Therefore, the minimum wage can be perceived as an obstacle to development and our nation’s economy.

An ideal solution to this mess would be to simply decrease minimum wage to a level where it is virtually impossible to survive in our society and encourage the use of commissioning. No longer guaranteed a wage that he can support himself, the employee will value his job more and thus, devote greater effort. The employee would be pressured to strive for higher earnings so that he can sustain himself and his/her family.

Many assume that employers could simply fire lazy employees. Because we never consider the other side of this issue, we fail to consider the consequences of firing an employee. An employee should be seen as an investment. Before hiring, the employer must devote substantial effort to train the employee to do specific tasks which can take up to a year. Money, time, and energy must all be spent before an employee can finally work. By firing employees, the employer loses valuable resources as well as possible revenue. Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to fire employees in the first place due to unions. Employees especially the lazy ones join groups that constantly pressure employers to increase their wages and promote job security. In some cases, more than four warnings must be documented before the employer can officially fire his or her employee. America has come to a point where its work force abuses labor laws that were in place to maintain fairness and joins unions so they can never get fired.

I would like to assert that my proposed minimum wage is not intended to be an employee’s income for any extended period. If the minimum wage law is rescinded, employees will likely respond in one of two ways. Some will dedicate themselves to doing the best job possible so that they will be deemed worthy of a higher wage. In contrast, other employees will refuse to modify their behavior. Logically, employers will use this new information to distinguish between assets to the company and those who should be terminated. At present, most employers do pay certain workers more than the minimum wage so minimum wage yields no result other than limiting our economy.

The logic behind this idea is based on the assumption that most people are inherently lazy and that they will only work if the urgency of the situation demands. Evidence for this may be seen in a direct comparison between salaried employees and those who work for commission. Salaried employees know that they will receive a given wage whether or not they complete their work. In contrast, an employee working for commission receives a percentage of sales, so it is necessary to work harder. Typically, employees on commission are more aggressive and apply themselves to the growth of their company because they stand to gain materially from their efforts. Like the salaried employee, people who receive minimum wage simply lack the initiative to work. If their livelihood is in jeopardy and there is no guarantee of income, this adverse circumstance would compel even the laziest employee to work. It all boils down to an issue of complacency. Individuals feel content if their surroundings are comfortable. Employees that are spoiled by a guaranteed minimum wage will be lulled into a sense of self-satisfaction, which translates to minimal productivity and lack of inspiration. One can easily attribute America’s declining dominance internationally to a work force that does barely enough to get by. This stands in sharp contrast to the Asian work ethic.

Take for example one of the most economically prosperous cities, Hong Kong. In this manufacturing superpower, the government does not implement a minimum wage law at all. Interestingly, however, the employees work hard without coercion. In return, the employers happily compensate their workers with decent wages. The employer/employee relationship is mutually beneficial, which makes a minimum wage law unnecessary. Central to this idea is the fact that employers value their employees.

In a country based on justice, people must be held accountable for their actions. If they are too stupid or too lazy to survive and are unwilling to change, they deserve to be weeded out of society. To say that there will be a greater number of poor people as a result of a lower minimum wage is pure speculation. I prefer to have faith in the power of the human spirit to overcome hardship. People will adapt to this adversity, and if anything, they will become stronger, more resilient, and more independent people.

Esteemed individuals who use their talents to enrich the world are compensated more than those who are lazy, unproductive, and detrimental to society. Decreasing the minimum wage will effectively remind employees that they must earn their keep. High productivity will be rewarded, and conversely, lethargy will not be tolerated in the workplace.

This proposal may seem severe, but drastic situations demand drastic reform.*

It is imperative to remember that by lowering the minimum wage, it is not expected that people will remain working at that lower wage. Instead, they are put into a position where they must remedy their situation by working harder.

Sadly, I feel that this problem has arisen, not due to any fault of the employer or the employee, but rather the mentality of the American people. It is in our blood, as Americans, to gain the maximum benefit while contributing as little as possible. As self-serving individuals, we never consider the consequences of our actions that affect other people. As cynical as it may sound, the truth is that America’s employees are nothing more than parasites that prey on their hardworking employers. I feel as if our society only takes advantage of the systems that were in place to maintain fairness. In recent news, our country has resorted to sending money to tax payers in an attempt to climb out of our current recession. Our economy cannot be ignored any longer. We must stop deterring small businesses from growing and we must stop restricting our economy from advancing. There is no other alternative; minimum wage must be abolished!

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