...RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO $14 AN HOUR USING THIS ONE WEIRD TRICK! February 26, 2014 Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email Share on print More Sharing Services 1.1K Democrats believe they've hit on the perfect issue to distract from the horror of Obamacare in the 2014 elections: the minimum wage. Apparently, increasing the minimum wage was not important for American workers during the first five years of Obama's presidency -- least of all his first two years, when Democrats controlled Congress and could have passed anything. (And did!) No. The minimum wage did not become a pressing concern until an election year in which the public's hatred of Obamacare is expected to be the central issue. As The New York Times explained, Democrats see the minimum wage as an issue that "will place Republican candidates in a difficult position," and also as a tool "to enlarge the electorate in a nonpresidential election, when turnout among minorities and youths typically drops off." (Unlike Republicans, Democrats consider it important to win elections.) To most people, it seems as if the Democrats are giving workers something for nothing. But there are always tradeoffs. No serious economist denies that increasing the minimum wage will cost jobs. If it's not worth paying someone $10 an hour to do something, the job will be eliminated -- or it simply won't be created. The minimum wage is the perfect Democratic issue. It will screw the very people it claims to help, while making...
Words: 1113 - Pages: 5
...regulations, role of the unions and immigration. Attempt to model the labour market in Australia using the economic model of demand and supply. In particular, demonstrate how you can incorporate in this model the issues of market segmentation according to the difference in workers’ skills as well as the impact of government regulations and immigration. Australia has a total population of approximately 23 million people, a labour force participation rate of 65.1% and an unemployment rate of 5.6% (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013). The Australian labour market is subject to both government regulation and immigration, which in combination with Unions and differences in worker’s skills (or human capital) create issues of labour market segmentation (Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations 2013). Australian labour markets are highly regulated in terms of minimum wage laws (Garnaut, Ganguly & Kang 2003). This creates an unequal distribution of employment to those possessing high levels of human capital, when contrasted to employment of those with low human capital (Garnaut, Ganguly & Kang 2003). This is because minimum wage laws put a potentially binding wage floor on wages paid. Thus, when the labour supply increases for low skilled work; due to immigration or the incentive of minimum wage, the outcome can result in a labour surplus. This is due to the equilibrium wage falling below minimum wage therefore Figure 2A creating unemployment (as illustrated in 1A). Figure...
Words: 2107 - Pages: 9
...There are evidences demonstrate that the state has played an influential role in the employment relationship for a long time. This raise questions about should intervene employment relationship or leave it entirely to employers and employees. State is all government organizations with the currently selected government, which are carrying out government policies (Nikola 2009, p. 41). In my option, the state is a necessary player within the employment relationship. This essay will illustrate why the state should take part in the employment relationship from four aspects. First is the state can protect employees by applying policies into the workplace. Second, the employers can receive benefit when the state making rules. Third, the state solves disputes between employers and employees as intercede. Finally, employers and employees can avoid potential dispute when state intervene. First of all, the state protects employees’ right by implement various policies into workplace. From the point of employer’s view, employer wants the company to running in maximum productivity and efficiency by offering as lower and simpler as possible to employee’s salary working condition. In contract, employees are willing to receive higher reward and better working condition according to their capacity. However, in most cases, employees do not receive equal treatment due to they have relative less bargaining power than employers within employment relations. Basic on this situation, Australian policymaker...
Words: 1987 - Pages: 8
...Requests for flexible working arrangements * Parental leave and related entitlements * Annual leave * Personal carers leave and compassionate leave * Community service leave * Long service leave * Public holidays * Notice of termination and redundancy pay * Fair Work Information Statement Casual workers only get NES entitlements relating to: * unpaid carer's leave * unpaid compassionate leave * community service leave * the Fair Work Information Statement. Sourced from below: http://www.fairwork.gov.au/employee-entitlements/national-employment-standards# b. Minimum wage. The minimum amount of compensation an employee must receive for performing labour. Minimum wages are typically established by contract or legislation by the government. As such, it is illegal to pay an employee less than the minimum wage. Sourced from below: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/minimum_wage.asp c. Award Acceptance of a bid or proposal for a contract. Sourced from below: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/award.html d. Enterprise Bargaining. Enterprise bargaining is the process of negotiation generally between the employer, employees and their bargaining representatives with the goal of making an enterprise agreement. The Fair Work Act 2009 establishes a set of clear rules and obligations about how this process is to occur, including rules about bargaining, the content of enterprise agreements, and how an...
Words: 939 - Pages: 4
...The global financial crisis of 2007 – 2008 caused great concern for the World Trade Organisation as they felt that countries would persuade their governments to implement price floors in order to support and restore domestic markets. Price floors are regularly employed in a wide spectrum of industries by governments, as an intervention in the free market, in order to protect producers and suppliers. This is achieved by legally setting a minimum price a good can be sold for, above the equilibrium price (Government Intervention in Market Prices 2014).However price floors are associated with many negative economic implications and disadvantages which encouraged economic inefficiency, such as, an increase in production levels causing surplus, misallocation of resources and higher prices for domestic consumers (Rockoff 2008). This essay will seek to discuss and explain the economic efficiency of price floors in relation to the modern finical crisis using real world examples. Many modern economies are regulated by governments through the implementation of price control methods. This is important for the government to protect its interests, as well as protecting selected producers in the economy from exploitation. One such way in which governments regulate their economy is by applying price floors (Government Intervention in Market Prices 2014). A price floor is the lowest legal price a commodity can be sold for and are targeted at ensuring prices for particular goods aren’t too low...
Words: 1942 - Pages: 8
...your conclusions. 1. There are federal and state laws setting minimum wages for workers. There are also city laws setting price ceilings for housing rents. a. Why are there laws setting minimum wages for workers and maximum rents for housing? The laws set for minimum wages protect unskilled workers from exploitation (Gorman, 2008) and provide them with a “living wage” (Livingston, 2011). The idea of a minimum wage was created in Australia and New Zealand to reduce poverty (Gorman, 2008). Maximum rents for housing was created to protect tenants from increased monthly rent cost by landlords (Block, 2008). Formally, rent control is known as the Emergency Tenant Protection Act; which was created during World War II in New York City (Block, 2008). b. Why are there no laws setting maximum wages for workers or minimum rents for housing? Setting a maximum wage law will not only hinder the economy but hurt high wage workers purchasing power. When the economy is booming, most workers receive raises, however if there is a cap placed on the wages, workers would max out their earnings. If workers production levels in one hour is 10 times what they receive in compensation, the only party benefiting in the transactions in the company. Maximum wages would also hurt the market for luxury items. Workers may be reluctant in purchasing certain luxury items because once they have reach there max wage; there is no room for wage increases. A price control for rent was created in an effort...
Words: 334 - Pages: 2
...AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT – PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION Economic Structure and Performance of the Australian Retail Industry Bicycle Industries Australia Ltd Suite 324, 1 Queens Road Melbourne VIC 3004 Bicycle Industries Australia Ltd (BIA) represents bicycle manufacturers, importers and wholesalers within Australia. The BIA was formed with the expressed aims; • • To foster the interests of the Australian Bicycle Industry To promote sound and ethical trading and commercial practices The Australian bicycle industry comprises approximately 500 importers, manufacturers and wholesalers, along with approximately 1000 specialised retail stores. The BIA is a member of the Fair Imports Alliance (FIA). As a member of the FIA we support all points of discussion which has been raised through the joint submission. Further to the points which have been raised within the FIA discussion paper, the BIA would like to raise issues more specific to the operations of the industry. Page 2 of 16 Bicycle Industries Australia Ltd. – Response to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Economic Structure and Performance of the Australian Retail Industry IMPACT ON THE AUSTRALIAN BICYCLE INDUSTRY The Australian bicycle industry has been hit extremely hard by international online trading. The industry in 2007 directly employed over 6000 people through specialised bicycle distributors and retailers, and many more through large chain stores and associated businesses including transport ...
Words: 3455 - Pages: 14
...Cultural Awareness Assignment: Part 1 Part A Cost of Living Living in Australia, students have many choices to choose from when it comes to their accommodations. With each choice the price varies: * Hostels and Guesthouses - $80 to $135 per week * Shared Rental - $70 to $250 per week * On campus - $80 to $250 per week * Homestay - $110 to $270 per week * Rental - $100 to $400 per week * Boarding schools - $10,000 to $20,000 a year There are many other living expenses that should be considered when living abroad such as food costs, transportation, etc. Based on each individual the amounts may differ. Here are the approximate prices: * Groceries and eating out - $80 to $200 per week * Gas, electricity - $60 to $100 per week * Phone and Internet - $20 to $50 per week * Public transport - $10 to $50 per week * Car (after purchase) - $150 to $250 per week * Entertainment - $50 to $100 per week As the Department of Immigration and Citizenship demands you to receive a student visa in order to study in Australia, for one individual it costs about $18,610 Australian dollars. Communication Generally you should stand about an arm’s-length away when speaking to someone face to face but the distance will likely be less when standing side by side. Eye contact is generally considered important when expressing sincerity, although Aboriginal Australians are less comfortable making...
Words: 4495 - Pages: 18
...Cultural Awareness Assignment: Part 1 Part A Cost of Living Living in Australia, students have many choices to choose from when it comes to their accommodations. With each choice the price varies: * Hostels and Guesthouses - $80 to $135 per week * Shared Rental - $70 to $250 per week * On campus - $80 to $250 per week * Homestay - $110 to $270 per week * Rental - $100 to $400 per week * Boarding schools - $10,000 to $20,000 a year There are many other living expenses that should be considered when living abroad such as food costs, transportation, etc. Based on each individual the amounts may differ. Here are the approximate prices: * Groceries and eating out - $80 to $200 per week * Gas, electricity - $60 to $100 per week * Phone and Internet - $20 to $50 per week * Public transport - $10 to $50 per week * Car (after purchase) - $150 to $250 per week * Entertainment - $50 to $100 per week As the Department of Immigration and Citizenship demands you to receive a student visa in order to study in Australia, for one individual it costs about $18,610 Australian dollars. Communication Generally you should stand about an arm’s-length away when speaking to someone face to face but the distance will likely be less when standing side by side. Eye contact is generally considered important when expressing sincerity, although Aboriginal Australians are less comfortable making...
Words: 4494 - Pages: 18
...The laws set for minimum wages protect unskilled workers from exploitation (Gorman, 2008) and provide them with a “living wage” (Livingston, 2011). The idea of a minimum wage was created in Australia and New Zealand to reduce poverty (Gorman, 2008). Maximum rents for housing was created to protect tenants from increased monthly rent cost by landlords (Block, 2008). Formally, rent control is known as the Emergency Tenant Protection Act; which was created during World War II in New York City (Block, 2008). b. Why are there no laws setting maximum wages for workers or minimum rents for housing? Setting a maximum wage law will not only hinder the economy but hurt high wage workers purchasing power. When the economy is booming, most workers receive raises, however if there is a cap placed on the wages, workers would max out their earnings. If workers production levels in one hour is 10 times what they receive in compensation, the only party benefiting in the transactions in the company. Maximum wages would also hurt the market for luxury items. Workers may be reluctant in purchasing certain luxury items because once they have reach there max wage; there is no room for wage increases. A price control for rent was created in an effort to aid low-income families. However, placing a minimum rent would directly affect those families that have very low or no income, which can not afford a monthly rent but need a home to live in. There are rental properties that are subsidized by...
Words: 271 - Pages: 2
...and conditions on which they can employ workers, workplace agreements underpinned by statutory minimum conditions rather than awards; reducing the role played by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in determining employment conditions and resolving industrial disputes ; making it more difficult for unions to enter workplaces or organise industrial action and reducing the exposure of employers to unfair dismissal claims (Unknown 2007). On the other hand the new Fair Work legislation, Fair Work Australia (FWA) assumes all remaining functions of the AIRC and the Registry, it introduces modern awards and the new National Employment Standards (NES), the better off overall test replaces the no-disadvantage test for assessing enterprise agreements made, applications for approval of enterprise agreements must be lodged with FWA within 14 days of the agreement being made and lastly, there are no longer any legislative provisions for the making of individual agreements.(Fair work Aust. 2010) In my opinion, the effect of these changes would impact firstly on the demand for labour. There are 3 determinants of the demand for labour; the wage rate, the productivity of labour and the demand for the good.The wage rate determines the position on the demand curve (Sloman, Norris, Garratt 2010). For instance, if the Fair Works minimum awards are higher than the statutory minimum allowed by Workchoices, the quantity of labour demand would decrease. As you can see from Figure...
Words: 386 - Pages: 2
...Title: Group Debate: Individual Essay Topic: Penalty wage rates for work done outside the ‘normal’ Monday-Friday working week should be abolished. (Defending) Introduction Penalty rate wage were introduced to compensate employees for working during the so-called unsocial hours. Unsociable hours of work occur during the days of the week or hours of the day when most of the people do not have to work. The idea behind the term is that there are only some times of day when others are available for social contact, and if the workers are expected to be at their workplaces at these times, social contact becomes very difficult (Bittman, 2005). Reducing standardisation of working hours makes scheduling and social coordination increasing difficult, if not impossible. The International Labour Organization (ILO) describes unsocial hours as ‘night works, weekend work and long shifts during peak periods’ (ILO, 2008). In practice, unsociable hours have been defined as anytime outside 9am to 5pm Monday (Dawkins, 1985). Traditionally, penalty payments were defended on the grounds that work at "socially unacceptable" times needs to be compensated. This was most obvious with respect to work on Sundays, the traditional day of rest in Christian societies, but this became a principle extended to Saturdays and evenings. (Visontay, 2011). Factors considered in defending penalty rates include the effects on religious, social and family life; lack of access to public transport, and the harmful...
Words: 2139 - Pages: 9
...qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
...Introduction Minimum wage refers to the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage an employee is legally entitled to when working. Minimum wage is in effect in a range of different jurisdictions with differences in the views on the advantages and disadvantages being disputed by people. Supporters claim minimum wage increases the standard of living for workers whilst reducing poverty. Opposite views are that if it is high enough to be effective then it increases unemployment, particularly among workers who are inexperienced or handicap, thus harming the lesser skilled workers to benefit the better skilled workers The effect on employment rates due to minimum wage rates is a highly contested policy within economics. The introduction of minimum wage into the market can lead to competitive employers cutting employment; this depends on the rate of the wage rises require to comply with the current minimum wage according to the “standard textbook model”. Other models have also been suggested in which a decline in the employment rate may not occur and in fact employment may increase. During my research I found a wide range of literature on minimum wages, particularly on the effects of a minimum wage policy in place. Though a lot of informative research was concluding I also found the argument between weather the effects and positive of negative on employment, both sides of the disagreement present a large amount of information supporting the theories. Research before the 1990’s mostly...
Words: 2611 - Pages: 11
...Minimum wage legislation has been a topic of discussion for many years among economists. The first laws were introduced in Australia and New Zealand in order to protect minimum standard living for unskilled workers. At this point more than 90% of all countries have some kind of minimum wage legislation. However there are countries that do not set the minimum wage among those are: Germany, Finland, Iceland, Italy and other counties. Germany is the largest national economy in Europe. According to Central Intelligence Agency GDP of the country in 2011 is $2.94 trillion with real growth rate of 3.5%. Based on Trade Economic data unemployment rate of Germany in October 2011 was 6.5%. Despite the fact the Germany does not have a set minimum wage the average wages in western Germany is 27.9 euro per hour and 17.4 euro per our in Eastern German (source http://export.gov/germany based on data from 03/2011). The wages there are higher than average wages in European Union or worldwide. Of course there are laws of the German Government that regulate dismissal of workers/maternity leave/ vacation/health benefits; but not minimal wages. Minimum wage is set by the Government in order to protect unskilled workers. It provides employees with guaranteed minimum amount of income from their work to survive and pay their bills. It protects mostly adults from loosing their jobs to teenagers or foreigners that are ready to work for less than a minimum wage. However there are...
Words: 935 - Pages: 4
