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For: The Opinion
Thursday, November 28
Starting in January, the federal minimum wage of $ 15 goes into effect in several cities in the United States.
The National Employment Law Project (NELP) reported that as of January 1 in 56 cities, counties and states workers will begin to receive the minimum wage guaranteed by the federal government.
In 33 of those jurisdictions the minimum wage will reach $ 15 dollars per hour or will exceed that mark for some or all workers.
In addition, workers in companies that have contracts with the federal government signed after 30 will be guaranteed a minimum salary of at least $ 15 dollars an hour, as announced by the Labor Department last month.
These increases , NELP recalled, occur as the tenth anniversary approaches of the first strike carried out and the first union organized in the fast food restaurant sector.
The minimum wage is supposed to be enough to provide food, clothing, and housing for workers, and has remained, at the federal level, at $ 7. 25 dollars from 2010, one amount that adjusted for inflation equaled $ 7. 15 dollars last year .
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), hourly workers with wages at or below the minimum level differ little among major racial / ethnic groups.
In 2020, according to BLS, approximately 2% of the Black workers earned the minimum wage or less, while the proportion was 1% among white, Asian, and Latino workers.
“Since the first fight for the $ 13 dollars in 2012, the movement has grown enormously and accelerated when the pandemic exposed stark inequalities and dangerous working conditions, ”said Rebecca Dixon, executive director of NELP, according to EFE.
“Low paid workers, especially African Americans and Latinos, have mobilized to demand higher wages , healthy working conditions and jobs with dignity ”, he added. “Faced with a tight labor market, companies have acted to retain their employees.”
Among all job categories, service occupations have had the highest percentages of employees paid by hour at the minimum level or less. Seven out of every 10 workers than in 2020 received the minimum wage or less, were employed in services, food preparation and service.
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