Los Angeles has taken the initiative to take out Americans out of poverty and voted to increase the minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 an hour by the year 2020. The City Council passed a 14 to 1 vote, to give employees across the country higher minimum wages. There are also, several companies such as, Facebook and Walmart which have even moved to raise their lowest wages. Various countries are considering to take the same action such as: California, Oakland, and San Francisco.
Increasing the minimum wage is a huge victory especially in Los Angeles because it is estimated that the majority of the city earns less than $15 an hour and this is not enough to prevent the struggles of Americans who live in poverty. This change is by the highest increase of wages since the year 1960 when the nominal minimum wage was just $1.00 which, is nearly $8 in today’s dollars. The minimum wage rise over these couple of years would improve the lifestyle for the region’s low-wage work force in Southern California. However, the increase in wages for now is only in some countries not nationally. In addition, there are downfalls to this success because there are opponents of higher wages these opponents include small business owners and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce argues that the increase in wages would push small businesses to move to nearby places to avoid paying their employees the required amount of income. The increase of minimum wage for small businesses would make them end up in bankruptcy due to not having enough profit to pay the employees and keep the business prospering. Another, negative aspect of increasing wages is that even though the employees will be winning a higher salary many will lose their jobs because there would not be enough profit to pay everyone single person $15 dollars an hour. Until the year of 2020 arrives the five years prior to that date will bring many changes starting off in July 2016, where the minimum wage will increase to $10.50, and then in the year 2017, where the minimum wage will increase to $12 an hour,and in 2018 with $13.25 ,and finally in 2019 where the minimum wage will be $14.25, until eventually the minimum wage goes up to $15.
Everyone is excited for the year 2020 to come to make the poverty gap smaller in America and nation wide. Junior Kayla Michel says, “This is a very huge success for the people and families who win low minimum wages, I hope that this makes the lifestyle of people living in poverty better..By 2020 I plan to be working and I will be able to experience this increase in wages… I do not agree that some businesses are going to be moving to other places so they will not have to pay the $15 an hour they should just deal with the new regulations of the government.”
Junior Karina Gonzalez says, “Increasing the wages would not only mean more money but, this would also mean that more people would have jobs..something that I hope to see with this change is getting people to be able to live without government assistance.. why do businesses want to move if employees have worked very diligently throughout their whole lives, and they can not reward them by increasing their wages this is selfishness and they are going to have to stick with this law even if they do not want to they can not be moving each time.”
Senior Saul Perez says, “About time that the wages increase this is one huge benefit for everyone because money is an important factor here in America to be able to succeed..eventually there is going to be more changes throughout these years that on the long-run help the economy prosper like for example, a new president which means new laws.. companies need to think of their actions before actually doing something because moving will only hurt their budget.”
Art teacher Mr. Botello says, “ This is great! more money for me and my family.. I can not 
wait for the date to come and see that people are finally able to live a decent life without having to worry about any costs.. this reaction is normal I think the companies just need to accustom to the change but, will cooperate because it is their business which is in danger to fail.”
Economics teacher Mr. Snyder says, “Of course I am happy with this new idea it is a huge success for America and for the people.. this increase will benefit me now that I have a new member in my family.. there are still many changes on the road that the new president will bring and finally be able to bring America’s economy stabilize and the 2009 recession will just be a bad memory for everyone.”
