09-04-2023, 12:42 PM
(09-04-2023, 11:25 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: There is no doubt there are 16 and 17 year olds who work to help support their family. My experience is they are in the minority. My 3 daughters played sports and worked because they wanted things like a car, a savings to help when they went to college for example. The kids that worked for me most had similar goals. For the record, I got to know these kids very well.
My issue is in a direct way, giving all 16 and 17 year olds the same minimum wage hurts those adults who are on their own or a second wage earner in the restaurant businesses. I would much rather give $3 an hour more in starting pay to an adult than to a minor. The issue is economics won't allow many businesses who have 50% of their workforce as minors to afford it.
Also, I think many don't realize minors have restrictions on when and how many hours they can work with school in session. Last, I hope everyone remembers minimum wage is a starting point for employment. The minimum wage in Ohio goes up every year for inflation, good and great performers can earn a couple of scheduled raises a year in my old businesses. There are opportunities for advancement with those with leadership skills.
My point is the 16 and 17 year olds starting at the same wage as adults, hurts the adults starting wage. By the way, we never started anyone at minimum wage whether 14, 16 or an adult. It is rare in Ohio for any employer to compete and get quality hires paying only minimum wage.
I think you have a very narrow lens when looking at working teenagers. Suburban kids, in middle class and above homes, often work for the reasons you mention. However, lower middle class and poor kids work for the money for daily expenses not just those extras your daughters wanted. That teenagers' money is essential to the daily life of their families.
But still, as my daddy used to say, "if someone does a man's work they deserve a man's salary." A 16-year-old who is doing the same job as an 18-year-old deserves the same pay. "Not needing the money" was the same excuse employers used to use against paying women the same wages as men. Women had husbands or fathers to support them...even if they didn't. And to this day women still only make 82% of what men make.
The minute you have different wage scales for different classes of employees doing the same jobs, you open it up for abuse and discrimination
What hurts the adult wage scale is paying ANYONE a starting salary that can't pay basic expenses on a 40 hour work week
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