Will raised minimum wage reduce suffering of the low class?

April 15th marked the day when protesters around the United States staged rallies across the U.S, as thousands of people requested that states government increase Minimum wage. Mass movement around the protest is subject to wage increase at $15 an hour, unlike the federal minimum wage and New York state minimum wage which are $7.25 per hour and $8.75 respectively. Activists described Wednesday the 15th as a national movement day for unions workers, construction workers, and non-union sector workers.


Above: Protesters holding up signs for increased minimum wage

Protests for the raise in the minimum wage gained wide spread attention across New York City and New York state to other cities across the U.S such as San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, etc. The minimum wage movement started in late 2012 making it more than two years since it first began to receive attention. Moreover, the rallies kicked off around multiple locations in NYC from Central park to Columbus Circle, 57th street mid-Manhattan, Columbia University area, and other locations.

The movement was also centered on April 15th because it is also Tax day. Organizers mentioned that while multimillion dollar companies enjoy huge tax breaks, it is important to bring into light the number of low wage workers dependent on low pay and excessive work hours to make ends meet.



New York City Controller reported that increasing the minimum wage to $15 will boost New York City's paycheck and its economy significantly. The problems of increasing minimum wages such as affordability by some businesses were not discussed by officials during the conferences. However, Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo have also shown their support for the movement. Gov. Cuomo made use of his official twitter account to show some support, saying it will also help to reduce the inequality in the class gap between rich and poor.

The Fight for $15 website has more information on local rallies and support for the minimum wage hike.