New York City is one of the most expensive cities to work and live, yet its population is approximately 8,550,405 as of July 2015 and continues to grow. According to the New York Times the poverty rates rose to 21.2 percent in 2012, which means that 1.7 million New Yorkers are considered poor under federal guidelines.
The best way New York City can address its growing poverty is by increasing the minimum wage. Fortunately, New York City already took the first step to reduce poverty by increasing minimum wage for fast food workers to $15 per hour, going into effect by 2020. Currently, there are many low wage workers who work 40 plus hours in order to provide for their family, but even with those hours and other side jobs they barely meet their families’ needs.
Some argue that they should get better jobs. However, it’s not that simple. A lot of low-wage workers do not have college degrees or are currently in school and paying their way through college. In addition to fast food workers, another example of low-wage workers are EMTs, who work around the clock saving lives for $11.95 an hour. I am a nurse, so I am well aware of the amount of courage, determination, and rigorous care EMTs display when they see patients at their worse, so to be making more than them is unfair. A $15 minimum wage will give these heroes a little bit of the respect they truly deserve.
One problem that arises with increasing minimum wage, however, is what happens to everyone else. The job description of a practical nurse is more involved and tedious than that of a fast food worker. While both have to have great customer service, nurses have to be more attentive and critical than a fast food worker may have to be, so does this mean that nurses will have their pay increased as well? While nurses make slightly more than EMTs or fast food workers, many nurses have to work additional jobs to sufficiently provide for their families.
An additional issue concerning raising the minimum wage has to do with its effect on the price of consumer goods. Will things like rent, groceries, and gas go up as well? If so, then we will just be in the same place that we started.
The government has to find a feasible way to increase minimum wage while keeping consumer goods at the same price. One way to do this is to encourage people to volunteer. If volunteering is made a mandatory part of our daily lives we can relieve some of the strain on the government’s pocket. Volunteering will get the job done without the pay and without the question of where is the money coming from to increase the pay of all these workers.
As a nurse, I have seen volunteering at its best, especially in hospitals. Instead of hiring 10 janitorial workers, you can hire 5 and have the other 5 volunteer for at least 2 days a week, rotating the volunteers as needed. This may therefore equal the payload before the wage increase and decrease the burden on small mom and pop shops as well as big companies.
Increasing the minimum wage is an overall great way to alleviate some of the financial burden of living in New York City. However, there are many possible roadblocks that could impact the policy from moving forward and being implemented. The most important thing to look at is how to give the 1.7 million people living in poverty a chance to not just survive in the city, but also to thrive. The balance of pay and return is the basis for feasibility concerning this policy, and encouraging more people to volunteer is the best way to get the greatest return. Give our fast food workers, our EMTs, and the rest of the low wage workers in New York City a chance, and make $15 minimum wage a reality.
