Minimum wage is the least amount a worker could expect to get per hour for the work done. Fixed by the state or federal labor laws, it is experienced that the minimum wages defined for the urban and rural areas don’t show a reasonable difference. Therefore, as a result, it is hard to live in the urban regions like New York using the minimum wages defined. The urban centers are the economic hubs and the city like New York is one of the most expensive regions in whole America. Therefore, the minimum wages for the workforce living in New York and the adjacent areas must and should be revised because the expenses in the urban areas are multiple folds more than of the rural areas.
It is a common and confirmed fact that living expenses vary based on geographic locations and the urban regions are considered more expensive compared to the rural areas. This entails that that even distribution of the minimum wages would not be justified because of the ever increasing prices in the urban centers compared to the rural areas. In the city like New York, every single day hundreds of individuals come to seek working opportunities. The saturation of the capacity to hold the people, loads of population, lack of opportunities and high pricing because of more urbanization are the factors that result in the amplified pricing. Everything starting from the grocery to the rents and education to the transportation, the city shows an upward trend in pricing making it hard for the poor people to fit in (Gonchar, 2015).
If you are a New Yorker surviving on the minimum wages and running a family with children, then it becomes almost impossible for you to make, both ends meet. Families have to work on multiple shifts and reduce their quality of life expectancy to feed their children using legal means. The families live under a continuous threat of poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy and financial constraints to live a healthy joyous life. The policy makers often ignore what should be considered as a system to compensate the workers living in the urban centers based on the increased expenses they have to raise their families. There are several credible researches exhibiting that for the residents of the New York City, the hourly wages must be increased to $11.50 for the urban residents and for the other parts of the state it must be $10.50 (Jackson, 2015).
Living in an urban division like New York City is no different than a continuous struggle to survive. The research indicates a lot of fears and uncertainties among the people living on the minimum wages in urban regions. They know that they have to pay exponentially more for the items others are paying in distinct locations of the states. Most of the families plan to take their children out of the schools because they cannot afford their education. Similar is the case with the quality of food, living and healthcare. Most of the families are experiencing severe signs of malnutrition and are subjected to a lot of other healthcare issues. The illiteracy is at its peak, and the families believe that they have not much to backup the academic growth of their children (Sabia, 2010).
Like with any other issue, there are several opponents and labor unions in other states that state that the average wages must not be exceptionally raised in the case of New Yorkers just because they are living in the regions with a lot of opportunities, resources, facilities and other urban facilities. They believe that the work done rate has nothing to do with the pricing and the work done rates should be uniform as new Yorkers don’t work more than any other worker struggling to feed their families (Schifman, 2015).
An extensive research based book “Minimum wages for Low-Wage Workers written by Tommy S. W. Wong” restates the issue of minimum wages in the New York and the author has compared the pricing issues as debated by several promoters of uniformity in the minimum wages rates and some urban policy makers. The author states that 90% of the items considered necessary for life are expensive in New York than in any other region. In the similar manner, the facilities like healthcare and education are also more expensive in New York compared to any other state or an urban city. Therefore, all the families working on the minimum wages in New York City have to compromise on the quality of their lives, the education of their children, the food they eat and the resources they consume. Starting from the utility bills to the rent of the house to the mortgages, healthcare, clothing and grocery are the variables that are responsible for making the lives of New Yorkers miserable. There exists a general perception that living in big urban unit facilitates the lifestyle. However, this is not correct as living in New York asks for financial stability and it is a living hell for individuals who are struggling to make both end meet in their hourly wages. When it comes to the lifestyle of New Yorkers, their living conditions are not up to the standard. The hygiene is not up to the mark and they are forced to use substandard goods for their lives. The children lack proper nutrition and most of the time financial conditions don’t allow them to attend schools. In a similar manner, the children are encouraged to work instead of education because the families are always short of money and in order to raise the family in a proper manner they encourage child labor. Some cases of sexual abuse, drugs and violence are also exhibited which entails that the minimum waged people living in the city like New York are some way or other more involved in illegal activities because of their financial conditions (Wong, 2012).
In a nutshell, life in New York is evenly distributed between two extremes. At one end, it is a wonderful place featuring any imaginable luxury and at the other end it is a well-populated jungle where minimum waged workers everyday struggle to make both ends meet. Based on the price comparisons, difficulties the workers in New York face and the quality of life they had, it is clear that the minimum wage for New Yorkers is less than they had to spend for living a below average life and the policy must be revised to compensate these individuals.
References
Gonchar, M. (2015). Is the Minimum Wage Too Low?. The Learning Network. Retrieved 2 June
2015, from http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/is-the-minimum-wage-too-low/
Jackson, R. (2015). New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Wants to Raise Minimum Wage. WSJ.
Retrieved 2 June 2015, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-gov-andrew-cuomo
wants-to-raise-minimum-wage-1421623975
Sabia, J., & Burkhauser, R. (2010). Minimum Wages and Poverty: Will a $9.50 Federal
Minimum Wage Really Help the Working Poor?. Southern Economic Journal, 76(3),
592-623. doi:10.4284/sej.2010.76.3.592
Schifman, G. (2015). Is the minimum wage in New York enough to cover expenses? This stat
says it all. Crain's New York Business. Retrieved 2 June 2015, from
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150529/ECONOMY/150529874/do
minimum-wage-workers-earn-enough-to-make-ends-meet-in-in-new-york-city
Wong, T. (2012). Minimum wage for low wage workers. [United States?]: Tommy S. W. Wong.
