For the first time since 2008, the US unemployment rate is "5.9%".

[Used Car Salesm]

The unemployment rate is just false optimism. It doesn't show the true, dismal picture of underemployment, flat wages, and the millions of people that were forced out of the labor market altogether. Most people have been working several years now without seeing any meaningful wages, and service-sector jobs are increasingly going part-time with erratic schedules and little to no benefits.

The "recovery" is a paper tiger. Or, considering how well the Wall Streeters that caused the recession are doing, "paper bull" may be more fitting. For the vast majority of Americans, you're considered lucky if your employment and income have remained the same. For a lot of people, it's just gotten worse.

[EmperorScorpious]

In my experience, higher wages means less hours worked and in the end, the same amount of pay.

[Antdawg]

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;46144481]In my experience, higher wages means less hours worked and in the end, the same amount of pay.[/QUOTE]

Your experience doesn't speak for everything, my wage at my current workplace went up from $13.83 to $16.21 when I turned 19, and again to $16.51 when the company and unions renegotiated the EBA (I'm not a union member but I still got the increase), and although I started with doing 12-20 hour weeks I am now consistently doing 30-38 hour weeks.

Anyways yeah the fact that the US doesn't index their federal minimum wage is fucking hilarious, as well as that I don't think EBAs really exist at all in the US, at least not in retail.

[Curls]

[QUOTE=Shinycow;46143092]And everything else will cost more. Great thinking.[/QUOTE]

wouldn't that help the economy eventually because more people have more money to spend thus eventually actually LOWERING prices?

even if prices increased a little bit, I don't see why that's bad?

[sltungle]

[QUOTE=sgman91;46143649]Higher minimum wage is literally forced charity. I would much rather the government just give people money than force the employer to.

A negative income tax would be a great solution.[/QUOTE]

By that logic is the fact that employers must pay employees [I]at all[/I] forced charity when they could just have them work for free?

The government is meant to step in and regulate industry to make sure greed and profit margins don't allow companies to fuck their employees over.

[MillySoose]

[QUOTE=J!NX;46144788]wouldn't that help the economy eventually because more people have more money to spend thus eventually actually LOWERING prices?

even if prices increased a little bit, I don't see why that's bad?[/QUOTE]
No because if they actually had more money to spend, which they wouldn't, they would spend it on cheap imported things and widen the trade deficit.

[endorphinsam]

don't these stats only take into consideration people that are on the 9m unemployment plan?

they don't disappear when it runs out..