Government Connections

Minimum Wage in America - Government Connections

In 1938, minimum wage was part of the FLSA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, to reduce the unfair treatment of employees by their employers (Grossman). By signing the FLSA, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted a federal minimum wage that was the lowest wage every employer had to pay their employees per hour. Minimum wage was created to establish a more equal workplace. Because of minimum wage, no worker should receive a low wage that doesn’t match the amount of work they were producing. Minimum wage creates equality in the workforce.

If it weren’t for the government, a federal minimum wage would’ve never have been established. The government created a price floor indicating the minimum wage that must be paid for all employees. The government is exerting much power this way, telling businesses what they can and can’t pay their workers.  If a worker is willing to work for less than the current minimum wage, they wouldn’t be able to, due to the current minimum wage laws. One of Congress’s enumerated powers it to provide for the general welfare. People in the government pushing to raise minimum wage insist that raising the minimum wage promotes general welfare, a power that Congress possesses.