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mailmanDear Editors,

I am 16 years old, and currently working part time for a local non-profit organization.  My employer hired me at the rate of $8.50 per hour instead of the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 because they believed it was a fair wage for my work

If my employers didn’t think that $7.25 is an appropriate wage for a teenager, how could it possibly be a livable wage for an adult who must buy their own food, clothes, and shelter?

Tom Reed, and other opponents of a minimum wage increase, believe that increasing minimum wage will lower hiring rates, as companies would not be able to afford to pay as many workers.  Studies have shown that a higher minimum wage does not lower hiring rates, and actually decreases employee turnover rates, meaning more people could be able to keep their jobs.  This would lead to a better economy, less poverty, and happier people.

The real bottom line is $7.25 is NOT a fair wage in today's living standards.  We can’t deny that cost of living increases has caused $7.25 to become worth a lot less than it did when it was introduced.  It is no longer a livable wage.  Let’s bring the minimum wage in line with the 21st century.

Sincerely, Gabe Falk
Ithaca

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