Is there any real justification for minimum wage laws?

Answer 1

No. If they worked, the minimum wage could be set at $100 and everyone would become rich. The fact is that minimum wages cause unemployment because those who produce at just below the wage rate won't be able get jobs. Let the market set wages rates.

Answer 2

Minimum-wage laws can be justified based on several grounds or arguments, including:
1-They prevent the financial exploitation of low-skill staff by their employers who are only willing to pay very low wage rates that cannot ensure an acceptable standard of living for the workers.
2-When a minimum-wage has been set by government, the supply of labour will normally increase (i.e.: more people will be ready to work.)
3-A minimum wage gives workers a sense of motivation and a feeling of safety and security, which can increase their output and productivity. (Revise Maslow's hierarchy of needs, for instance.)

However, minimum wages do have certain drawbacks. Although you haven't asked about the negative side of minimum wages, I will present two drawbacks below:
1-They tend to create some sort of inequality by giving some lazy and unskilled workers the same rate of pay received by the slightly better ones.
2-They can cause urge employers to layoff or send as redundant those workers who do not deserve the minimum wage.

Answer 3

If you leave wages to market forces, what you're gonna get is a bunch of naked people going through trash cans in your backyard. Besides that, business always try to cut corners everywhere they can, so it's only logical to assume that if you want to maintain a certain standrad of living you have to make sure that the economy provides the means to sustain such a standard of living.

Developing countries always have much lower minimum wage requirements and are always softer because of the standad of livng. On the other hand, of the government doesn't step in and do something, the exploitation of workers would be incomprehensible. Sort of what used to happen to people in the 19th century.

As a matter of facto, there's a recent production of Les Misearbles with Liam Neeson, Uma Thurman and Geofrey Rush. Watch this movie and you will realize what would happen to your beloved USA if there were no labour laws. I'm Canadian, so I'm used to having fair and equitable treatment for all workers and adequate compensation.

Please reconsider whatever thoughts you may have on this issue, and if you are part of the priviledged who don't have to make minimum wage r have to work 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet, then consider yourself to be one of the luckiest people on the face of the planet

Answer 4

Ask someone making minimum wage.

Answer 5

Yes, to make sure fat cat business owners keep most of the money while their employees barely earn enough to live on... which keeps crime and drug use up... the population expanding because sex is the only entertainment they can afford (gotta keep up the supply of future minimum wagers)... which in turn keeps up the employment rate in Washington for those who work in the bureaucracy of welfare, medi-care/aid, drug programs, programs for un-wed mothers/fathers, etc. It's quite a symbiotic relationship, wouldn't you say? It benefits one and keeps the other in a constant state of poverty that many never escape.

Answer 6

I don't think so. It's just a version of socialism, and doesn't really have the intended benefit. The market should determine wages.

Answer 7

yes-minimum law is nessary--otherwise no body is paying the worker--so they can get goods--yu know many revulation came there -because the labour were not paid wel--