Should teens have a different minimum wage than adults?

[Massacure]

Hypothetically do you think that if the minimum wage were raised two bucks, that those two bucks should be set aside by the employer for the employees schooling?

As a 16 year old, I find it troubling how careless some of the people I know are with money.

[Dookus]

1. No

I don't think so. Not every teen needs money for schooling, and I doubt it would add up to much anyway.

It's not society's or the employer's responsibility to make kids manage their money.

[NV Whino]

2. No.

Start-up jobs, whatever the age of the start-upee should get the same wage. More experience = more money. Should the minimum wage be raised for anyone/everyone? Yes.

[Bouncy Ball]

3. This post isn't very clear.

Would the employer be setting aside $ 2 per hour in an account for the teenage employee? Or as a pooled thing for all employees to continue their education, or what?

No, if the minimum wage is raised (HA! LOL!) it would be raised for everyone.

[Massacure]

4. Everyone would have their own account.

[SharonAnn]

5. Sure, and women should have different wages than men and

African Americans should have different wages than whites, and so on.

No! No!

Labor creates value. It is worth the same amount of value no matter who is doing the labor.

[Somawas]

6. You seem to be asking two different questions:

Whether teens should have a different min. wage than adults.
and
Whether they should have the same min. wage with $2.00 set aside for education.

The first question has been discussed off and on since Nixon first proposed it. As low as the minimum wage is right now, the answer has to be no.

The second answer is no. Up to people to decide how they will spend their own money. No way to force them to be smart about how they do it.

[Withywindle]

7. No.

Slippery slope down the road back to sweatshop child labor, IMO. (You know the Rethugs would want to get rid of laws against that if they could)

[UdoKier]

8. A lot of people favor lower min. wage for teens, but I tend to oppose it

because

a.) it's discriminatory

b.) the minimum wage is already unconscionably low

c.) older workers with more experience will naturally tend to earn more anyway.

I like your unique idea of putting away their money for school, and maybe parents should be given more control over minor workers' earnings to ensure responsible spendinng.

Personally, I favor implementation of a living wage for all workers nationwide.

[Warpy]

9. Only if you want teenagers to find a lot of work for a couple of years

at low, low wages while their parents are being shoved out of jobs to make room for teenagers making less money.

Companies will always hire the cheapest pair of hands they can find.

If you're willing to trust an employer with a diffential in your pay and you actually expect to collect it later, gawd help you.

In the mean time, being foolish with money provides its own lesson. Relax and don't worry about your peers. Some of us have to learn the hard way.

[tyedyeto]

10. A basic talking point for Repugs is that most of those working for minimum

are teenagers. It isn't true...most are single moms. And even if it were true.....why aren't teenagers allowed to earn a livable wage? I know most would say becuz they are 'living at home' with no 'real' expenses. I have raised two children who are now in their 20's. While in high school, they HAD to work to pay for transportation (cars, insurance, gas, upkeep), clothing and other expenses. I didn't have the resources to pay those expenses and it was understood that they had to work in order to enjoy those priviledges. At close to $1000 per year for auto insurance with a part time job and attending high school at the same time, minimum wage was barely enough to maintain those added expenses.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. No.

You get paid for the job you do, not for who you are.

[Nikia]

12. I do see both sides to it

In no way do I think the minimum wage should be lowered, but there are arguements as to why the teen minimum wage should stay at $5.15/hour while the adult minimum wage would increase.
1. Most teenagers do not "need" to make a living wage to survive because legally they are their parent's responsibilities. A raise in the minimum wage should help the working poor who are supporting themselves or their family.
2. Teenage unemployment has gotten higher as more adults find themselves with limited job prospects and take jobs occupied by large numbers of teenagers. Having a lower minimum wage for teenagers would allow more teenagers to be employed.
3. The cheap teenage labor would not really displace all that many adults because teenagers tend to be unavailable for work during certain hours (both at night and during school hours) and there are many jobs that they are legally unable to do.
In defense of the same wage for everyone, people should be payed the same for the same work regardless of age. That is what is fair.
Working at a fast food job, I observed that the children (those under 18) were paid less than the adults mainly because minors could not legally do every job, such as using the slicer, and generally were unavailable to work during our store's busiest and most profitable hours, weekday lunch (our restaurant was close to several large businesses). Adults usually had some previous work experience where for many teenagers that was their first job.

[Solly Mack]

13. No

[ultraist]

14. No.

For one, some 16 year olds are independent or have emancipated from their parents.

Secondly, as someone mentioned, it's based on the value of labor, not the age of the worker.