Although Las Vegas’ current minimum wage, $8.25 per hour without health benefits, falls $1 above the federal minimum wage level, many
minimum wage workers resent their inability to keep up with the rising costs of living, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
The living wage figure indicates the lowest wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living. According to a
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator, the living wage for Clark County, Nevada, in which Las Vegas is located, is $10.67 for a single adult and $14.50 for two working adults with two children. These figures contrast with the poverty wage threshold levels of $5 for one adult and $5 for two working adults with two children.
Urgent: Do You Think the Minimum Wage Should Be Raised?
Though minimum wage debates have been raging for some time, they surged in Las Vegas following the state Senate’s approval in April 2015 for a Republican-supported bill to overturn Nevada’s overtime pay law while increasing the minimum wages for some workers.
"What they are asking us to do as a state is trade a 75-cent wage increase for overtime pay benefits,"
state Sen. Kelvin Atkinson, D-Las Vegas, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I think it’s a slap in the face to our workers.”
However, even if a higher minimum wage of $15 per hour is approved statewide, issues concerning minimum wage-level jobs and higher expertise-level jobs still remain.
Vote Now: How Do You Feel About the Minimum Wage?
The Las Vegas Review-Journal noted that the purpose of the minimum wage is to provide opportunities for the least-skilled work force members — especially including teens — to have a chance to gain skills that will aid them in pursing their careers.
According to the American Enterprise Institute, when minimum wage levels are increased, low-skilled workers become far less likely to transition to higher-wage paying jobs.
As minimum wage vs. living wage debates continue in Las Vegas, the issues will likely remain murky as both proponents and opponents of increased minimum wage levels consider the availability and the end goals of higher-paying and lower-paying employment opportunities.
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