If only Democrats had the stones to do this.
Not fast enough not soon enough.
Depends where you live. This means nothing in California. This is an extreme change in Georgia.
They need to stop using fixed values and switch to a calculation based on GDP, cost of living, inflation, and other such factors. If you do that you don’t need to keep fighting to increase it.
By 2030, $17 will be the equivalent of $5/hr. Can we just skip the bullshit and tie minimum wage to 2xSGA@40hr/wk? Right now that’d be about $18.70
What is SGA?
Substantial Gainful Activity. It’s a metric used in the US which is adjusted each year. Currently it’s $1620/mo.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Canadian basketball point guard, obviously
Screen Guild… Actors
Sweet. $17/hr * 40 = $680 a week * 4 = $2720 a month * 52 = $32640 all before tax. Still not enough to live on.
Yeah, the “$15 an hour” debate has been going on for so long that the number has realistically increased to ~$23 per hour. And if a $23/hr minimum wage makes you balk, maybe you should consider how little you’re being paid for the job you currently do.
Even terrorist organizations have higher minimum wage than the USA.
The fight for $15 movement started 13 years ago. $15 in 2012 money is equal to over $20 in 2025 money. It’s taking the most progressive senator we’ve got to even suggest a pittance that is below what we’ve been asking for for over a decade.
Median one bed apartment rent, across the entire US, is $1550 as of Feb 2025.
Lets knock 20% of that off, to approximate a median studio apartment instead, give some leeway to poorer parts of the country.
(there are not as good or reliable general stats counted for studio apartments, but a studio being 20% less than a one bed is… hopefully a reasonable, napkin math aporoximation)
Ok, that’s $1240.
Alright, now we use the ‘rent should be 30% of your income’ rule.
Thats $4135 a month, rounded up very slightly to the nearest 5.
Ok, 40 hours a week, roughly 4 weeks a month = 160 hours.
4135 / 160 = $25.85, again rounded up to the closet 5 cents for simplicity, so thats your actual minimum ‘living wage’.
If you wanna say a studio should be 30% off a one bedroom?
Math works out to roughly $22.60
If you wanna say an actual one bedroom should be the standard, works out to about $32.60
Any way you look at this, $17 an hour is too low, that’s still… you can’t even afford a studio (as in, you cannot pass the rent to income threshold without a cosigner or double deposit or somethingnon your lease) you need roommates, you’re still living with your parents.
And it is $17 in 2030.
Here from Europe, let me recommend one thing we do well: we link our equivalent of social security to the average wage growth, not to inflation.
This ensures that all voters benefit from wage growth. And thus all voters demand the same thing from the politicians.
Makes too much sense.
Sensible policies are Unamerican, judging by what has been passed by Congress in the last 20 years.
we can’t even get it to 15, what do you think are chances of doing that are lol
I know, but these things tend to be all or nothing.
Either the American workers don’t seize power and they continue to get exploited, or they seize power and then a lot will be possible.
The problem with that happening in the US is there has been no wage growth, only retraction. Between inflation and wage inequality our purchasing power is nearly half what it was 25 years ago.
That’s the point. Your problem is that a lot of voters aren’t affected by wage growth. So politicians don’t feel the pressure to enact wage growth.
All those senior people will actually vote for the guy who keeps wage growth in check.
The very people that would benefit are the same ones saying they don’t deserve it.
It’ll need to be $400 by 2030 to keep up with Trumpflation.
It already realistically needs to be between 25-30 an hr to even be considered a living wage.
Too bad too many don’t consider minimum wage as something that should be a living wage
Yea, those people should be
re-educated.We call those people “all republicans and always just enough democrats.”
Then we make two wages, one we call minimum, the other we call living. That way it’s easy to know if a place is offering a living wage or if it’s just unimportant work.
Then we make two wages, one we call minimum, the other we call living.
That way we can tell the difference between the morlocks and the eloi.
lol right now we do have two wages. The minimum wage… and the subminimum wage. Yes, that is a real thing! 2.13$ an hour if you make more than 30$ in tips a month.
NO!! Not a number! Tie it to inflation, as a proportion!! Picking a specific number is what got us in this mess in the first place
If you look at the timeline in the article, post-2030 the act states that it would be indexed.
That would have made a much better headline
I’m sadly starting to think Bernie is a Neoliberal in disguise
everyone is a neoliberal except me
He’s going to tell us to vote for another Neoliberal after drumming up all this support.
Watch.
And if he does? Preferring a neoliberal to a fascist does not make one a neoliberal, especially if a neoliberal has a better shot at preventing a fascist from gaining office than a leftist. Bernie is a social democrat and a pragmatist, and if that’s not left enough for you than say that, but don’t get your ideologies confused.
Everyone has already forgotten what happened when the DNC used Bernie to try to bait and switch his voters for Hilary. We might be cooked if everyone has already forgotten this strategy doesn’t work.
The DNC Neoliberals also funded fringe right wing campaigns to give themselves easy competition, and instead lost to them. Making them partially responsible for Trump ever gaining power, they paved the road every step of the way through fucking insane excuses that limp fuck neolibs just keep lapping up like dogs.
I personally can’t ever vote for another Republican or Democrat again, MAYBE if an actual leftist is the democratic canidate. But IMO the only way to free ourselves is to end the Duopoly forever, there’s no baby in that bathwater.
without looking it up what is neoliberalism and how is it different from social democracy or, indeed, liberalism?
Neoliberals are people pretending to be leftists that suck rich cock instead of representing the majority of their electorate.
And that neo-liberal will be the only option that has a snowball’s chance to beat Republicans.
Sanders isn’t so starry-eyed as to undermine better in the pursuit of perfect.
He’s been doing this a LOT longer than you.
Just like the time that worked in 2016 right?
We’re cooked lol
We may be, but he’s still doing the smart thing instead of pushing for the impossible while allowing the terrible, because you don’t like the better.
pushing for the impossible
You mean the bare minimum functions of a democratic society, yeah that’s pretry easy and most of europe already figured this out.
while allowing the terrible.
You are a dumb person for being fooled into accepting this.
Ah, the Left. Always eating itself.
Is this a joke…?
Should read “benefiting all Americans”
How this would help Chileans?
Hurr hurrrr
Benefits 340 million Americans* FTFY
A rising tide lifts all ships.
Correct. Before people say “it should be $25/hr,” federal minimum wage is only matched by the poorest of states. State minimum wage increases would be warranted and implemented in states with a higher cost of living following the federal wage hike.
“But muh McDonald’s prices!”
They’re already $10 a meal my dude, and Amazon is Amazon no matter where you live
10$? Where I live a fucking Quarter Pounder meal is near 17$. Shits insane.
I moved from upstate NY to eastern PA in 2020. The average fast food worker was making 50% more in upstate NY. Most prices were the same, if not within 10 cents at worst.
Given there’s lots of states still sitting at $7.25, $17 is certainly a step in the right direction. But it should be $25/hr and people should be pushing the idea that $17 is too small, but still better than nothing. $17/hr is already the compromise and treating it like it isn’t doesn’t benefit it. But its also not helpful to be defeatist about it not being enough.
$17/hr is $35,360/yr. The median income in Arkansas, the state with the lowest cost of living, is currently $36,761.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas
It’s not a compromise. Federal minimum wage should be enough to live on in the poorest state. More than that would create private business deserts in poor areas, forcing the locals to exclusively patronize corporations. More of the population would need social program assistance to help pay for the increased cost of our domestic food supply.
More than that would create private business deserts in poor areas, forcing the locals to exclusively patronize corporations. More of the population would need social program assistance to help pay for the increased cost of our domestic food supply.
… If we’re talking about Arkansas… all of that has already happened.
You know Walmart is… from, and based in Arkansas, right?
20 ish % of the population is already below the poverty line… and the poverty line is basically ‘lets assume you have no rent and are homeless and just want to be able to buy food’.
That means 20% of the state is already getting SSI, SNAP, TANF, etc.
…
The US Federal poverty line is about $35 dollars a day. about $13k a year.
If you converted that to a full time wage, thats about $6.75 an hour.
The US Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
50 cents of difference.
Hasn’t changed since 2009.
From 2009 to 2025, if you go by CPI, a single 2009 dollar is worth about $1.50 2025 dollars, that is to say, prices have risen by 50% in 16 years.
…
Arkansas is literally an economic disaster zone.
41% of the state struggles with getting their basic needs met, multiple independent observers and international aid agencies have compared the level of poverty, lack of education, access to healthcare… to areas of the world recently devastated by wars.
You say the cost of living is 36-37k.
That must be for a single person.
As of Nov 24, the median individual income in Arkansas is $29,740.
That makes the median wage about $15.50 an hour.
The median individual income in Arkansas cannot afford the average cost of living for a single person.
Arkansas is already the state equivalent of a mentally unsound person being deemed incompitent to make their own decisions and be declared a ward of the state.
Bumping up the min wage would be more like doubling the care and support staff for the assisted living facility that is Arkansas, already massively dependent on Federal subsidies to the poor… and the laughably tiny tax rates on giant megacorps that allow said megacorps to dominate its economy.
…
If you want to see what unchecked hypercapitalism looks like, you’re looking at Arkansas.
Exactly my point. A $17/hr minimum wage in Arkansas would correct that while still allowing small businesses to employ workers. $25/hr would ensure it remains a corporate-controlled state.
I get that.
What… would actually make much more sense would be to index the minimum wage to some other, per state metric.
A fraction of median income, some formula that actually does a good job of estimating a minimum standard of living…
But, that will never happen, because … well basically half of voters and half state legislatures fundamentally either do not understand how to, or believe in laying a foundational safety net layer for society.
The income and CoL disparities within the US are… basically as wild as the differences between EU member states, but our governance systems are… well, pretty much fundamentally broken at this point.
So that’s what the states are supposed to do with their own minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is not the one we should be challenging for livable wages unless the wage is unlivable everywhere. States absolutely should be setting their own minimum wage to keep people out of poverty in their state. For example, the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hr, but NY state minimum wage is $16.50/hr.
An adjustable minimum wage would increase the wealth gap. Companies would not be providing cost of living increases along with performance increases, keeping more people near the bottom.
We need our government to regulate prices on essential goods and/or subsidize them through taxation to keep them from inflating faster than wages increase. Nordic nations employ mixed-economics for this and it’s quite successful.
Yay, my state was mentioned.
Did you hear our Gov. Sanders (no relation) wants to allow child labor at below minimum wage, and increase the number of positions that can pay minimum-tipped-wages of $2.13/hr ?
Federal minimum wage should indeed increased. But, I have heard people recently complaining that McDonalds workers shouldn’t be receiving a living wage, because they worked at McDonalds 5 decades ago. I keep my mouth shut and yearn to move away when my familial duties are complete (or my will is exhausted).
I’m not surprised. DeSantis is trying the same thing in Florida, to offset the lost farm workforce due to mass deportations. We’re basically cattle to these people.
The McDonald’s argument is old and outdated. Back when a family could comfortably afford necessities and some luxuries, those were seen as after-school jobs. It’s a very different world now. Any full time position should be able to afford someone all necessities. If not, it’s the very definition of exploitation.
Any full time position should be able to afford someone all necessities. If not, it’s the very definition of exploitation.
So Say We All
I got into a lot of debates as to how. Raising the federal minimum wage alone isn’t enough. Our nation’s cost of living varies far too widely for that to work without destroying small businesses. We need systemic reform with more smart subsidies and democratic socialism to keep necessities low. Possibly even regulatory pricing. Inequality will only worsen with AI replacement.
So it’s already barely enough now so we shouldn’t want it higher in the future?
It’s not barely enough. It’s the median income.
It’s the same picture.
Alabama is a developing country.
It’s barely enough in the poorest state, how is that acceptable to you?
Just to show how bad it is, in today’s money if it’s a family 17 just 2 dollars over poverty wage of 15.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-minimum-wage-is-a-poverty-wage/
It’s barely enough in the poorest state, how is that acceptable to you?
Because they’re not in rich states, so their lives have no value.
Because I understand economics, and it’s not the right tool for the job.
If you raise the federal minimum wage too high for the poorest states, private businesses will not be able to employ workers. Raising wages directly increases the cost of goods, driving consumers to corporate chains, shuttering local businesses whose employees end up working for minimum wage for the corporations. That’s how you end up with an entire state on welfare and SNAP benefits while working, just to make ends meet.
What you want is a livable wage everywhere, which I am all for. That cannot happen by increasing the federal minimum wage. Smart subsidization and mixed-economics (Democratic Socialism) has proven to be the most effective way to achieve that goal. Look into Nordic mixed-economies for reference.
Given there’s lots of states still sitting at $7.25, $17 is certainly a step in the right direction.
Yeah, but centrists like having a permanent underclass to exploit.
Trump proposes bill to make minimum tip $17.
US dollar is valueless pay us in euros.
If you really believe the USD is valueless, give me all your USD.
No
Yeah, that’s what I thought…
What Bernie 17 by 2030? Is fucking for real? Needs 25 an hour NOW! Might well tell people to keep straving. I should kmow make 24 an hour wife makes 16 and we still live paycheck to paycheck. With no car payments just house. Shit so fucking expensive. And its only going get worse. Why not 17 an hour now and 25 by 2030?
“Fight for 15” started in 2012…
50/hr or gtfo
If it sounds crazy it’s because you’re been conditioned to believe that some jobs aren’t worth a living wage.
It’s crazy.
That means capitalism believes that people who work those jobs don’t deserve to live.
It’s a class war and they are killing us.
No my fucking problem is we started this fight in 2012 for $15 an hour. Now what 2025 and its 17 by 2030? Its fucking joke and sad that it won’t even pass. We need to be shutting this country down until our demands are met. This bill lile all the others won’t even pass the Senate.
50/hr
Cut CEO pay
Or heads.
Dealers choice.
Democrats:
“Yeah we could have helped the people who voted us in, but fuck that, I love Republican policies, they make my bank account look so much nicer when the lobbyists pay us both.”
I assume that’s her personal mantra. Fucking backstabber.
best we can do is $8 an hour
“$8 an hour? Think of the profits lost! It’ll raise the cost of rent and groceries!”
This remains democrats’ last word on the minimum wage.
Knowing that my state has the highest minimum wage in the country, and it still isn’t enough to live off of in this state, I think that the minimum needs to be almost twice that. At least in California. Or the federal minimum needs to be based on what shit actually costs regionally, and not just a single number for all 50 states.
No single wage is going to be adequate to cover a country as large and as diverse as the United States. The federal minimum wage is not meant to be a solution for every state, but more like a way to set an absolute bare minimum. States, and even cities, can set minimum wages higher than the federal one.
If your state’s minimum wage isn’t 7.25/hr with 2.13/hr tipped, don’t act like others should settle for less when you don’t have to.
Or the federal minimum needs to be based on what shit actually costs regionally, and not just a single number for all 50 states.
“Got mine, fuck you.”
That’s why states set their own minimum wage above the federal minimum wage.
Unless they’re the flyover states whose residents you want to keep poor.
You don’t get it. I’ve never made six figures in my life. That’s NY poor. We pay more to live here. A dozen eggs is $12.99 here right now. A studio apartment is $1800/mo. Things cost more in wealthier states, so the poverty line is higher, hence the higher state minimum wage.
And therefore an hour of my life is worth less than an hour of yours.
Permanent underclass of flyover morlocks.
Still not getting it. Money is fictional. How many cartons of eggs per hour do you make? How many days do you need to work to pay rent? God you’re a dense one.
Let’s put this in a way you’ll refuse to understand because it contradicts the semester of econ you had with someone who was obviously a chicago school weenie.
Workers deserve a minimum level of protection no matter where they work. And I don’t trust anyone who sees a statement like that and starts carving out exceptions before anything is accomplished.
