Shea Sullivan
A new year brings new wages for Ohio workers. While the federal minimum wage is set at $7.25, minimum wage in Ohio has increased from $8.30 to $8.55, and jobs which rely heavily on tips can expect an increase from $4.15 to $4.30.
This news is certainly positive for those working low wage jobs, especially for younger generations. A raise of 25 cents may not seem like much, but every penny matters on a paycheck.
Talk of a minimum wage increase started in 2006, when Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment to increase the wage by the rate of inflation, according to Cleveland.com.
However, not everyone currently making minimum wage can count on their hourly pay to go up. According to the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), the increase only applies to businesses making an annual gross receipt of more than $314,000 per year.
Although this raise seems promising and beneficial at first, some feel that the raise is too little to make any big change, and might cause more harm than good.
“I feel like raising minimum wage might help for awhile, but then everything will even out so it seems kind of pointless,” junior Audrey Stone said.
Others feel that since the majority of younger adults or first time workers are the ones working minimum wage jobs, then the pay increase is not worth some consequences they believe will follow..
“I think that minimum wage jobs were meant for teenagers and other first time jobs, so it’s nice, but I feel like increasing the money too much will cause more problems such as inflation and tax increase,” junior Kaleigh Bozick said.
Yet many people still feel that the raise will be an asset in the long term, and also pushes progress in Ohio, considering that surrounding states like Indiana and Kentucky still have their minimum wage set at the federal line of $7.25.
“I personally think the increase is good. For high school students, a 25 cents increase can be a big deal considering most of us do not have a lot of expensive bills to pay,” junior Shelby Burgess said.
Even with differing opinions surrounding this topic, one thing everyone can do no matter their wage, is continue to work hard and hope it pays off. Experts will have to see if the wage increase hurts or helps the state economy in the months to come.