Wisconsin
Lessen gap between CEO and worker pay. Employee well-being should guide wages. | Letters
Minimum wage hike to go into effect for some across US
Workers in several states and cities will see minimum wage increases go into effect on January 1, 2025, as they continue to battle with high prices.
On Dec. 11, the Journal Sentinel published “23 states to boost minimum wage in 2025.”
It’s laudable for full-time workers to receive a living wage. However, I’m not convinced that boosting minimum wage is a long-term solution to economic inequity. A more effective approach might be to decrease the earnings gap between company owners and their employees. I am not anti-CEO. People who run successful companies take great risks and expend much energy and worry. Moreover, for a product to remain successful there must be ongoing research.
I am not advocating that government enforce a ceiling for maximum earnings. In the best of circumstances, management and workers would negotiate together a working wage necessary for a healthy life where the workers live. In the best of worlds, a priority agenda item at shareholders’ meetings would be the well-being of company employees.
Many will scoff at “the best of worlds.” My response is that the only way we can have the best — or, for starters, the better — is if we step forward and make it happen.
Sheryl Slocum, Milwaukee
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