Austin McDonald tries to attract customers to the Sun Tan City on Dayton Boulevard. He earns $8 an hour, 75 cents more than the federal minimum wage.
Staff photo by Shelly BradburyFAST FACTAt the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, a full-time worker employed 40 hours a week would be paid $15,080 a year. If that wage rate rose to $9 an hour, that worker would make $18,720.FEDERAL POVERTY INCOME LEVELS, 2013Family size — annual income1 — $11,4902 — $15,5103 — $19,5304 — $23,5505 — $27,5706 — $31,590Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesWORKERS AT OR BELOW MINIMUM WAGE• U.S. — 3.8 million• Tennessee — 101,000• Georgia — 196,000• Alabama — 74,000Source: U.S. Department of LaborHISTORY OF THE MINIMUM WAGE1938: 25 cents1939: 30 cents1945: 40 cents1950: 75 cents1956: $11961: $1.151963: $1.251967: $1.401968: $1.601974: $21975: $2.101976: $2.301978: $2.651979: $2.901980: $3.101981: $3.351990: $3.801996: $4.751997: $5.152007: $5.852008: $6.552009: $7.25Source: U.S. Department of Labor
Liz Ragsdale works 35 hours a week at Sun Tan City and brings home a $560 biweekly paycheck, before taxes – and she earns $8 an hour, 75 cents more than the federal minimum wage.
“I can’t imagine living off the minimum wage,” the UTC student said. “You can’t live off the minimum wage.”
She hopes legislators agree to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union proposal to jump the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour and tie the rate to future increases in inflation.
“I’d have more money, less credit card debt and less loans for school,” she said. “I think it’d be good.”