Minnesota’s minimum wage is $6.15 per hour for large employers.
If a person making minimum wage is lucky enough to have a full-time job - they would make $12,792 per year (pre-tax).
Gasoline Expenses:
If they work 20 miles from home, and have a vehicle that will get them 20 miles per gallon they would spend roughly $2,080.00 for gas per year (figuring 5 days a week). This leaves this person/family with $10,712.
Housing Expenses:
If they spend $500 per month for housing that will cost $6,000/year leaving them with $4,712.
$150 per month in utilities = $1,800.00/year leaving $2,912.
Scratching the Surface:
This is just scratching the surface - what about healthcare, what about car insurance and other insurance, what about food and what if you have children? Could you live on minimum wage?
The Truth:
The sad fact of the matter is that most folks being paid minimum wage in Minnesota work two or more jobs just to get by.
Two or more jobs just to make enough for the bare minimum of life.
There’s legislation in the Minnesota State Legislature to improve lives. It would increase minimum wage over the course of two years to $10.55 per hour.
Read the House Legislation here (as amended): http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/docs/H0092-AsAmended.pdf
The Senate’s companion bill here:
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF0003&ssn=0&y=2013
The Senate’s bill has not been amended yet. In a non-amended form this legislation doesn’t go far enough. On a national level the President is pushing to raise minimum wage to $9.00 per hour.
Watch here for more details about the fight to increase minimum wage in Minnesota.
