this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2026
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One Fair Wage noted that “tipped workers can still legally be paid as little as $2.13 an hour, a system advocates describe as a direct legacy of slavery.”

Over a third of US states are set to raise their minimum hourly wage in 2026, but worker advocates including Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday decried a federal minimum wage that’s remained at $7.25 since 2009—and just $2.13 an hour for tipped workers for over three decades.

Sanders (I-Vt.) said on social media on the eve of the hikes: “Congratulations to the 19 states raising the minimum wage in 2026. But let’s be clear: A $7.25 federal minimum wage is a national disgrace. No one who works full time should live in poverty. We must keep fighting to guarantee all workers a living wage—not starvation wages.”

Yannet Lathrop, NELP’s senior researcher and policy analyst, said earlier this month that “the upcoming minimum wage increases are incremental and won’t magically turn severely underpaid jobs into living-wage jobs, but they do offer a bit of relief at a time when every dollar matters for people.”

top 31 comments
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[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 67 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The "fight for 15/hr" campaign is so old, inflation since then alone pushes it to about 22/hr

[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 4 points 4 days ago

Isn't it $30 in NYC now

[–] ClassStruggle@lemmy.ml 30 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Which brings the total to 50 states that don't pay a livable minimum wage

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 days ago

And not a single executive order to fix it. By any president. Ever. Not even as a gesture.

[–] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago (3 children)
[–] SoloCritical@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Careful what you wish for.. when they cap the wage at $20 an hour, and all the rich fucks decide their “wages” will instead be “compensation” in the form of stock.. which will conveniently not be applicable to the maximum wage.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Need to tax all those capital gains much more than income so people are incentivized to work!

[–] jaykrown@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

That's what taxes were for, it's not a new idea. We just lowered taxes on the biggest earners and are beginning to face the consequences (see US national debt). "From the mid-1940s until 1963, the top marginal tax rate in the United States was over 90%."

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 18 points 5 days ago (2 children)

By design. If conservatives had their way, there would be no wage and people would have to pay their bosses for basic necessities like air.

[–] Carvex@lemmy.world 12 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Their final goal is the Company Town for all

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Pretty much.

[–] santa@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

They should all live in their own state and see how it goes…

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Many do and that's what's the fucked part.

[–] santa@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I should’ve clarified. They should all live in one state :)

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

They'd kill each other before making any positive changes. Lol

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 15 points 5 days ago (1 children)

tipped workers

Tell me you're in slave labor without using the word "slave"

[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

They're low-key panhandlers.

Pan handlers with a paycheck

[–] nocturne@piefed.social 11 points 5 days ago
[–] xc2215x@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

Wages are too low. Minimum should be over 15.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Ever since Donvict 2.0, I've lost count of what could be called a "national disgrace", since there are just so many of them.

I have also lost track of how many conversations I've had with people who make well into the six figures complaining about "giving" people more for minimum wage. I just don't get it, and I know some of these people have had real shit jobs during high school, at least. This might make their sandwich or whatever some amount more expensive, but the people I'm talking about here can afford to dine out.

I guess some cling to the idea that "those jobs" are only for high school kids, even though they can just look around at things like service jobs and see with their own two eyes that it's not just for high school kids. You might be - for some reason I cannot comprehend - offended by the idea of someone trying to support themselves on such jobs, but the fact of the matter is - people are doing that (or trying to), and it's not because of some moral failing on their part.

[–] BotsRuinedEverything@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (3 children)

I'm honestly being serious. What jobs actually pay minimum wage? Positions that get tips don't count. I've had a lot of different jobs over my life and I've never even seen an ad for something that pays $7.25. Fast food makes like $15. Retail makes $10-$12. Hotel attendants make about the same, but also get tips. Hell.. literally last week talked to an actual teenager working in a grocery store stocking shelves and he said he makes $9.50, but he'll me making a dollar more after 90 days. Anyone can EASILY get a job at any warehouse making $15- $18.

I get that these examples still aren't great paychecks, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about $7.25 exactly. Who ACTUALLY pays that? I MIGHT believe some farm workers get minimum. But honestly how many workers are we talking about? And really, how many farms actually W-2 their employees? We all know those are cash jobs.

I agree that wages should be higher, but I think this is one of the last actual free market economy mechanics we have. McDonald's was the quintessential minimum wage job forever but they got with the times and now what was almost a shameful job in the 90's is a very respectable position.

So I want to fight for these workers. But WHO are we fighting for?

[–] joker54@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 5 days ago (1 children)

There are tons of jobs that pay minimum wage where I live.

Small town grocery, for example. They know people need a job, and they don't have competition.

[–] BotsRuinedEverything@lemmy.world -2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I live in a town of 1000 people. The town where my grocery store is has less than 4000 people. Believe me I get small towns. I live a as deep in Pennsylvania coal county as is possible. District 12 in the hunger games was LITERALLY based on where I live.

The example of the grocery store worker I gave was in my small town Weis. I was trying to recruit the kid to work at the place where I work when he told me what he made and that he was a junior in high school. HE gets paid 30% over minimum.

I think it's important to divide not just wage quality, but employment demographic. I think $10/hr is an absolutely acceptable wage for a kid in high school. That said, a shelf stocker is not the correct employment choice for a single parent. $10/hr IS a living wage for a 16 year old. I've had to make a lot of hard choices as a life long blue collar worker but I've always understood that there are SOME jobs that are not intended for "me".

I think this is where the problem starts. We talk about jobs like every position should be able so support a family. Different jobs are appropriate for different stages of life. A "living wage" means vastly different things in different places.

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

So it seems that the issue is that you, fundamentally, either:

A) do not believe that everybody should be compensated equal pay for equal work

Or

B) do not believe that everybody who works deserves to be able to support themselves on their income.

Furthermore, it appears to me that you are assuming a great deal about 16-year-olds. I teach high school, and most of my students are working to support their family every minute they aren't actively in school, sleeping, or ferrying themselves on public transit.

Finally, the fact that you seem to think that some jobs are simply lesser than others belies the fact that you value certain workers less. I genuinely wish that you could experience every person in one of these jobs walking out for two days, so you could witness society crumble. Do you think that the custodian should make less than the financier? Because I'll tell you which one of those jobs requires more actual labour, and, spoiler: it's not the dude throwing everyone else's wellbeing on the pyre of their own self aggrandisement.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

The town my brother lives in has only one major employer and its a casino and it pays 8 dollars an hour. The town is fucking dead because of it.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 4 points 5 days ago

If everyone makes more than minimum wage, there would be no consequence to raising minimum wage to the minimum people actually make. So why do you think businesses and politicians don't want to do it?

[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl -2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Which state is going to abolish the wage system?

Oh, right, No State.

[–] titanicx@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You're advocating for slavery?

[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 0 points 3 days ago

No, dividends paid to the workers, not the capitalists that don't contribute labour.