经济学人:最低工资 留下了坏印象(1)

 　　United States 美国

　　Minimum Wages: Leaving a bad taste 最低工资：留下了坏印象

　　Higher minimum wages may force bad restaurants out of business. 愈高的最低工资可能使糟糕的餐馆倒闭。

　　With Republicans in charge in Washington, the federal minimum wage is unlikely to alter soon. 由于共和党在华盛顿执政，联邦最低工资就不可能很快更改了。

　　But debate over the impact of local pay floors is as hot as ever. 但对当地最低工资的影响的争论和以往一样火热。

　　Little wonder: 18 states and 22 cities and counties raised their minimum wages at the start of 2017, according to the National Employment Law Project, a campaign group. 难怪，根据国家就业法项目，即一个运动组织，18个州和22个城市和乡镇在2017年初调高了他们的最低工资。

　　Left-wing activists¹ have for years pushed politicians to guarantee minimum pay of $15 an hour, more than twice the federal minimum of $7.25, which last went up in 2009. 左翼活动分子多年来一直敦促政治家保证最低工资为每小时15美元，这是联邦最低限额每小时7.25美元的两倍多，联邦在2009上升了。

　　A new working paper by Dara Lee Luca of Mathematica Policy Research and Michael Luca of Harvard Business School looks at the impact of higher minimum wages from a new angle. 数学政策研究公司的Dara Lee Luca与哈佛商学院的Michael Luca 一起做的一个新的工作报告从新的角度的影响看待调高的最低工资。

　　Traditionally, scholars have focused on whether or not minimum wages reduce employment. 传统上，学者们关注的是最低工资是否减少就业。

　　But the Lucas asked something else: does it force firms out of business? 但是Lucas 问了另外一个问题：它是否迫使企业破产？

　　In particular, they looked at the restaurant industry—about half of minimum-wage workers toil² over food—in the San Francisco Bay Area,  特别是，他们关注了餐馆业—大约一半的最低工资工人在旧金山湾地区辛辛苦苦维持生计，

　　which contains 15 of the 41 cities and counties that have changed their minimum wages since 2012. 其中包含自2012起，已改变了他们的最低工资的41个城市和乡镇中的15个。

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。