VOA慢速英语2015 The ‘Living Wage’ Debate Has Many Sides

AS IT IS 2015-06-14 The ‘Living Wage’ Debate Has Many Sides

Workers and employers around the world argue over the issue of a minimum wage. Workers says they want to receive a minimum “living” wage that permits them to meet the most basic needs of life such as food, clothing and shelter.

Employers say that high labor¹ costs will affect their company’s profitability and its value to shareholders². And governments worry that they will lose trade, investment and tax revenues if labor costs within their borders go too high.

US minimum wage a growing issue

In 2014, President Barack Obama signed an executive order raising the U.S. federal minimum hourly wage to $10.10. The order applies only to new or replacement³ federal contracts. However, for most jobs subject to the federal minimum wage, the rate remains⁴ $7.25 an hour.

But, the federal minimum wage does not apply to everyone for a number of reasons. Each state has its own labor laws, which can affect the minimum wage workers can receive.

In early June, the Los Angeles City Council approved a minimum wage measure. The plan will increase that city’s lowest wage to $15 an hour by 2020. Under the plan, the minimum wage in the second largest American city will increase yearly for five years. Small businesses and non-profit organizations will have an extra year to reach the $15-an-hour pay level.

For workers, increased pay is welcome. Edgar Gonzalez, a young father, says the move will make a difference for him.

“It will mean a lot. It will help me out with the rent. It will help me out with diapers. It will help me out with having a better life.”

However, many business organizations, such as the U.S. Chamber⁵ of Commerce, say minimum wage measures put an unfair burden on small businesses.

Requiring a high minimum wage for hourly work also can have the unwanted effects of driving up youth unemployment. Employers may hire fewer unskilled workers or they may cut labor costs by using automation such as machines or robots.

The main criticism of high minimum wage requirements is that they hurt job creation. But it is clear that pay raises do lift the standard of living for the working poor -- as long as inflation is not a problem.

Purchasing power parity⁶: not all minimum wages are the equal

Every minimum wage is not the same.

To compare the buying power of currencies in different countries, economists⁷ have developed a method called purchasing power parity, PPP for short. Instead of using the exchange rate of currencies to the U.S. dollar or a group of currencies, PPP compares the buying power of currencies for important products.

Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development show that some countries like Poland or Hungary, with lower minimum wages, have relatively⁸ high buying power. Countries with very high minimum wages like Luxembourg or Australia have less buying power in PPP terms.

Some economists believe there should not be a minimum wage. Conservative economists say markets and individuals should be left to set the price of labor rather than have a rule setting a floor, or lowest point, for wages. However, most people accept the idea of rules to govern wage levels to ensure fairness.

Minimum wages around the world

Many people consider minimum wage laws an important part of labor laws that provide protections for workers. In recent years, wages disputes have come from disasters, government intervention⁹ and labor-related violence and tensions.

In 2013, a deadly fire at a garment factory complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, brought attention to the issue of worker safety in the low-wage industry. More than 1,000 people died in the disaster. The deadly incident also brought attention to the wages paid to workers for companies that supply large clothing stores in Western developed nations. It also resulted in a pay increase for workers at some Bangladeshi factories.

At the beginning of this year, Cambodian garment workers gained an increase in the minimum monthly wage from $100 to $128. The increase was a compromise set by the government. It came at the price of deadly violence between protesters and security forces in 2014.

In Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued a decree to raise the country’s monthly minimum wage to a top level of $146. Foreign investors¹⁰ are worried about the higher cost of labor. However, activists¹¹ say that the new minimum wage still only meets 70 percent of the actual cost of living.

Words in This Story

shareholder(s) – n. a person or a group owning a share of a company or business

automation – n. machines, computers or robots that carry out manufacturing instead of people

complex – n. a group of buildings that are close to one another that are used for a certain purpose

parity – n. the state of being equal

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

7 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 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》