LIANE HANSEN, Host:
On Friday, the minimum wage went up by 70 cents an hour. It's now $7.25 an hour. And millions of Americans will have that extra money in their next paychecks. The question of whether the new hourly minimum wage will help or hurt the economy triggered quite a debate on our Web site and our blog over the past week. So NPR senior business editor Marilyn Geewax is here once again to discuss what you had to say. Welcome back, Marilyn.
MARILYN GEEWAX: Thank you.
HANSEN: Let's hear from our listeners first. Melissa Gutierrez(ph) of Dallas, Texas is a low-wage worker who says every little bit helps right now.
MELISSA GUTIERREZ: My family has been living on $7.00 an hour since June when I was lucky enough to get a job at all after eight years out of the job market. My husband has been out of work since March. And his 15-plus years experience in an IT specialty is neither helpful nor harmful at this point. That $7.00 an hour is keeping a roof over our head for longer than we would making nothing.
HANSEN: We also were contacted by small business owners who said that in this recession, a wage hike is going to mean layoffs. Janice Pulaccino(ph), who owns two small cafes in Brooklyn, New York, wrote I have cut everything I can cut - my own salary last year for owning two businesses was under $45,000. And I increased my personal debt to pay business bills, but I managed to keep all 23 jobs. I will be laying someone off due to the minimum wage increase in my payroll. And for what? Pennies on the dollar? Those are some pretty strong reactions, Marilyn. What do you think?
GEEWAX: This latest pay raise could add maybe $5 billion or so to paychecks over the coming year. And, you know, obviously, to the people who get that raise, it's important. But in a $14 trillion economy, that's not going to change the direction of things.
HANSEN: Marilyn, you know, we also heard from some people who were concerned about the welfare of workers who rely on tips to fill out their incomes. Elizabeth Fraise(ph) of Quicksburg, Virginia said the tipped workers are being left out.
ELIZABETH FRAISE: The actual pay for tipped workers is not going up. Please tip your waiter. I hope NPR addresses this when reporting on minimum wage issues.
HANSEN: Marilyn, what is she talking about?
GEEWAX: In seven states - most of them are out West - they require employees to give tipped workers the full minimum wage, but that's really the exception. For the most part, tipped workers are feeling pretty forgotten.
HANSEN: We want another comment from a listener. This is from Derrick Crane(ph), who wrote: The people who maintain their jobs will, of course, be receiving more money for their labor. However, there will be less jobs to be had as some marginal employers lay off employees to lower cost. Furthermore, higher wages have a tendency to increase inflation, which often eliminates any wage gain. Now, he says, higher wages will just mean higher costs for goods, which will cancel out any benefit of a bigger paycheck. Is this accurate?
GEEWAX: So, liberals say that inflation is not the problem right now. The real issue is that low-wage workers don't have enough money to pay the rent. So, if you want to help the economy, they say you should put a little more money into the pockets of people who need it the most.
HANSEN: NPR's senior business editor Marilyn Geewax regularly joins us to discuss the economy. And if you've got a question or if you'd like to suggest a topic, go to our blog, NPR.org/Soapbox. Marilyn, thanks very much.
GEEWAX: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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