Today in Cleveland there was a march at City Hall, where people were rallying for an increase in the minimum wage.  This time the campaign called for raising the minimum wage to $15/hour in Ohio.  Among the participants in the march were home care workers, library staff, school district employees, fast food workers, and childcare workers from all over Cleveland.  At the same time, fast food workers and cashiers across the country would participate in a nationwide strike, having walkouts in 270 cities.  So what’s the driving force behind this move to raise the minimum wage?

One of the most pliable arguments is to help single parents who are caring for their families.  There have been record numbers of single parents ever since the idea of kids raising kids became an issue.  In the late 1980’s, the minimum wage amounted to $4.25/hour – not enough to support a family.  Some might argue that the minimum wage was not meant to support families, but single people, offering the minimum amount of compensation for one to support oneself.  Yet as time went on, even that was not enough.

The minimum wage was raised once before.  There were campaigns to raise the minimum wage to $7/hour, and eventually it was raised to $8/hour.  In fact, according to a story on cleveland.com, as it was determined there was no inflation, the decision was made to keep the minimum wage at $8.10/hour for the state of Ohio. Click here for the full scoop Really?  No inflation?  What planet have these guys been living on?

There’s been inflation almost everywhere we turn.  Gas prices rise, although now they stay around $2.15/gallon, maybe $2.36 at most.  Automobile prices have risen considerably, where it takes money beyond $15,000 to get a decent vehicle for basic transportation.  The cost of education is always on the rise with scholarships and grant programs being few and far between.  Decent housing for a family can also be expensive, and with credit card debt increasing, there are those at risk of losing their homes from refinancing to pay off the debt.  In addition, repairing cars and homes can be expensive, unless we have the know-how to do it ourselves, and the know-how can also be expensive to come by in paying for the education to do the work, and getting the necessary tools and materials.

Whether the campaign to jump to $15/hour will succeed remains to be seen.  Last mention in the story there was a campaign to raise the minimum wage to at least $10.10.  No doubt the issues are real, and will continue until a viable resolution is found.  We’ll continue to press forward, to a time when the minimum wage isn’t too minimal, and we can see all generations move closer to the ever-elusive American Dream that seems to be either dying, or too far out of reach for those unable to afford what’s needed to go beyond the limiting factors we all face.  We just have to keep our eyes and ears open to learn of new developments that can help.