Sanders introduces bill to raise minimum wage to $17 by 2030, benefits nearly 22 million Americans
Just a moment...
If only Democrats had the stones to do this.
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The fight for $15 movement started 13 years ago. $15 in 2012 money is equal to over $20 in 2025 money. It's taking the most progressive senator we've got to even suggest a pittance that is below what we've been asking for for over a decade.
And it is $17 in 2030.
Here from Europe, let me recommend one thing we do well: we link our equivalent of social security to the average wage growth, not to inflation.
This ensures that all voters benefit from wage growth. And thus all voters demand the same thing from the politicians.
Makes too much sense.
Sensible policies are Unamerican, judging by what has been passed by Congress in the last 20 years.
The problem with that happening in the US is there has been no wage growth, only retraction. Between inflation and wage inequality our purchasing power is nearly half what it was 25 years ago.
That's the point. Your problem is that a lot of voters aren't affected by wage growth. So politicians don't feel the pressure to enact wage growth.
All those senior people will actually vote for the guy who keeps wage growth in check.
we can't even get it to 15, what do you think are chances of doing that are lol
I know, but these things tend to be all or nothing.
Either the American workers don't seize power and they continue to get exploited, or they seize power and then a lot will be possible.
Median one bed apartment rent, across the entire US, is $1550 as of Feb 2025.
Lets knock 20% of that off, to approximate a median studio apartment instead, give some leeway to poorer parts of the country.
(there are not as good or reliable general stats counted for studio apartments, but a studio being 20% less than a one bed is... hopefully a reasonable, napkin math aporoximation)
Ok, that's $1240.
Alright, now we use the 'rent should be 30% of your income' rule.
Thats $4135 a month, rounded up very slightly to the nearest 5.
Ok, 40 hours a week, roughly 4 weeks a month = 160 hours.
4135 / 160 = $25.85, again rounded up to the closet 5 cents for simplicity, so thats your actual minimum 'living wage'.
If you wanna say a studio should be 30% off a one bedroom?
Math works out to roughly $22.60
If you wanna say an actual one bedroom should be the standard, works out to about $32.60
Any way you look at this, $17 an hour is too low, that's still... you can't even afford a studio (as in, you cannot pass the rent to income threshold without a cosigner or double deposit or somethingnon your lease) you need roommates, you're still living with your parents.
The very people that would benefit are the same ones saying they don't deserve it.