Minimum wage reaches $10 per hour in St. Louis city
By: Bri Heaney
Staff Writer
A mandate passed after a unanimous decision on March 15 will bring the minimum wage in Saint Louis City to $10 per hour. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay is a big proponent of this mandate, and it passed unanimously a year ago but just recently has the Supreme Court been given the power to enforce this. Within the next 30 days, businesses that have more than 15 employees and gross more than $500,000 per year will begin to phase in the new minimum wage. Slay is willing to give businesses a grace period when entering this new wage increase.
“It’s fair to give businesses a reasonable grace period to adjust to the new minimum wage rate,” Slay said. “We will spend the coming week talking to local business owners and proponents of higher minimum wage to prepare to implement the increase.”
With the increase in minimum wage some students are focused less on making more money and interested in the prospect of having more time.
“Make the same amount of money in four hours that you would in five hours, absolutely; an extra hour of my day that I could spend on school is immensely helpful,” full-time St. Louis Community College-Meramec student Robert “Rocco” Hogan said.
With less time spent at work for the same amount of money, the time for joining clubs, making better grades and taking more classes is more feasible for students who also have a job.
“If I could have an extra hour a day that I would normally be working, spending that on school instead would help immensely,” Hogan said.
Working students not only face more time constraints but often have more bills as well.
“It will make it easier to be a student while you’re working and making 10 dollars an hour at least. Then you can afford the books that the school is going to be charging you $200 for, and you can afford the classes that are going to be $1000 if you’re a full-time student,” Hogan said.
More money not only offers to help pay for more necessities but can also reduce the compounded stress level of many students.
Full-time student Dennis Allen said that the two go hand-in-hand.
“Money plays a big part of somebody’s ability to focus,” Allen said, “because we are all college students here, we’re all wondering how we’re going to be financially stable while paying for car notes, the bills, rent or whatever.”
During such a critical time in someone’s life, when they are seeking to better themselves, a fair wage is advantageous.
“I think being financially stable is so important while we are trying to build ourselves,” Allen said.
Allen said beyond all of the benefits of a $10 minimum wage, it may lead to a greater feeling of equality.
“The wages at the levels they have been for the last few decades are atrocious,” Hogan said. “Honestly I think it’s insulting that we pay people $7.25-$7.65 an hour for jobs that we make fun of people for having. People tell their kids, ‘better go to school so you don’t end up flipping burgers like him…’ Friend, I’m trying to go to school myself.”
Opponents of the minimum wage are appealing the ruling, something Slay calls nothing more than a stall tactic that is keeping money out of the hands of hardworking St. Louisans.
