Living Wage

 

There is an ongoing political debate about the usefulness of legislating a living wage. The federal government addresses the issue to some extent through minimum wage guidelines. However, many cities move beyond this and legislate a living wage that allows people to pay for necessities and have enough money to live above the poverty level. I don’t believe anyone would argue that it is good that people who work still live in poverty. Although, we could get into a discussion about the value of the job they do for the organization. Some would argue that there is a need for employees that live below the poverty level to increase their overall skill sets to increase their value to their organization, leading to a higher pay scale. In this activity, we will discuss the complex arguments surrounding a living wage movement.

• Use the libraryto locate an article that addresses issues associated with business and the responsibility to provide employees a living wage. This article can be a peer-reviewed research-based journal article or a magazine or newspaper story.(Will be forwarded to the Assigned Writer)

Next, reflect upon the following:

• Choose the most applicable ethics theory and apply it to the issue described in the article.
• What do you see as critical to a strong solution that this theory ignores?
• How does the choice of approach (based on theory) impact the decisions made by organizational leaders related to providing all employees a living wage? Put yourself in the role of the organizational leaders.

Address the following in your primary discussion post:

• What role do ethics play in the discussion surrounding providing all employees a living wage?
• What negative effects are there when government legislates a minimum wage and a living wage?
• Are businesses responsible for providing a living wage regardless of the value of the job?

One of the considerations when participating in course discussions is to keep an open mind and be appreciative of the fact that we don’t all share the same perspective. Ethical issues can many times bring emotions to the surface. Work to take a step back and use this as a learning experience about both yourself and others that you might work with on a daily basis.