Vote Yes for Amendment 2

Julia Gomez/Staff Writer

When we think of the 2020 election, we often think of the Presidential election. But it’s so much more than that! This year there are six amendments for Floridians to vote on. While they’re all important, of the most significant is Amendment 2. It’s deciding if we should raise Florida’s minimum wage to $15.00 by 2026 instead of the current $8.56.

Amendment 2 will raise the minimum wage by a dollar each year. On September 30, 2021, the minimum wage will be raised to $10 and continue to rise until September 30, 2026. When it will reach $15 an hour.

Voting yes on Amendment 2 is important not only because it’ll impact the lives of low-income families, it’ll improve student’s lives and allow them to work fewer hours while focusing on school. Ideally, students should be focused on taking full-time classes without having to worry about holding a job, but it doesn’t work out that way. While many students are privileged enough to not have to worry about paying bills, not everyone is.

Voting yes on Amendment 2 is important not only because it’ll impact the lives of low-income families, it’ll improve student’s lives and allow them to work fewer hours while focusing on school.

Chris, who asked us not to use his last name, says he had to stop going to school after his dad became ill to help pay the bills. Just a few months ago, he worked three jobs just to get by. Currently, he’s holding two jobs and works 60 hours a week. Still, 91% of Chris’s paycheck goes to paying bills.

Chris says if the minimum wage was raised, he’d be able to go back to school and quit one of his jobs. When asked if he could get financial aid to go to school he said, “I could, but I physically don’t have the time and my parents’ financial situation is complex so I can’t get enough to cover my expenses.”

Chris’s mental health has taken a toll as well. “I’d have breakdowns of pure stress and exhaustion… It all seemed very bleak at the time.” When he was working three jobs, he’d sleep for five hours each night and start the process over again. Even going a month and a half without getting a day off. He says a lot of that has passed now, but he still has trouble sleeping.

If students are struggling to juggle work and school, they’re going to miss opportunities like internships and joining clubs on campus because of it. Missing out on internship opportunities in competitive fields could impact your likelihood of getting your dream job. Especially if most internships are unpaid. Increasing the minimum would allow students to work less. Instead of working tireless hours at a job just to get by, they can focus on school and extracurricular activities.

Raquel Lewis, a student at FIU majoring in Broadcast Journalism, makes about $130 each week working for South Florida Media Network. Her hours were recently cut from 20 to 13 because of the pandemic. To make up for the cut hours, Lewis works alongside filmmakers as an assistant director.

Lewis says the extra hours she works affect her schooling, internship with SFMN and sleep. Her parents provide her the support she needs, but she says without them she wouldn’t be able to live in Miami and go to school.

“[Miami] is too expensive… It’s a shame to know that if people lose their jobs, they will be on the streets,” said Lewis.

Some would argue that raising the minimum wage can raise unemployment levels, since businesses would have cut their employee’s hours however, some say it can stimulate the economy since people will have more spending money. By keeping wages low, it makes it harder for long-term employees to remain at the same low-paying job. Mary (Polly) Cleveland, an economist and contributing writer for HuffPost says the “high turnover of employees makes unionization more difficult.” 

Keeping employees from unionizing prevents any long-term changes that benefits employees and prevents change. If the minimum wage stays at $8.56 an hour, it only benefits big businesses and limits the amount of money circulating through the economy.

A perfect example is Washington! Many economists look at the effect raising the minimum wage has had on the state. In 2014 it had the highest minimum wage in the country, and its unemployment rate was below the nation’s average.By increasing its minimum wage by 16% the state saw a decrease in unemployment.

If you think about it, how can something stimulate the economy, while also increasing unemployment? When more people begin shopping, retailers will need more customer service representatives, hence resulting in more job positions at a competitive pay rate.

Low wages also contribute to the gatekeeping many students face when deciding to continue their education. Neli Curbelo earned her bachelor’s in Environmental Science with a concentration in Biological Sciences at Loyola University in New Orleans. She’s currently working for $10 an hour plus tip as a waitress, averaging between $250-$300 a week.

“So for me personally, [raising minimum wage] would aid my ability to pay off my student loans, help pay for a possible future Master’s degree, move out with my boyfriend and start a family together,”  said Curbelo.

She lives with her mothers, who are her main support system. Like Lewis, Curbelo says without them she wouldn’t be able to survive in the city. Curbelo says the cheapest rent she’s seen here was a $700 efficiency without a washer, dryer or kitchenette. The other $300 would go straight to paying off her student loans.

“So where does that leave me with the most basic of human needs? Where’s my money for food? We learned in elementary school that all living things need a source of food to survive,” she said.

“The government knows exactly how they can help their citizens and maybe they’ll finally be forced to,” says Curbelo.

As such, voting yes on Amendment 2 would greatly impact people’s lives. “The government knows exactly how they can help their citizens and maybe they’ll finally be forced to,” says Curbelo.

Raising the minimum wage would help countless families begin to live above the poverty level. Increasing the national minimum wage to just $12 could reduce the annual public assistance expenditures by $17 billion. Voting “no” on Amendment 2 will only benefit big corporations, keep people from getting an education and continue the cycle of poverty.

So vote yes on Amendment 2 in Florida’s election. Not only is it going to help most people working minimum wage jobs in Florida earn a livable wage, but it’ll also guarantee significantly better wages for students.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

Photo by Jennifer Griffin on Unsplash

Be the first to comment on "Vote Yes for Amendment 2"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*