She explained why during a speech to her Michigan audience:
“Tipped employees make $2.13 per hour, federally. Think about that for one minute. People cannot live on those kind of wages, and I can’t allow people to be living off tips, you know, relying on tips for wages. It’s just not enough to support our families.”
Tlaib also declared that the federal minimum wage ought to be “$18 to $20 an hour at this point” before claiming that prices have already increased. The note of price increases is presumably a response to critics who oppose raising the minimum wage.
Backlash Against Raising the Minimum Wage
As Americans know, there is a fair amount of opposition against raising the minimum wage…especially to $20.00 per hour. Many conservatives have pointed out that the free market tends to adapt to minimum wage hikes. Free market adaptations come in the form of reducing employees’ hours, laying off employees, and raising general prices.
Critics furthermore maintain that individuals seeking higher pay should get better jobs or start their own businesses.
