the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 1, 2024
Recently there was a big pronouncement on which states were raising their minimum wage rates. In Michigan, the minimum wage has risen to $10.33 an hour for adults starting in January, replacing the $10.10 an hour rate. That amounts to $1652.80 a month before taxes, or about $1356 a month after taxes.
So, what’s wrong with this picture? Well, just for starters, if you add up the average cost of an apartment in Detroit, at $1047, AND monthly car insurance costs at $761 a month, AND food, at about $300 a month, that comes to $750 a month MORE in expenses than your minimum wage paycheck. Never mind clothing costs, or if you even have a car, not to mention the money to put gas into it.
They say: "People Don’t Want to Work." We say we need wages we can live on and get to work on.