This letter recognizes the struggles with low-paying jobs and the factors of increasing unemployment and taxes.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, “A majority (59%) of workers whose total family income is below the poverty line would receive a pay increase if the minimum wage were raised to $15 by 2025.”

Lower-income families will receive higher pay; this decreases the unemployment rate and would increase success in the economy. Inequitable pay would also decrease because of the heightened pay, though all workers doing the same job should continue to be paid the same amount.

This also applies to the racial gap in pay, which would also decrease as families of color rise above the poverty line. The racial gap is expected to increase by one-third for African Americans and by one-quarter for Latinos; they would be getting a raise, therefore more financial support.

In more expensive regions of the country, a single adult without children will need far more than $15. With taxes becoming more and more expensive, it is crucial to increase the pay to comply with the increase of prices everywhere. Single parents need more support for their children as well as other people less fortunate with health care, food nutrition and debt.

There is more we can do to help improve this world, and an increase in pay would help a lot of families and people struggling to meet days’ end.

Lillian Lacey Durango