Some of the most common yet necessary jobs are the ones that pay minimum wage. Whether purchasing items at the grocery store, movie theater, or a restaurant, the employees there are most likely paid minimum wage.

St. Paul  Mayor Melvin Carter proposed  a $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance Oct. 9 that is to be discussed by the city council in upcoming meetings.

The current minimum wage is $7.87 per hour for businesses that bring in $500,000 or less in gross revenue annually. Companies that make more than that annually must pay their employees at least $9.65 per hour.

This larger minimum wage proposal may offer a higher income for people who work minimum wage, but it also presents issues. 

Junior Henrik Schleisman does not work or live in St. Paul but says he can empathize with the people who would like to make more money. He also thinks raising the minimum wage is a great way to make life easier on the people who need to sustain families on the current minimum wage. 

“I think raising minimum wage really helps because it isn’t really hurting the businesses too much but it is really helping the low-income families,” Schleisman said.

Schliesman also believes that raising minimum wage may be tough for smaller companies, but bigger companies have sufficient funds to make it happen.

Senior Lily Nestor voiced similar opinions, saying that many people who work have to support themselves or families on minimum wage and a raise would help them out. Nestor also said that with a higher minimum wage more people might be interested in working, and the unemployment rate would be lowered.

One concern that Nestor talked about was inflation; she said that the largest con she could see is companies raising their prices to be able to afford the wage change. Nestor was conflicted about whether the pros outweigh the cons or not, but said, “I think that because the pros side will definitely happen, and the cons side is more of a theory of what could happen. I would say that it would be good to raise the minimum wage.”