Texas Will Not Join Half Of The U.S. States In Increasing The Minimum Wage

So who is getting paid in 2024? The answer is, not Texans

A full 25 states in the U.S. are raising the minimum wage in 2024. Some places will reach more than twice the Federal minimum wage of $7.25. Resisting the increase will be the state of Texas and 19 other states, mostly in the South.

At best Texas can claim that it allows the free market to decide what is appropriate pay, at worst you could say the Lone Star State doesn't value labor much. Zooming out a bit, some believe a higher wage always leads to higher prices. I can only say that I visited California this past weekend, where the minimum wage is set to hit $16 and the prices at all the fast food places were the same.

The argument is frequently made that $7.25 is a starting wage and that it's a good gateway for people entering the workforce. In theory, that's true. It would seem that a business owner might be more inclined to give someone a chance if it doesn't cost too much. The problem is, some get used to that amount and instead of raising wages just cycle through workers instead.

I think we're seeing a lot of repercussions of not increasing the minimum wage in Texas. Worker turnover is crazy with people drifting from job to job and having very little commitment to a business and its products. It just seems that one good worker making a decent wage would be better than two minimum-wage positions filled by workers with a lack of motivation and constant training to replace them.

There is a lot to ponder with this. Texas may be right to keep the minimum wage at $7.25 but at some point, things will change. We're already hearing that "no one wants to work" when the real issue may be, "No one wants to work for $7.25". Something will have to give at some point, but apparently, it's not in 2024.