minimum wage

Organized labor in the U.S. has been under sustained assault for some time; now, unions are fighting back with a major ad campaign designed to improve their image. Problem is, the centerpiece commercial mangles the message -- and misses the point.

For millions of retired Americans, Social Security benefits barely beat earning the minimum wage, while rich retirees who don't need the money receive much larger checks. With the iconic safety net program in budget trouble, should the wealthy be forced to sacrifice those benefits?

Good news: Retirees will get a 3.6% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment in 2012 -- their first boost since 2009. Bad news: The average benefit is $1,229 a month, about the equivalent of working for minimum wage.

In most respects, China is a world away from the oil-dominated autocracies in the Mideast now seething with anti-government unrest. But it faces similar issues: high inflation and a troubling wealth gap that could fuel social upheavals, if Beijing doesn't make some big changes soon.

Undercover Boss starts its second season with a glimpse under the sheets at Choice Hotels, one of the world's largest hospitality firms. President and CEO Stephen P. Joyce gets to experience tougher side of the hotel business, as he scrubs a pool, makes beds and straightens up a few of the company's estimated 490,000 rooms.

A recent OECD report cites the nation's $7.25 an hour minimum wage as a barrier to teen employment because it makes them too costly to train. But when wages are adjusted for inflation, that argument doesn't hold up as well. Still, the bottom line is fewer teens are finding jobs.

The national minimum wage as set by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), is currently $7.25, but some workers not covered by this law in some states benefit from a higher state-set minimum wage. Unlike the federal law, however, many of the state minimum wages are adjusted annually against the...

Colorado's minimum wage will drop slightly in the new year — the first decrease in any state's minimum wage since the federal minimum was adopted in 1938.

For decades, pundits have argued about the values and dangers of offshoring. Recently, economist Alan S. Blinder weighed in with a paper examining the potential ramifications of the process. Dr. Blinder, who served on the Federal Reserve Board and Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisors,...

Big financial events bring economists and analysts out of the wood work, anxious to give their opinions and get their names in the media. The increase in the minimum wage, which is effective today, is a prime example. The federal minimum wage will go from $6.55 to $7.25. That is an 11 percent hike,...