Minimum wage
Rhode Island's minimum wage, at $7.75 per hour, does not allow an individual to meet his or her basic needs, according to the 2012 Rhode Island Standard of Need.
Rhode Island’s minimum wage should be increased.
A full-time worker earning minimum wage earns only $16,120 a year. The Rhode Island Standard of Need finds that a single adult needs to earn $24,804, or $11.93 an hour, to meet his or her basic needs. Rhode Island's now the third lowest in New England, lower than neighboring Connecticut ($8.25) and Massachusetts ($8.00).
Research shows that increasing the minimum wage is an important economic driver. Putting money into the pockets of cash-strapped workers helps the economy grow since those workers are most likely to spend their raises immediately.
A higher
minimum wage is key to getting the economy back on track for working
people and the middle class. The president’s remarks also cement the
growing consensus on the left and right that one of the best ways to get
the economy going again is to put money in the pockets of people who
work - See more at:
http://www.topospartnership.com/minimum-wage-media-and-presidential-words/#sthash.bBVJPYnD.dpuf