During the COVID-19 pandemic, many minimum-wage and low-wage workers were designated "essential workers" who were except from lockdown requirements (and thus also couldn't get unemployment insurance so they could stay home if they wished, in some cases). President Trump even ordered meat-packing plants to stay open despite high levels of COVID-19 infection, invoking the Defense Production Act to declare them "essential infrastructure." But wages for these "essential workers" has remained low, often too low to survive on working 40 hrs a week. As a result, there have been strikes and protests calling for a raise in the national minimum wage; others have called for more, saying employers should be required to pay a "living wage."

In an essay of three paragraphs. In one paragraph, present an argument that employers should be compelled to raise wages so that all full-time workers can afford to support themselves and their children. In another paragraph, argue against raising the minimum wage law, or in favor of abolishing the law altogether. Use at least two sources from your textbook to support these arguments, including at least one from the session on economic justice. In the final paragraph, give your view on this issue and your reasons.