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Yoo Rim Lee


Mrs. Barth
English 12-Period 4
25 September 2016
Annotated Bibliography: Minimum Wage
Research Question: How does minimum wage (job) affect lower-class people in physically,
mentally and financially?
Badger, Emily. Housing crunch ensnares minimum-wage workers. Washington Post. 25
May 2016. Web. 14 September 2016.
Summary: The source focuses on housing in the United States. It has information
about how many percent of people spend for housing wage. It depends on where they live,
but according to the investigation, lower and median income renters pay 30% or more money
for housing. Also, they sometimes need to reduce food, transportation and insurance fees in
order to pay housing. This topic can be just about high amount of rent, but it is also related to
minimum wage people. Even though they earn less money than other fields job, their large
amount of spent still has to be for two-bedroom house. The article notifies the society in
which people have a difficult time to pay rent. The author demonstrates that housing, which is
significant for citizens life, is too expensive for people.
Evaluation: The article introduces how minimum wage gives people a hard time to live
in this society. The topic is pretty recent, so it is applied to many people currently. It is
reliable since it is brought from database. Even though it informs mostly about high amount
of housing payment which might seem it is out-of-topic without explanation it can be

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connected with amount of minimum wage. Expensive housing payment demonstrates people
would have more problems if minimum wage increases, because rental market is already
crowded. The author alludes that the expensive payment needs to be adjusted, but the source
mostly informs situation in current society.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed. Metropolitan Books, 1 January 2001.
Summary: Nickel and Dimed is non-fiction and about actual trials that a journalist had.
The main character Ehrenreich, who is an author of the work as well, experimented to be a
minimum wage worker in several different cities. Even though she had Ph.D. degree and a
great works in her journalists career, she jumped into the low-wage jobs without any
assistance. As she learned and experienced those lifestyles, she realized it is very tough to
live through only with minimum wage. She and her co-workers had to work even when they
were sick. Generally, it reveals what she went through and how she was suffered; it
demonstrates that actual minimum wage workers have these hard time.
Evaluation: The book is deeply related with minimum wage job working, and it
illustrates real experience that one person tried. It is reliable source, because many people
read it, and it is described well by the author who explored all the trials. The research topics
answer can be well explained by the book; she illustrated many tough times that she received
physically, financially and even socially from minimum wage job and life. These stories can
support reasons how and why lower class people are affected by minimum wage. However,
since it is produced in 2001, it is outdated source.
Raynham and Somerset Chinese Restaurants Cited for More Than $180000 in Restitution
and penalties for Minimum Wage, Child Labor and Retaliation Violations. Targeted
News Service. 12 October 2011. Web. 14 September 2016.

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Summary: This article introduces two Chinese restaurants where violated
Massachusetts minimum wage. Investigators discovered that workers in kitchen worked
massive hours with small payment. Also, young worker could not be offered compensation
while she worked for 9 months. It demonstrates unfair working condition of minimum wage
workers. They worked massive time in a week, but sometimes they could not be paid. The
author is unknown, but he or she endeavored to notify harsh working condition, and stated
websites and number in which people might receive help.
Evaluation: The source notifies an important reality in workplace of lower class who
lives with minimum wage. It states where the situation happened and how the workers were
suffered during their work period. The source is objective, since it informs detail of the news,
and it does not contain personal opinion. This information can explain minimum waged
peoples working condition well. The workers were struggled physically and financially by
management of restaurant, and thus it can support one of effect of minimum wage. Even
though working condition was unfair, they had to work, because they needed money
However, the source is lack of workers actual response about situation.

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