Minimum wage hike is essential in state

A $ 1.50 increase in the minimum wage is progress— but still inadequate. I am a student at San Jose State University, and many of us are struggling to barely scrape by with the current minimum wage. Working 35 or more hours a week at a restaurant while being a full- time student barely is enough money to pay the bills. I’ve certainly been in the situation where I had to worry about having food to eat in order to pay my rent. It’s quite stressful to be working long hours for such meager pay.

And this is only speaking from the perspective of a student, not including all the families and other people in similar economic circumstances. Given the high prices of rent in San Jose, minimum wage should be higher to accommodate living expenses. — Patrick Kim, San Jose