On Jan. 1, 2025, the city of Mountain View raised its minimum wage to $19.20 per hour, 2.04% higher than last year’s $18.75. Every year, the city adjusts the minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index of the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPI measures changes in the prices for goods and services, helping ensure that wages and financial policies keep up with inflation. These continuous changes to match the fluctuations of the economy are all aimed towards enabling individuals in maintaining their purchasing power. For the working students of MVHS, this increase is a welcome change.
Sophomore Taylor Au, who works as a gymnastics coach at Gold Star, said she found working as an adolescent to be crucial in helping prepare her for the “real world” and life after high school. However, beyond gaining valuable experience, employment also provides a wide variety of other benefits, particularly in the financial aspect, she said.
“Workers will make more money, allowing us to buy more stuff now,” Au said.
Junior Rowan Barcelona, a coworker of Au, shares how she has learned money management skills, which she believes to be especially critical for kids to develop early.
“For example, because you now make money you need to learn about budgeting and what kind of saving systems work for you,” said Barcelona. “Additionally, you also gain a sense of independence and responsibility which is important as you enter your years as a young adult.”
While gaining work experience and financial literacy are significant advantages, Au said she believes that these raises in minimum wage will benefit underprivileged communities the most. Barcelona described how it can widen accessibility for a number of communities to address the rising cost of living.
“I think that this minimum wage increase impacts the community of people who are only able to work minimum wage jobs, like full time students, or those who currently don’t have or are working on higher forms of education,” Barcelona said. “Many of these people aren’t able to get jobs that pay much more than the minimum wage but they still need to make a living which is why minimum wage increases are so important.”
Au emphasized the importance of greater financial freedom, as she said it allows working individuals to expand their monetary means. Whether it be helping to support their families, saving money for college, or earning towards larger purchases like buying a car, individuals gain the opportunity to build financial stability, Au said.
“While $0.45 doesn’t seem like a lot, you have to think about the fact that all minimum wage workers get this raise, which is a lot of people,” Barcelona said. “So it makes sense to me that it would only raise a little bit at a time, but I do think it is important to keep raising it in small but steady increments in order to help close the gap between what minimum wage workers make and what they need to pay to live in this area.”
