US Representative for New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez caused a stir on Monday when she tweeted comparing the cost of a croissant at LaGuardia Airport in New York to minimum wage paid to hourly employees.
'Croissants at LaGuardia are going for SEVEN DOLLARS A PIECE [face screaming in fear emoji] Yet some people think getting a whole hour of personal, dedicated human labor for $15 is too expensive??' Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and has not been updated since July 24, 2009, according to the US Department of Labor.
While most states have set their own higher minimum pay requirements, Ocasio-Cortez supports a national mandatory minimum wage of $15 per hour, as evidenced by her post.
Regardless of where people stand on the livable wages debate, however, social media users were quick to point out that the cost of a pastry at the airport doesn't seem to have much to do with the issue.
US Representative for New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured) caused a stir on Monday when she tweeted comparing the cost of a croissant at LaGuardia Airport in New York to minimum wage paid to hourly employees. Ocasio-Cortez is pictured in the Bronx on Friday
While most states have set their own higher minimum pay requirements, Ocasio-Cortez supports a national mandatory minimum wage of $15 per hour, as evidenced by her post. Regardless of where people stand on the livable wages debate, however, social media users were quick to point out that the cost of a pastry at the airport doesn't seem to have much to do with the issue
Minimum wage across the US varies widely, ranging from no set minimum in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, to $13.25 in Washington, DC, as of January 1, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Within states, some cities have adopted higher minimum wages, including parts of New York City, where it has been raised to $15 per hour, and Emeryville, California, where large employers must pay employees at least $15.61 per hour, according to the city.
And as for the price of croissants, that varies widely by location, as well.
'But look! 12 croissants at WALMART for $3.98! Ain't America grand???' wrote Twitter-verified freelance writer Jeryl Bier, in response to Ocasio-Cortez's gripe about the cost of croissants at the airport located in Queens.
Minimum wage across the US varies widely, ranging from no set minimum in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, to $13.25 in Washington, DC, as of January 1. And as for the price of croissants, that varies widely by location, as well
USA Today columnist Christian Schneider tweeted, 'It’s almost like you have the option of not buying one,' about the pricey croissants Ocasio-Cortez referenced
USA Today columnist Christian Schneider had a snappy comment of his own, writing, 'It’s almost like you have the option of not buying one.'
Schneider's retort garnered a reply from a person tweeting under the username '@DocVonAwesome,' who wrote:
'I agree. Unfortunately many people don't have the option to work for $15/hour. It seems we agree people should have options.'
A third person identified as Grantham chimed in, tweeting, 'They do. Develop skills that allow you to make $15/hr....'
To that, '@DocVonAwesome' replied, 'If the product they're making is worth $7 it seems they already do possess those skills. 40 years of conservative politics have repressed wages to the point where they don't have the option to make that amount. I thought you were pro-options. But you're just anti labor.'
'@DocVonAwesome' apparently didn't realize he was replying to someone other than Schneider with the follow-up tweet.
Schneider's retort garnered a reply from a person tweeting under the username '@DocVonAwesome,' who wrote: 'I agree. Unfortunately many people don't have the option to work for $15/hour. It seems we agree people should have options'
A third person identified as Grantham chimed in, tweeting, 'They do. Develop skills that allow you to make $15/hr....'
To that, '@DocVonAwesome' replied, 'If the product they're making is worth $7 it seems they already do possess those skills. 40 years of conservative politics have repressed wages to the point where they don't have the option to make that amount. I thought you were pro-options. But you're just anti labor.' '@DocVonAwesome' apparently didn't realize he was replying to someone other than Schneider with the follow-up tweet
Pointing out the obvious, a Twitter user identified as Will Chromzack, whose bio indicates he served as a hospital corpsman in the US Navy and now works as a critical care nurse for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, noted that there are a lot of hidden variables rolled into the cost of the
