Walter Block Responds to the Economic Policy Institute Support of the Minimum Wage

Employment Policies Institute
1090 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: 202.463.7650
Email: info@epionline.org

Dear Folks:

Congratulations on that splendid full page NYTimes ad (2/27/14, p. A9) featuring quotes from those signatories favoring the minimum wage law. Really magnificent.

I have a very slight constructive criticism. Next time you run that add, give a more full cite to this splendid article of theirs:

Neumark, David and William Wascher. 2007. "Minimum wages and employment.” Foundations and trends in macroeconomics. Vol. 3, No. 1-2, pp. 1-182; http://www.nowpublishers.com/articles/foundations-and-trends-in-microeconomics/MIC-015

Why make readers struggle? Make it easier for them to access this great survey.

I also have a substantive suggestion for a follow up ad. Several of the very prominent signatories of that support for min wages (I think Krugman and Stiglitz, maybe a few others) have also published textbooks on intro econ. There, they give the usual analysis: minimum wages create unemployment for unskilled workers. Period. 1. It would be good to quote from their texts, and juxtapose that with the fact that they signed the letter favoring the min wage. Do these people SUPPORT unemployment for unskilled workers? 2. Sometimes, they have been interviewed on this blatant contradiction of theirs. It is hilarious to watch them squirm in trying to reconcile the irrenconcileable. Do a bit of research to unearth these cases where they are caught with their (intellectual) pants down around their ankles.

I have also written quite a bit attacking the min wage law, see below. My most recent attempt (2014) I think is my best one.

This one: Block, Walter E. 2014. “The Minimum Wage Law.” January 17;

http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/01/walter-e-block/want-to-stab-the-poor-and-help-labor-unions/; http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/01/the-hardcore-austrian-school-and.html; http://lockerroom.johnlocke.org/2014/01/17/walter-block-versus-economists-who-want-to-raise-the-minimum-wage/;http://libertycrier.com/want-to-stab-the-poor-and-help-labor-unions/?utm_source=The+Liberty+Crier&utm_campaign=2b836d4a7b-The_Liberty_Crier_Daily_News_1_17_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600843dec4-2b836d4a7b-284768769; http://libertycrier.com/want-to-stab-the-poor-and-help-labor-unions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LibertyCrier+%28Liberty+Crier%29; http://prudentinvestornewsletters.blogspot.com/2014/01/walter-block-on-why-minimum-wage-law-is.html

Perhaps you can make some use of it. It approaches the problem more via logic than Neumark and Wascher, who rely more on empirical studies, but it might be of some help to you.

Oh, permit me one more “criticism” of you: you don’t have any place on your website where people can contribute money to you. What’s the matter with you people? Don’t you need money? If you have too much, please send me some (J).

My publications on the min wage:

Badavas and Block, 1997; Block, 1983, 1985, 1986A, 1986B, 1986C, 1987, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2014; Block and Barnett II, 2002; Block and Blundell, 2006; Block, Dauterive and Levendis. 2007; Block and Quigley, 2002; Cappelli and Block, 2012; Greene, Henry, Nathanson and Block, 2007; McCormick and Block, 2000; Schuldt, Woodall and Block, 2012; Sohr and Block, 1997. 

Badavas, Vicky and Walter E. Block. 1997. "The $4.25/Hour Syndrome," The Chalcedon Report, May, No. 382, pp. 17-19; http://141.164.133.3/exchange/walterblock/Inbox/Completed%20Scanned%20Material.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_3_Chalcedon%20Report%20No.%20382%20May%201997.pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/Chalcedon%20Report%20No.%20382%20May%201997.pdf?attach=1

Block, Walter E. 1983. “Why minimum-wage law is often against low-pay worker?” in Sexty, Robert W., ed. Issues in Canadian Business, Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall, Canada, p. 139; reprinted from 10/25/80 “Why minimum-wage law is often against low-pay worker?” The Financial Post, p. 24;http://141.164.133.3/exchange/walterblock/Inbox/Fwd:%20Cleaned%20up%20Block%20Articles%20%231.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_FIN%20POST%20(Min%20Wage)%20OCT%2025,%201980.rtf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/FIN%20POST%20(Min%20Wage)%20OCT%2025,%201980.rtf?attach=1

Block, Walter E. 1985. “Minimum wage law no help to unskilled,” The Financial Post, August 17; http://141.164.133.3/exchange/walterblock/Inbox/Renewed%20Block%20Articles.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_FIN%20POST%20-%20Min%20Wge%20Law%20No%20Hlp%20Unskilled%20-%20AUG%2017%201985.pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/FIN%20POST%20-%20Min%20Wge%20Law%20No%20Hlp%20Unskilled%20-%20AUG%2017%201985.pdf?attach=1

Block, Walter E. 1986A. “It hurts those it would help,” The Vancouver Sun, January 11, p.A6; http://141.164.133.3/exchange/walterblock/Inbox/Fwd:%20Block%20Articles.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_The%20Sun%20%20-%20It%20Hrts%20those%20it%20wld%20Hlp%20-%20JAN%2011%201986.rtf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/The%20Sun%20%20-%20It%20Hrts%20those%20it%20wld%20Hlp%20-%20JAN%2011%201986.rtf?attach=1

Block, Walter E. 1986B. “La conspiration du silence sur le salaire minimum,” June, 26 ; Point de Vue, p. B4.

Block, Walter E. 1986C. “Minimum wage is what keeps youth out of work,” The Gazette, April 10; http://141.164.133.3/exchange/walterblock/Inbox/Completed%20Revised%20Block%20Articles.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_COMMENT%20-THE%20GAZETTE-minimum%20wage%20-%20APR%2010%201986.doc/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/COMMENT%20-THE%20GAZETTE-minimum%20wage%20-%20APR%2010%201986.doc?attach=1

Block, Walter E. 1987. “Minimum Wage Law No Help to Unskilled,” Dateline Canada: Understanding Economics Through Press Reports, pp. 37.

Block, Walter E. 1996. "Labor Market Disputes: A Comment on Albert Rees' 'Fairness in Wage Distribution,'" Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 217-230; http://141.164.133.3/faculty/Block/Blockarticles/labormarketdisputes.htm

Block, Walter E. 2000.  “Heritage Stumbles on Minimum Wage,” The Free Market, October, Volume 18, Number 10; http://www.mises.org/freemarket_detail.asp?control=324

Block, Walter E. 2001. “The Minimum Wage: A Reply to Card and Krueger,” Journal of The Tennessee Economics Association, Spring,http://www.walterblock.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/block_minimum-wage-once-again_2001.pdf

Block, Walter E. 2002. “Delusions of rising wages,” New Orleans City Business,January 28, p. 28;http://141.164.133.3/exchange/walterblock/Inbox/Completed%20Scanned%20Material.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_Delusions%20of%20Rising%20Wages%20-%20New%20Orleans%20City%20Business%20Jan.%2028%202002.pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/Delusions%20of%20Rising%20Wages%20-%20New%20Orleans%20City%20Business%20Jan.%2028%202002.pdf?attach=1

Block, Walter E. 2004 “A Primer on Jobs and the Jobless.” March, 9;http://www.mises.org/fullstory.asp?control=1466; translation into Dutch:www.meervrijheid.nl/werkwerkloosheid.htm; http://liberalismo.org/autor/block/http://www.jorgevalin.com/artic/trad/empleo_block.htm; http://www.kiosco.com.mx/Sem/edit/Archivos/ArchForo/40402Foro.html;http://www.walterblock.com/translations.php

Portuguese translation: http://acao-humana.blogspot.com/2007/04/razes-do-desemprego-e-de-sua-cura.html

Block, Walter E. 2014. “The Minimum Wage Law.” January 17;

http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/01/walter-e-block/want-to-stab-the-poor-and-help-labor-unions/; http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/01/the-hardcore-austrian-school-and.html; http://lockerroom.johnlocke.org/2014/01/17/walter-block-versus-economists-who-want-to-raise-the-minimum-wage/;http://libertycrier.com/want-to-stab-the-poor-and-help-labor-unions/?utm_source=The+Liberty+Crier&utm_campaign=2b836d4a7b-The_Liberty_Crier_Daily_News_1_17_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600843dec4-2b836d4a7b-284768769; http://libertycrier.com/want-to-stab-the-poor-and-help-labor-unions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LibertyCrier+%28Liberty+Crier%29; http://prudentinvestornewsletters.blogspot.com/2014/01/walter-block-on-why-minimum-wage-law-is.html

Block, Walter E. and William Barnett II. 2002. “The Living Wage: What’s Wrong,”Ideas on Liberty, December, Vol. 52, No. 12, pp.23-24; http://www.fee.org/publications/the-freeman/article.asp?aid=4533

Block, Walter vs Boyd Blundell. 2006. “Unions: Social Benefactors or Gangs of Thugs?” November 10; http://www.lewrockwell.com/block/block64.html;http://mises.org/multimedia/block/Block-Blundell-Debate-2007.wmv;blundel@loyno.edu.

http://mises.org/media/2092/Labor-Unions-and-the-Minimum-Wage-A-Debate;http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/08/circus-act-thursday-will-it-come-to.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HTWy_vZfgE

Block, Walter E., Jerry Dauterive and John Levendis. 2007. “Globalization and the Concept of Subsistence Wages.” Journal of Income Distribution. Vol. 16, No. 1, March; pp. 74-88; http://www.jid-online.org/

Block, Walter and William Quigley. 2002. New Orleans, LA, Loyola University, Debate between Professors Walter Block, Economics, and William Quigley, Law School on “The Preferential Option for the Poor: Free Markets vs. Government Intervention and the minimum wage law,” May 7, sponsored by the Economics Club and the Loyola Poverty Law Center

Cappelli, Peter and Walter E. Block. 2012. “Debate over the minimum wage law.” Economics, Management, and Financial Markets, 7(4), December, pp. 11-33; http://addletonacademicpublishers.com/abstracts/economics-management-and-financial-markets/volume-7-4-2012/debate-over-the-minimum-wage-law.html

Greene, Zoe, Sally Henry, Coby Nathanson and Walter E. Block. 2007. "Negative Impacts of Minimum Wage and anti Sweatshop Legislation" Humanomics Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 83-92; http://tinyurl.com/27fj7f

McCormick, Paul and Walter E. Block. 2000. "The Minimum Wage: Does it Really Help Workers," Southern Connecticut State University Business Journal, Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall-Spring, pp. 77-80; http://www.walterblock.com/publications/minimum_wage.pdf; http://www.academia.edu/1514258/The_Minimum_Wage_Does_it_Really_Help_Workers;

Schuldt, Robert, Davis Woodall and Walter E. Block.  2012. “Drowning the Poor in Excessive Wages: The Problems of the Minimum Wage Law” Humanomics, Vol. 28, No. 4, pp.258 – 269; http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17062401&ini=aob; 10.1108/08288661211277326

Sohr, Kevin and Walter E. Block. 1997.  “Minimum Wage,” Freeman, Vol. 47, No. 11, November, pp. 681-682. http://www.fee.org/vnews.php?nid=3896

Best regards,

Walter

Walter E. Block, Ph.D.

Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics

Joseph A. Butt, S.J. College of Business                   

Loyola University New Orleans