I would make the minimum wage non existant, for about a dozen reasons. Very seldom is there is there two people employed at doing the same thing who are worth equal amounts. I personally think any normal able bodied person who performs manual labout should be paid $15- $20 an hour. Basically a person is worth what the traffic will bear. I certainly don't believe a person who is sitting at a desk answering a phone 3 times an hour, is worth the same amount as someone breaking his balls.
non existent? what would that mean, how would a person who is 'desperate' for work just to buy a loaf
of bread and some milk, and try to pay rent, manage to convincre the employer to pay him/her enough
to do that, many employers would be thoughtless and couldn't care less about anyone but themselves,
so the worker needs 'something' to lean on so that 'life' attempts to be fair.
I know unions are hated in this day and age, but for the reason I just gave, they were necessary for
a worker to get a fair shake, or the owners/employers would still be paying slave wages and working
their employers 12 to 14 hours a day with no benefits and also could fire the employee for 'nothing',
to give the job to a relative or friend, on a wim, and the worker would have had nothing to
protect him/her from that fate.
and yes, answering a phone is only part of that particular job, and has nothing to do with busting,
well, anything.
Any employer worth his salt will make sure a position contains a variety of duties, including answering
the phone, if that is the nature of the job, I did reception work a few times, and had many other
responsibilites as well, 'busted a finger nail now and then', lol.