Eye opening article about Orlando wages.

[MillauFr]

Ooops. I meant to type "in the 2010 census" about Reading PA. Sorry for the error!

Yes I just saw Sweat last month. My daughter was on the production team for Linfield College Theater who just performed the play.

 

[MillauFr]

Why don't the K-12 systems promote that? Shop classes are gone. Most parents consider trade and vocational schools "beneath" their child - even though their child may not be suited for college.

It's a shame and a huge waste of potential talent and skills. Most people think "college" or "minimum wage future" with nothing in between. More has to be done to reach out to people stuck in minimum wage service jobs.

There was a good article in the Wall St. Journal today...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americ...ar-education-for-blue-collar-work-11575907185
The gist of the article was that even blue collar work in the future is going to require a college education. Maybe the trade schools will evolve to provide a college education so their graduates will be able to compete for manufacturing jobs.

 

[FQLover]

I'm so envious you got to see this play! And that your daughter's school produced it and she got to work on it. Awesome!

 

[kydisneyfans]

Our son just turned 20. He had great vocational opportunities in high school. He continued on to a 2 year degree in the same field. He worked at Walmart as a first job-minimum wage is $7.25-he started at $11. He hated the job and moved to Best Buy making .50 more. He then took a paid internship at $20/hr, graduated last weekend, and walked into a $7 an hour wage increase yesterday morning. He's 20 and makes about a dollar an hour less than me-with a 4 year degree. Family calls him an anomaly and an overachiever, but he had the same opportunity as all of his cousins and every other child in our community, it's up to them if they want to take it. Using state funded money for high school performance, along with the IRS education credit, the total cost of 2 year college was around $2,500.

As for minimum wage, my opinion is that the minimum wage shouldn't exist at all. Let the market decide. If you are paying minimum wage here, you are getting absolutely no applicants. Food/gas/grocery are all in the low double digits. Not too long ago, a Big Mac combo was around $6. It's $8.50 now. That's due to higher costs being passed on to the consumer. The response is do I eat there anymore? That answer is no.

I would agree that resort areas are going to have a general lower paying job average due to the number of service jobs. A car plant is going to pay more than a Marriott maid. Foreign service workforces are going to get paid less than accountants. Another angle is cost of living, FL has no income tax, essentially someone in Florida making $9.50/hr is the same at $10/hr in KY since 5% is gone off the top for state tax.

 

[Lilsia]

As for minimum wage, my opinion is that the minimum wage shouldn't exist at all. Let the market decide. If you are paying minimum wage here, you are getting absolutely no applicants. Food/gas/grocery are all in the low double digits. Not too long ago, a Big Mac combo was around $6. It's $8.50 now. That's due to higher costs being passed on to the consumer. The response is do I eat there anymore? That answer is no.

If there was no minimum wage, people would be even worse off then they are now. The government had to make a minimum wage because private businesses could not be depended on to pay their employees a decent rate. People have to work and it would not be a "who will pay more" but a "I need a job and can only get one that pays crap" situation. You complain about higher costs and blame those at the bottom for wanting an amount of money that they can live off of. Do you see that those higher up that are making MILLIONS, are not wanting to give up one penny of their money to give to those at the "bottom". Those are the people that you should be mad at. The greedy ones, not the ones who are just trying to support themselves and their families.

 

[siren0119]

If there was no minimum wage, people would be even worse off then they are now. The government had to make a minimum wage because private businesses could not be depended on to pay their employees a decent rate. People have to work and it would not be a "who will pay more" but a "I need a job and can only get one that pays crap" situation. You complain about higher costs and blame those at the bottom for wanting an amount of money that they can live off of. Do you see that those higher up that are making MILLIONS, are not wanting to give up one penny of their money to give to those at the "bottom". Those are the people that you should be mad at. The greedy ones, not the ones who are just trying to support themselves and their families.

THIS

No minimum wage is how you get factories employing people for pennies an hour. There were reasons why things like min wage and child labor laws had to be put in place....if given the opportunity, many business owners would NOT do the right thing especially if it means exploiting workers makes them a bigger profit.

 

[kymom99]

https://www.wlwt.com/article/watch-...n-in-bonuses-to-nearly-200-employees/30180404
This is timely

 

[imbatman]

This just hit: http://www.yahoo.com/news/disney-sued-labor-union-failing-094204790.html

 

[Hikergirl]

Is Bob Iger worth $66m per year?

My opinion doesn’t matter and neither does yours. Obviously the ones signing his checks think he is and that’s what matters.

 

[RamblingMad]

As for minimum wage, my opinion is that the minimum wage shouldn't exist at all. Let the market decide.

You really don't want this. The market can go much lower than minimum wage.

 

[MillauFr]

My opinion doesn’t matter and neither does yours. Obviously the ones signing his checks think he is and that’s what matters.

That is what people in power want you to think. It is refreshing that over the last few years people are waking up and realizing the elites are only concerned with their own self interests.

 

[serenitynow]

W

Our son just turned 20. He had great vocational opportunities in high school. He continued on to a 2 year degree in the same field. He worked at Walmart as a first job-minimum wage is $7.25-he started at $11. He hated the job and moved to Best Buy making .50 more. He then took a paid internship at $20/hr, graduated last weekend, and walked into a $7 an hour wage increase yesterday morning. He's 20 and makes about a dollar an hour less than me-with a 4 year degree. Family calls him an anomaly and an overachiever, but he had the same opportunity as all of his cousins and every other child in our community, it's up to them if they want to take it. Using state funded money for high school performance, along with the IRS education credit, the total cost of 2 year college was around $2,500.

As for minimum wage, my opinion is that the minimum wage shouldn't exist at all. Let the market decide. If you are paying minimum wage here, you are getting absolutely no applicants. Food/gas/grocery are all in the low double digits. Not too long ago, a Big Mac combo was around $6. It's $8.50 now. That's due to higher costs being passed on to the consumer. The response is do I eat there anymore? That answer is no.

I would agree that resort areas are going to have a general lower paying job average due to the number of service jobs. A car plant is going to pay more than a Marriott maid. Foreign service workforces are going to get paid less than accountants. Another angle is cost of living, FL has no income tax, essentially someone in Florida making $9.50/hr is the same at $10/hr in KY since 5% is gone off the top for state tax.

What field?

 

[Dakota731]

You believe what you want. I chose to have empathy

Your "empathy" backfires on the people you want to help. It's proven in areas where they raise the minimum wage too high then companies can't stay in business. They cut hours, lay off workers and raise prices that will hurt low income people in the long run.

Who do you want to determine a living wage - a government worker in DC? That figure can vary by where you live, how many in your household etc. I have a friend who just opened a restaurant who would have to shut it down if he was required to pay $20 an hour. Most of his staff are stay at home parents, students or retirees. Working in a restaurant or a store wasn't meant to support a family. Supply and demand determines wages. For example in our area truck drivers and welders are paid very well since there is a shortage, yet these jobs don't require a college degree. You may have to go back to school or learn a trade to support your family or work two jobs. You can't expect a business to support you and your children just because you don't want to grow in your career.

 

[Dakota731]

No minimum wage is how you get factories employing people for pennies an hour. There were reasons why things like min wage and child labor laws had to be put in place....if given the opportunity, many business owners would NOT do the right thing especially if it means exploiting workers makes them a bigger profit.

This may have been true fifty years ago but it's not any more. Most factories pay a lot more than minimum wage yet still can't get good workers. My brother is a manager in a large manufacturing company that starts employees at $20 an hour yet they still are understaffed. Half of the people they hire don't pass the drug test and the other half don't want to work nights or weekends. And some are happy to earn almost as much with government entitlements.

 

[Dakota731]

My opinion doesn’t matter and neither does yours. Obviously the ones signing his checks think he is and that’s what matters.

I don't think actors, musicians, athletes, or internet influencers are worth millions either but it's not up to me. If they make money for their corporations then they are obviously being paid what they are worth. I think taking care of children is an extremely important job but how many of you pay your daycare workers or babysitters $30 an hour?
There are so many in this country who think companies are in business to be a charity. If a corporation isn't making money then it can't hire more workers or open more locations. We need to be encouraging our children to seek jobs where they can make a living wage not depend on the government to run their lives. When I think back to how our previous generations came to this country to work and make a life for their families, it seems like a foreign concept to people now. They want to make $40,000 a year to work at Starbucks and have their college paid and buy whatever they want want whether they can afford it or not. It's so to see self-reliance and independence go by the wayside. And no I wasn't raised in a well-to-do family. I paid my own college (first in my family to go) went to school at night while I worked full time, without help from my parents or the government. It wasn't easy but whatever worthwhile ever is?

 

[Lilsia]

I don't think actors, musicians, athletes, or internet influencers are worth millions either but it's not up to me. If they make money for their corporations then they are obviously being paid what they are worth. I think taking care of children is an extremely important job but how many of you pay your daycare workers or babysitters $30 an hour?
There are so many in this country who think companies are in business to be a charity. If a corporation isn't making money then it can't hire more workers or open more locations. We need to be encouraging our children to seek jobs where they can make a living wage not depend on the government to run their lives. When I think back to how our previous generations came to this country to work and make a life for their families, it seems like a foreign concept to people now. They want to make $40,000 a year to work at Starbucks and have their college paid and buy whatever they want want whether they can afford it or not. It's so to see self-reliance and independence go by the wayside. And no I wasn't raised in a well-to-do family. I paid my own college (first in my family to go) went to school at night while I worked full time, without help from my parents or the government. It wasn't easy but whatever worthwhile ever is?

My whole family came to this Country and worked these "crap" jobs that you say are not meant to support a family. But guess what? They did. We all had comfortable, middle class lives off of the one income that our dads brought in working in these no education, no skill jobs. Up until about 10-15 years ago, people where able to live off of these jobs. This is how many single moms where able to support themselves and their kids. 25 years ago, I was making $12/hour working in a grocery store bakery, my rent for a 1 bedroom apartment was $280/month, a nice new car was $10,000 and gas was $.89 gallon. Now the same job is only paying $9-$10, the same apartment is still there but cost $605/month, and good luck getting a decent car for under $20,000 and we all know how much gas costs. If you can't see how wages have not kept up to inflation, you must be blind. The only ones that are making the money are the ones that are higher up, again, they are greedy. There are plenty of young people doing what you did now with going to school and working but it is much harder now. The wages do not even cover their bare living expenses let alone paying for school. Do the math and see how well you would do now. It is NOT the same as it was 20 years ago, it's just not.

 

[siren0119]

This may have been true fifty years ago but it's not any more. Most factories pay a lot more than minimum wage yet still can't get good workers. My brother is a manager in a large manufacturing company that starts employees at $20 an hour yet they still are understaffed. Half of the people they hire don't pass the drug test and the other half don't want to work nights or weekends. And some are happy to earn almost as much with government entitlements.

I was speaking much more broadly, manufacturing/industrial was the primary business back then but the principle of paying people as little as possible to improve the profitability of the company for the sake of its top-levels and shareholders is alive and well in the corporate world, as well as in the medical field. The company I work for caps the % your salary can go up if you make a lateral move. (And a lateral move by definition in my company is tied to your bonus incentive level, not your title or department) Literally will not pay what the position is really worth if it means a greater than 12% increase in current salary - which means talented people have to go to other companies to get paid what they're worth. And it's not the first time I've encountered companies limiting their internal candidates that way, or letting tenured people go in order to hire entry level people for the same work.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Your "empathy" backfires on the people you want to help. It's proven in areas where they raise the minimum wage too high then companies can't stay in business. They cut hours, lay off workers and raise prices that will hurt low income people in the long run.

Who do you want to determine a living wage - a government worker in DC? That figure can vary by where you live, how many in your household etc. I have a friend who just opened a restaurant who would have to shut it down if he was required to pay $20 an hour. Most of his staff are stay at home parents, students or retirees. Working in a restaurant or a store wasn't meant to support a family. Supply and demand determines wages. For example in our area truck drivers and welders are paid very well since there is a shortage, yet these jobs don't require a college degree. You may have to go back to school or learn a trade to support your family or work two jobs. You can't expect a business to support you and your children just because you don't want to grow in your career.

In my area there is a shortage in workers available for restaurants. Big issue is actually the low unemployment. Workers can choose to be more selective. The pay has to be at least good enough to entice people to pick this place over another. One place was in the news being interviewed because it took over 2 months to find a person to wash the dishes.

I do agree that for a lot of small businesses or at least small chains or franchise owners there's a balance between pay and profitability as you really may not be able to survive with all the other expenditures (there still should be a good consideration toward wages though). I think once you start to get into larger companies and corporations that changes as there's more consideration at the corporate level towards higher up peeps on the chain and not as much consideration towards lower level employees. To some degree that isn't a problem but most of us can understand how outrageous some bonuses and yearly income some of these people are making and the excuses they give for not adjusting wages at the lower level.

 

[rg35]

People just need to be realistic. Don't expect skilled wages for unskilled work. I mean you shouldn't expect to be paid much for janitorial work or working as a cashier.

People need to earn a living wage. It used to be possible with unskilled jobs. "Being realistic" doesn't pay bills. This crisis is only going to grow.

 

[rg35]

I posted this about a week ago and didn't follow the thread. Just catching up now.

It's really shameful how many people there are that really have no clue - that unskilled people shouldn't earn a living wage, that getting a better job is a simple matter of learning new skills, and so forth. If unskilled workers can't earn a living wage, then our economic system is broken. It's unbelievable the complete lack of empathy people have towards others. As if because they can't snap their fingers and learn new skills they should be poor and out on the street living out of their cars. Meanwhile, those at the top keep getting richer and richer.

It's really unfortunate that certain ideologies in this country have trained people that poor people are the enemy and the ones who deserve blame and that so many have bought into it. Our system is broken. Period. Poor people are not the enemies.