www.greensborominimumwage.blogspot.com.
What would a higher wage mean?
Is it possible?
What would it hurt?
What would it change?
Can anyone live on minimum wage?
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Please go visit the minimum wage blog!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
Q: What would a higher wage mean?
A: Higher unemployment and inflation
Q: Is it possible?
A: Of course. Politicians are always willing to pander to popular notions, no matter how ridiculous
Q: What would it hurt?
A: Minimum wage workers and economic development
Q: What would it change?
A: Businesses would locate outside the city limits to avoid outrageous wages. Businesses in Greensboro would cut as many jobs as possible.
Q: Can anyone live on minimum wage?
A: Few have to. Most minimum wage workers are students and those just entering the work force. Almost nobody stays at minimum wage for long.
An excellent start! I would expect nothing less from Laley!
"Q: Can anyone live on minimum wage?
A: Few have to. Most minimum wage workers are students and those just entering the work force. Almost nobody stays at minimum wage for long."
Really!!!! When is the last time you started over due to a layoff and tried to get a decent paying job. I was making 13.50 back in 1986 when I was laid off, I just lost a job making 13.50 in 2006. And the jobs that I am interviewing for want to pay no more than 8.00 an hour. And quess what... I have a college degree.
I employ around 20 in a mfg. company and would support raising the wage.
The good news is that it might bring more workers into Greensboro that are higher quality.
With all the talk about inflation and the negative...geez...why not drop minimum wage back to $1.60 an hour.
That would help..right?
"And the jobs that I am interviewing for want to pay no more than 8.00 an hour. And quess what... I have a college degree."
Proof that you don't have to settle for minimum wage.
To meblogin: If you want to pay more, go ahead.
...and for all those folks who complain about jobs going overseas...guess what ... it has to do with high wages here! DUH!
Well you are right in the fact that I don't have to accept a job for 8.00 an hour,but if I want/have to work it isn't going to get much better, but you missed my point. I was paid 13.50 hourly 20 years ago without a college degree and it took me almost 20 years to get back to that point with the degree. So there is a problem here and you refuse to see it. Our wages are going in reverse, and the Companies willing to pay even close to a salary of 20 years ago are demanding more. The job I lost 20 years ago due to lay-offs went to Mexico, the jobs I am competeing for today are being out-sourced to India and Pakistan(last job). The Local owned businesses (Small-business)can't afford to pay much and don't provide benefits, or you have to pay a chunk of change to have these benefits(this is true of the 13.50 an hour jobs as well). Which in case you need that spelled out for you cuts into the pay you bring home to live by. Our standard of living is falling. Unless you are lucky enough to earn a 6 figure salary, you cannot make ends meet in these days and times. And even these lucky ones are finding it hard to swallow when the Company they work for starts cutting their pay. My brother is a prime example. He was living the American Dream, earning a Great 6 figure salary with a Company he has worked for since he graduated College, almost 20 years ago, and now they have come in and two years ago cut his salary by 50,000. and this year they did the same again.So sir if you need that spelled out for you they cut him a 100,000. a year,in the last three years. Now he is having to sale his house and pull his kids out of private school and try and figure out how much longer he has before they cut him even more. I raised my son by myself 25 years ago,comfortably, and now I live day by day, trying to survive because of the last 13.50 an hour job that I had kept raising the cost of benefits until my bring home pay was barely making ends meet. I have no car payments (my car is over 14 years old)I have no credit cards(thank god) and my house payment is cheaper than what you can rent for these days, even in the sleasiest of neighborhoods. I've not gone on a vacation in over 10 years. And you want to argue that the "working class" are not effected by the way business is being run today(decreased salaries,coporate welfare,off shore tax breaks,and hiring illegals) and the fact that minimum wage is stagnant and the jobs that use to pay are being outsourced. Well you need to wake up and smell the waste around you, My brother use to say "as long as it don't effect me and mine" well guess what.. it has, and someday you may be right there beside him. Unless of course your one of the "Haves or Have Mores".
You need to start your own company!
You would be surprised at how much money you can make. You might fail but at least you are working for yourself and not the man. If you are successful, you can hire and pay your EE's as much as you want or as little as the law allows.
Give it shot!
This is a really tough topic with plenty of different answers.
I have heard of companies that are down sizing have reverse auctions based on rate of pay...whoever bid the lowest kept their job. It sounds hard..but maybe it is the right thing to do.
I see the world as flat now...meaing buying or selling to California or China....same difference. We are in the midst of a global transisition that should lead to a balanced economy.
It is no fun being part of the change for many.
My company pays a little/to a lot more out of pure necessity and great performance. It is very challenging to find good hard working people anywhere close to minimum wage.
Anon .. your jobs were out-sourced to India and Pakistan because of WAGES, just like I said earlier. Losing wages sucks, but a family of four can certainly live on a lot less than a six-figure salary. Is it better to work for $50k, or to be out of a $200k job?
" Is it better to work for $50k, or to be out of a $200k job? "
I think the point here is that You Are Out of a $200K job.
I only wish that the job paying 13.50 - benefits added up to $50. a year. Try $27. minus benefits/taxes with a bring home of around $15. now take away the local taxes and cost of gas/tax and food/tax and what it takes to run a house(mortgage repairs,electric,etc)forget incendentals, try to figure how that supports a family of four. Or even two. Your right regarding my brother being able to support his family on $50 a year, but you've not explained how this is not deterimental to our economy when someone with the purchasing power of a 200K a year goes to 50k in purchasing power. And you know what you've missed totally is the fact that they (corporate america) has moved on up the ladder from the lower middle income families into the upper middle income, to take from for their perks, bonuses, salaries. This is more about a cultural divide than ecomonics. Our CEO's are being paid more than ever in history and their employees are being paid less than they were 20 years ago, and working twice as hard/long to acquire it. When they have totally wiped out the "Middle Class" who will churn our economy? The poor have no disposable income, the rich don't think they should have to pay, or pay on time(I do know alot of small business owners and this is a #1 complaint). And trust me when I say the elite do not allow but so many into their club. So forgive me, but once again, how is this good for the People of America or our economy.
A lot of the Politicians that support upping the minumum wage own companies. Company owners can set whatever starting wage they choose providing it is at minumum wage or higher. Look around locally, Skip's Hotdogs, owned by Skip Alston, he can have a starting salary of his choosing. I am sure that Skip, being a big supporter of raising the minumum wage, pays his help way more than the minumum and probably closer to the "living wage" which is somewhere close to $12 bucks an hour. What you think?
12 bucks an hour is closer to a living wage, but then you have to face the fact that health care cuts into that. I know employers can't afford to supply health care to their employees the way they use to, but what is a person to do? I truely do believe in order to support the issue of lower wages, we need to address issues of the raising cost of Gas/ Food/insurance/medical/cost of housing. When your rent/mortgage is so high that one health issue can cost you everything. Which brings us to the issue of Medical cost or Insurance cost or Prescription cost, being so out of this world that the average family can actually go bankrupt with one illness.
When a family is facing a health crisis and they are told, off the record, that they get treated according to earning potental. Or you have your government telling you how the outsourceing/illegals are due to higher wages not benefiting Corporate America, and yet Corporate America rules the Health Care Industry, Insurance Industry, Pharmacutical Industry,Oil Companies,Politicians and our Food source and their profits are no where in line with the cut in wages to Middle America. Is this not the trickal down economics that we were presented back in the 80's when the decline of the american income started. Is this what they meant to trick us in to believing that this is good for us? I don't claim to have the answers just lots of reality and questions.
What actually started in the 80's was one of the most prosperous periods in the history of the world. How do you call that "the decline of the american (sic) income."?
Post a Comment