who makes just min. wage? - Page 6

Copernicus · #51 06-27-2006, 12:37 AM

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Just wondering, because I have never met anyone who makes only min. wage. I live in the midwest, where wages are lower than on the coasts. Here are some jobs that I know pay more than min. wage.

Dishwasher - I made $8/hour in 1999 doing this.
McDonalds - My cousin made between $8 and $9 doing this before he quit a few months ago.
Grocery Store - My brother made $5.25 in 1997 when he was 15 when min. wage was 4.25.

Just wondering who out there is making min. wage. I'm not saying they don't exist. I'd just like to know who.

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I made less than min. wage for a few years while I was in the ARMY.

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There are other forms of compensation beside the paycheck that bring the total well over minimum wage.

Your Mom · #52 06-27-2006, 10:49 AM

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Just wondering, because I have never met anyone who makes only min. wage. I live in the midwest, where wages are lower than on the coasts. Here are some jobs that I know pay more than min. wage.

Dishwasher - I made $8/hour in 1999 doing this.
McDonalds - My cousin made between $8 and $9 doing this before he quit a few months ago.
Grocery Store - My brother made $5.25 in 1997 when he was 15 when min. wage was 4.25.

Just wondering who out there is making min. wage. I'm not saying they don't exist. I'd just like to know who.

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I made less than min. wage for a few years while I was in the ARMY.

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Did you include all of your meals and lodging in your "compensation?"

MtSmalls · #53 06-27-2006, 12:52 PM

The last time the minimum wage was changed was 1997. Since that time the inflation gauge for the US has increased by just over 27%, making today's $5.15 minimum wage worth $3.75 in 1997. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) HERE shows there are 1.88 million workers currently recieving the minimum wage. Nearly half (46%) are over the age of 25. 635,000 (a THIRD) of these people work more than 35 hours per week at this wage, indicating that they are trying to live on that income, $206 per week at 40 hours (ignoring taxes), or just over $10,700 per year.

There are always arguements that raising the minimum wage hurts business and stifles growth. Yet several states in the country have moved ahead of the federal government and have higher mandated wages, and have done so without crippling the local economy.

Some have also argued that if workers want more than the minimum wage (if we allow such a thing anyway), those workers can and should gather the skills to get out of their minimum wage jobs. A laudable idea, however, even if it were possible, and we could create a workforce where everyone had at least a high school diploma, computer skills and the personal skills to take any job they wanted, someone would still have to work at McDonalds/Starbucks/7-11, and likely for minimum wage.

Rather than create a slice of our population living on the ragged edge of poverty, like some third world country, how about focusing on the social cost of these policies rather than the economic costs....

NobodysFreak · #54 06-27-2006, 12:59 PM

Do they have a statistic for who's actually paying people the minimum wage? Meaning is it more small businesses who might be paying family members the minimum wage or is it more like franchise restaurants, which, at least where I live also contain many familiar or closely related workers. For example, many Subway and Dunkin' Donuts establishments where I live are owned by recent immigrants from India and they employ many family members who pool their money together and live in the same house. My neighbors, for instance, were from Korea, owned a small business which was operated by extended family labor. I'm certain none made more than the minimum wage, but at the same time, no one was starving because they all worked together to buy a house, food, cars, and schooling.

Just thought I'd throw that out there because statistics themselves can be highly deceptive.

Riddick · #55 06-27-2006, 01:05 PM

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Since that time the inflation gauge for the US has increased by just over 27%, making today's $5.15 minimum wage worth $3.75 in 1997.

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Rather than create a slice of our population living on the ragged edge of poverty, like some third world country, how about focusing on the social cost of these policies rather than the economic costs....

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I agree, the social costs of the Feds policies are heavy. Let's eliminate that before we eliminate the min. wage.

adios · #56 06-27-2006, 01:20 PM

From an article Herman Caine wrote:

A second new initiative is called Help Working Families. Those ingenious Democrats promise to help working families – but not those doggone nonworking families – by raising the minimum wage (pandering). According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, in 2004 about 74 million American workers were paid at hourly rates. Of this 74 million, 520,000 workers earned exactly the minimum wage. That is because workers who start at minimum wage do not stay at minimum wage if they are productive. About half of those working at or below the minimum wage are under the age of 25, and about one quarter are between the ages of 16 and 19. In other words, a minimum wage job is a starting job for thousands of workers. Minimum wage is not the lottery for millions of working families.

Democrats’ new direction: Same as the old direction

He made many of the points in this article that I made in my post about this bogus plan.

BCPVP · #57 06-27-2006, 07:01 PM

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Do they have a statistic for who's actually paying people the minimum wage?

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I posted it in the other min wage thread, but the largest group of min wage-makers are those that live at home with their parents (teenagers) at 40% of total min wage makers. How can we expect kids to be able to afford $100 Nikes on $5.15/hour?!?!

hmkpoker · #58 06-27-2006, 07:10 PM

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I posted it in the other min wage thread, but the largest group of min wage-makers are those that live at home with their parents (teenagers) at 40% of total min wage makers. How can we expect kids to be able to afford $100 Nikes on $5.15/hour?!?!

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$100 Nikes?

The new Nike Mercuries cost $2,500!

BCPVP · #59 06-27-2006, 07:41 PM

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I posted it in the other min wage thread, but the largest group of min wage-makers are those that live at home with their parents (teenagers) at 40% of total min wage makers. How can we expect kids to be able to afford $100 Nikes on $5.15/hour?!?!

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$100 Nikes?

The new Nike Mercuries cost $2,500!

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Hehe. I don't buy shoes that cost more than $35, so what do I know?

jman220 · #60 06-27-2006, 09:12 PM

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Do they have a statistic for who's actually paying people the minimum wage?

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I posted it in the other min wage thread, but the largest group of min wage-makers are those that live at home with their parents (teenagers) at 40% of total min wage makers. How can we expect kids to be able to afford $100 Nikes on $5.15/hour?!?!

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Oh please, the kids who are slaving away at burger king for $5.15 an hour aren't the same ones who are wearing $100 pairs of sneakers. Do you see why?