1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.
  2. We've had very few donations over the year. I'm going to be short soon as some personal things are keeping me from putting up the money. If you have something small to contribute it's greatly appreciated. Please put your screen name as well so that I can give you credit. Click here: Donations
    Dismiss Notice

Would you do your job for minimum wage ($7.25/hr)?

Discussion in 'Tilted Philosophy, Politics, and Economics' started by ASU2003, Jul 12, 2012.

  1. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    Broke city cuts worker salaries to minimum wage | HLNtv.com

    So, in the next chapter of the economy's race to the bottom, we get a city that decided that it would pay minimum wage to all city employees. I'm sure GOP politicians in Wisconsin are watching this and wondering why they haven't done this yet.

    From an anti-'big' government point of view, would this be an effective tool to eliminate public workers and then be 'forced' to use private companies or charter/religious school employees?

    But, this is what you get when you can't raise taxes, companies and individuals are too mobile and willing to move to tax friendly states, and there are no tourism dollars coming in.

    Now, even if you have a job in the private sector, would you quit if your boss told you that you would only get $7.25/hr? Would you have enough savings to strike or to 'retire' early? Would you be one of the people desperate enough for any work that you would have to make due, assuming that this trend caught on at every employer? If technology makes tens of millions of jobs obsolete and creates a large number of unemployed people, will this be more common?
     
  2. MKOLLER

    MKOLLER Vertical

    Location:
    Susanville, CA
    The firefighter they interviewed in the article got more than a 60% pay cut. That's pretty significant. Back in California, my family has received close to 40% in pay cuts because the state is broke as hell. It ruined my family's credit and now I will be getting kicked out of my current university at the end of summer because my PLUS loans got taken away (thankfully I have a Plan B). So yeah, fuuuuuuuuuuuck that.

    That said, I'm currently working a job that is minimum wage, but in Oregon minimum wage is $8.80 an hour. That's better than $7.25, at least.
     
  3. SuburbanZombie

    SuburbanZombie Housebroken

    Location:
    Northeast
    Would I quit? In a heartbeat and without a moments regret.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2012
  4. samcol

    samcol Getting Tilted

    Location:
    indiana
    as a small business owner there's not a chance in hell i would do my job for minimum wage. it's simply not worth the stress at that price. if i had to work minimum wage i'd go find some easier job like retail or a restaurant.
     
  5. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I would rather work as a dishwasher. It's more stable, and I'd likely get a discount on food.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    At my last job, I was making pretty close to minimum in OR. Our organization hadn't given anyone a raise in three years. It's disheartening and leads to higher turnover.

    I left and am making much better money now :)
     
  7. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    I would love to get that kind of pay raise.
    My stipend as a graduate student is horrifically low.
    That said, I'm pretty sure that most adults can't scrape by on minimum wage, even in the poorest parts of the country.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2012
  8. martian

    martian Server Monkey Staff Member

    Location:
    Mars
    Minimum wage in Ontario is $10.50 an hour, so there are no circumstances where I could legally end up working for $7.25. That said, $10.50 would be less than half my current salary and quite the insult. I love my job and the company I work for, but my skills are sufficiently in demand that under those circumstances I'd be gone in a heartbeat. I gots to get paid.
     
  9. Stan

    Stan Resident Dumbass

    Location:
    Colorado
    Would I work a minimum wage job, if it was necessary to get by? Absolutely

    Would I work my present job for minimum wage? Hell no. My stress level and responsibilities are through the roof.
    Given the fact that I'm salaried and work a stupid amount of hours, it feels like I'm making minimum wage sometimes.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  10. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    This is the reason they used to have slaves. (anywhere, anytime)

    If they can do it, people will.
    If they can get away with it, people will.

    I never put it past people to show their laziness and short-sightedness.

    If they can ask for everything to be done today for nothing, they will.
    And if they can ask for even more to be done yesterday and YOU pay them, they will.

    ---

    It is up to you, to set your terms.
     
  11. Exactly this. My family's welfare comes first. I would work for minimum wage... two jobs, if I could, if that was all that was available. Stan said the rest.
     
  12. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    That is all good, if people are working towards being self sefficient and 'free' within 10 years of when they enter the workforce.

    The issue is that there are lots of desperate people out there (some legitimate) who will do your job for $7.25/hr. And then it makes you desperate to do someone else's job for $7.25/hr. And it spirals down.

    The only hope is that if everyone was being paid $7.25, that deflation would sweep in and prices would go down because no one has any money to spend.
     
  13. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    Doing the math, people here work 49 hour work weeks for a full-time job. At 52 weeks, that would be an $18,473 annual salary.

    I couldn't survive on that. My rent alone is more than double that. It's also just about what I spent on food for all for 2011.

    Singapore is a very expensive place to live.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Bodkin van Horn

    Bodkin van Horn One of the Four Horsewomyn of the Fempocalypse

    I definitely couldn't afford to do my job for $7.25 an hour. I couldn't afford to do any work in any job that paid $7.25 an hour - I couldn't even pay half my rent for that much money. However, if I didn't have people to feed and didn't mind commuting several hours each day to work, I would probably do my job for $7.25 an hour. I like my job.

    As for the mayor of Scranton, it seems like his constituents are too cheap to pay for the services they want. If I were him, I'd cut their fucking services drastically for a week or two and then ask them if they still wanted to avoid paying their share.
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2012
    • Like Like x 2
  15. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    Actually, there's not a lot of people who would do my job for $7.25/hr, even starving grads. (who have been "trained")
    There's a reason that I get paid what I do.
    They don't do it out of their own charity.

    Business is business, it will try to get the most, for the least.

    My skillset counts for something, my experience counts for something, my talent counts, my drive counts, my workload counts, my softskills...
    EVERYTHING counts.

    Including what the guy down the street is willing to pay for the same.

    And lastly, there's a saying or two, "you get what you give" or "you get what you pay for"
    Have you ever experienced some of the "quality" you get from those doing low paying jobs at times??? (this is NOT to say ALL, just significant...)
    Now me? I worked at McD's...hated it, but it was a job. (but that when I was young and unskilled)
    Many times when I go to McD's today...they don't care, they're miserable...and the quality reflects it. (again, this is nothing vs. McD's, just an example)

    Sooner or later, people will move on...or the quality will go down.
    People will say "why am I doing this??"

    Then you'll lose quality people, you'll lose the knowledge base and experience they have at that position. (where does this go???)
    The SEC just experienced this recently, I was reading. The brilliant politicians in their zeal to "clean house" after the banking fiasco.
    Got rid of most EVERYONE. Well, guess what...all the new "skilled" regulators were overwhelmed, didn't have experience in that position.
    No connections, no awareness of quirks, what to look for, awareness of trends...and so JP Morgon lost 10+ Billion without any oversight.

    This is true for Policemen, Firemen, Teachers...even friggin Clerks...and so on.
    This is what upper mgmt and politicians forget often...It is not just a body walking a beat. It is not JUST a skillset.

    So that's why I get paid what I do.
    Because I not ONLY work my ass off, but I'm valued for what I know, and what I can do.

    I learned this a long time ago, being a sales mgr at a detail shop.
    While I sold my heart out, I watched those guys washing, work their asses off, day after day, hour after hour (for nothing)
    They were from over the border, I didn't care. They were good guys, I liked them.

    And that's when I figured out this.
    People will NOT pay you for how hard you work. (or how much)
    People pay for what they do not want to do.
    People pay for what they cannot do. (or know)
    People pay for what they think they need.
    and People pay for what others are willing to pay in comparison.

    Your work is a commodity, just like anything else. (it is not guaranteed)
    I put myself in an industry that has a good market.
    I put myself in an area that has options and a market for my industry.
    I trained myself in skills that market wants.
    I gained experience in a variety of soft skills to enhance that.

    And even to THIS day, I know...they could care less how hard I work. (BTW, I'm on call 24/7...and don't hesitate asking, plus they expect it)
    The ONLY reason the give me time off, because they know two things...one I would walk, two I could get hurt. (burn out, sick, etc...)
    My time, my pay, is a commodity.

    Again, I learned this the hard way in San Diego.
    People come there in droves, "for the weather" and "for the lifestyle"
    Well, guess what? There's also a horde of competitors. They'll hire you, then they'll dump you. There is no commitment, whatsoever. (in IT)
    The biggest company there, Qualcomm has an unofficial habit of dumping 700+ people every 6 months, and cycling thru them.
    But they still get paid a higher rate...but there's something to be said for stability too.

    I moved to my current area distinctly because I knew of the need in my industry, the options...
    and corporates' style of when they hire, they tend to stick with you.

    I hate it when my relatives say they can't move on from their job they are getting tortured by because of lack of options.
    Then they are the suckers.
    I hate it when a person of talent and worth and skill says they can't move on from the job they hate,
    because they don't market themselves or don't think they "have it" or don't risk it.
    Guess what? Again, they are the sucker.

    My pay is what I'm worth. I set my terms.
    If you aren't in an area that pays. Move. Sooner or later, move.
    If your employer doesn't pay you. Move on.
    You have only yourself to be responsible for yourself. No one is going to do it for you.
    If the water is rising, you "may" want to get to higher ground. (mother nature could give a shit)
    If you're crossing a road, you need to look both ways. Why? Because even if you are totally right, no person wins an argument with a truck.
    If a fist comes at you, block it or move out of the way.

    In the end, I don't expect.
    I see what the situation is...then I act.
    And I've done it before, been unemployed for 4 months because I resigned from a job running me into the ground.
    But I'd rather be poor than dead.
    And I've looked for other jobs while doing my own current job 110%. Because the boss was an asshole.
    I'd rather be in a dull place, than under a devil in heaven.
    And I've moved my whole life across the whole damn country, because that area wasn't stable.
    My life is too short, than to live in a house of cards.

    You know your worth.
    You put yourself in the right position.
    You set your terms.

    Because otherwise, people are going to steal you blind...just because you let them.
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2012
    • Like Like x 1
  16. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    rogue49, you reminded me of this. I get asked by the workers I supervise what they should be charging for babysitting services. In my mind, if they're over 14 (the age at which you are legally able to work in OR), they should be charging at least minimum wage. If they have CPR/First Aid, add more. If they have experience, add more. If they have studied child development or education, add more. Then they should explain why they charge what they do--parents are happy to hear about qualifications, and generally, they're willing to pay more for a qualified caretaker.
     
  17. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    It's a weird game we play.
    And like I said, it's just like haggling salesmen and commodities.
    One tries to get as much as they can for as little they can.
    And the other tries to get as much as can in compensation for as little in reciprocation.
    (Remember what the Dutch "paid for" Manhattan Island to the Native Americans way back when???)

    And if you blink first...the other gets what they want for less.
    Or if they aren't paying attention, you get more for your time...and if you are of the mind, spend less time & effort.

    An employer if playing the game to their advantage, they are always trying to push costs down.
    And ironically despite protesting regulations on them, they are ALWAYS regulating their own staffhours.
    And as I found out having my own business, the littlest old lady will try to get as much service out of you for free. (hey, no puns...get your mind clean)

    In turn, the employee, if they are playing the game to their advantage...will try to get as much as possible, for as little work as they can.
    Think of the 'big-wigs'...Golden Parachutes, Options, Bonuses...and oh so much more.
    I mean, we bitch and complain...but many of us envy what they get at the same time.
    Well, they play the game SERIOUSLY. It's just that most of us don't have it in us to try for that....or the connections. (that helps)

    Now, I'm aware of all these...but I'm not a big manipulator...and I got burnt-out on having my own business.
    I just want to, or can handle, so much...at the moment, I just want to work, get paid...and forget about the rest of the BS.
    Do I want more? Sure, but not the effort or price to go for it at the moment.
    And that being said, companies will only pay me what I ask or are willing to gun for. (I blinked)

    But I also do set my terms. I know what I'm worth...and I'm willing to push back during negotiations for that.
    So, I get paid a decent rate.
    But there are a lot of factors that go into that.

    Some people leverage the unions. (who I don't appreciate from my experience, from both sides of the fence...but I also understand their need at times)
    Some people just get lucky. (the employer blinked)

    But if you're bitchin' that you don't get paid enough,
    who's fault is that? Really?
    Is it a risk? Yes, employers can be vindictive. But that's the game.
    It is YOUR responsibility to know your terms. What the options are. What risks to take. Where to push. How to accomplish it.

    Man, they didn't tell me this shit when I was growing up.
    Or maybe I wasn't listening... :eek:
     
  18. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    my current job? Hell no. I do over arching strategy and direction.

    If I was still a field tech/sys admin. I'd do that for free...
     
    • Like Like x 2
  19. Derwood

    Derwood Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    wouldn't be much of a pay cut for me :(
     
  20. martian

    martian Server Monkey Staff Member

    Location:
    Mars
    I don't think there's any amount of money that would be enough to make me want to be a field tech. Sys admin, well, that's what I am already. I love doing it, but I also love money. So, y'know, there's a balance to be struck.