$15 an hour may be possible but should we arbitrarily set it where we want? I believe the market will always set what is an appropriate wage for a position based on what skills, experience, etc. are required to complete it. Unless you are a manager at McDonalds or these other fast food chains you should know that these types of positions are not and should not be career positions. They are stepping stones to other ones.

 

Why should we pay someone $15 for a job that requires almost zero skills and experience over other positions that do require it? I'll give you an example, Pharmacy technicians are a job that requires plenty of knowledge, people skills, knowledge of insurance companies, drugs, etc. and they are paid anywhere from $11 to $20 an hour based on how experienced they are. Pharmacy interns, which are a slight upgrade from technicians, often get a starting salary of $14/hour. Are you tell me that these people should get paid more than these individuals?

 

Also to rise the minimum wage like they did in Seattle brings a myriad of other problems as well. If you raise the wage to $15/hour, its a boon to these low skill positions like those at McDonalds but what about other positions that are already making more than they are but are just under $15? How much of a raise should they get? You really can't put them at the same starting salary because many positions, like pharmacy technicians, require numerous more skills than the other. So how much should their pay increase in response? Not only that but you'll also anger others who are already making more than $15/hour because that means it wouldn't affect them and so how much should you increase those individuals?

 

Too many problems come from this type of stuff. Let the market set the value and let the rest sort it out on its own.

 

How much do we pay the guys who collect our trash with trucks that pick up the cans, empty them and sit them back down on the curb?

How much do we pay the guys who collect our trash with trucks that pick up the cans' date=' empty them and sit them back down on the curb?[/quote']

I knew of someone that was a trash collector. They made a good amount of money. Well deserved if you ask me.

What are the statistics on those who earn minimum wage(MW)? Are the majority of MW earners teenagers? Of the adults who are working for MW, how many do not have high school diplomas? How can those who have minimal skills expect to earn that much? Are MW jobs now considered career paths, instead of entry jobs where one gains some experience in the work world to move on to bigger and better jobs?

 

College has become expensive. One reason that has happened is that 25 or so years ago a push was made to have everyone to go college. A foolish idea, as many jobs do not need a college education, maybe vocational training, not college. Colleges seem to give no guidance as to what job prospects might be in relation to an area of study. How many jobs are available to women's studies, social work or even social study positions (one school I know had 80 applications for 1 social studies job recently)? With the push to get people to go to college the cost went up beyond the inflation rate. How about going to the local state university instead of that expensive private school? One had better see if there are available jobs and what their salaries are before spending all that money

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/19/who-makes-minimum-wage/

 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/10/upshot/minimum-wage.html?referrer=&_r=0

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2014/01/30/almost-everything-you-have-been-told-about-the-minimum-wage-is-false/

 

http://economy.money.cnn.com/2013/02/13/who-makes-minimum-wage/

 

http://m.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/367758/reminder-11-percent-us-workforce-makes-minimum-wage-jim-geraghty

 

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/typical-minimum-wage-earners-arent-poor-but-theyre-not-quite-middle-class/

Edited September 7, 201412 yr by rockmom

$15 is not going to catch on and will be repealed in Seattle when it's shown to be the failure it is. My guess within 18 months.

Who makes minimum wage? | Pew Research Center

 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/10/upshot/minimum-wage.html?referrer=&_r=0

 

Almost Everything You Have Been Told About The Minimum Wage Is False - Forbes

 

Who makes minimum wage? - Economy

 

Reminder: 1.1 Percent of U.S. Workforce Makes Minimum Wage | National Review Online

 

Typical Minimum-Wage Earners Aren?t Poor, But They?re Not Quite Middle Class | FiveThirtyEight

 

Thank you. After reading the articles, the observation I have is that instead of worrying about minimum wage the government should focus on creating an environment where higher paying jobs are created. In other readings I have noticed that immigrant labor have taken many jobs from Americans, not just the crummy jobs, but good paying jobs. I have noticed on construction sites many of the workers are immigrants. This goes back to my previous post of everyone going to college. A mindset, for far too many, has been created in this nation that any type of manual labor is beneath them, no matter how well it pays. Just because you start here does not mean one has to stay in that job. By starting in a job that requires manual labor means you learn a skill, a decent wage and eventually the desire to gain more education move on to something else.

 

Thank you. After reading the articles, the observation I have is that instead of worrying about minimum wage the government should focus creating an environment where higher paying jobs are created. In other readings I have noticed that immigrant labor have taken many jobs from Americans, not just the crummy jobs, but good paying jobs. I have noticed on construction sites many of the workers are immigrants. This goes back to my previous post of everyone going to college. A mindset, for far too many, has been created in this nation that any type of manual labor is beneath them, no matter how well it pays. Just because you start here does not mean one has to stay in that job. By starting in a job that requires manual labor means you learn a skill, a decent wage and eventually the desire to gain more education move on to something else.

 

I would add, immigrants are taking the jobs that Americans don't want to do. I am in the service industry, notoriously low wage and many hard work jobs. I see domestic workers complaining constantly about how little they get paid (which is more than minimum where I work), and foreign interns working circles around them for minimum wage.

 

And although statistically insignificant, I guess, there are a disproportionate number of women living on minimum wage. And I found it interesting that minimum wage earners are statistically more educated than some would have us believe.

 

I feel I presented a fair set of articles on both sides of the issue. And my conclusion from reading them all is that both sides of the issue are focused on the wrong messages. I agree with you that a focus on higher wage job creation is a real need. But also feel that if raising minimum wage will affect a statically defined fewer than reported, and it keeps them off public aid, it could be a big step in reducing public assistance.

 

The studies I've read of who receives public aid also presents facts at odds with what some would have us believe, such as the % who are working and receive benefits. If we could move them off benefits, wouldn't that be a boon as well?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/09/03/the-conservative-case-for-welfare-reform-suffers-massive-blow-via-cato-institute-study/

 

http://www.statisticbrain.com/welfare-statistics/

 

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/oct/30/charlie-sykes/charlie-sykes-says-today-there-are-more-people-wel/

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_dependency

 

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/12/the-politics-and-demographics-of-food-stamp-recipients/

$15 an hour may be possible but should we arbitrarily set it where we want? I believe the market will always set what is an appropriate wage for a position based on what skills, experience, etc. are required to complete it. Unless you are a manager at McDonalds or these other fast food chains you should know that these types of positions are not and should not be career positions. They are stepping stones to other ones.

 

Why should we pay someone $15 for a job that requires almost zero skills and experience over other positions that do require it? I'll give you an example, Pharmacy technicians are a job that requires plenty of knowledge, people skills, knowledge of insurance companies, drugs, etc. and they are paid anywhere from $11 to $20 an hour based on how experienced they are. Pharmacy interns, which are a slight upgrade from technicians, often get a starting salary of $14/hour. Are you tell me that these people should get paid more than these individuals?

 

Also to rise the minimum wage like they did in Seattle brings a myriad of other problems as well. If you raise the wage to $15/hour, its a boon to these low skill positions like those at McDonalds but what about other positions that are already making more than they are but are just under $15? How much of a raise should they get? You really can't put them at the same starting salary because many positions, like pharmacy technicians, require numerous more skills than the other. So how much should their pay increase in response? Not only that but you'll also anger others who are already making more than $15/hour because that means it wouldn't affect them and so how much should you increase those individuals?

 

Too many problems come from this type of stuff. Let the market set the value and let the rest sort it out on its own.

I would point out that there are a bunch of college profs with doctorates in the commonwealth making around $35 grand a year, and let's not forget the meager salaries of starting public school teachers. No, the problem is not that the food workers are asking too much. They can seek any dollar number they desire.

 

The problem is that pharmacy techs and others who would be "angered" by a higher food-worker wage need to start organizing themselves for better pay and benefits.

Just coincidence or is it the folks who scream the loudest about " I want my 15 bucks an hour " are the same folks who scream the loudest about " stop SENDING jobs overseas " ? can you have it both ways ? I want cheap product but I also want high wages for everyone .

I would point out that there are a bunch of college profs with doctorates in the commonwealth making around $35 grand a year, and let's not forget the meager salaries of starting public school teachers. No, the problem is not that the food workers are asking too much. They can seek any dollar number they desire.

 

The problem is that pharmacy techs and others who would be "angered" by a higher food-worker wage need to start organizing themselves for better pay and benefits.

 

It sounds oh so easy. But what happens when everyone and every profession is "organized"? And who has major control of union/company relationships? The government NLRB. This is one step close to socialization and one step closer to having ALL the same problems they have in many of the more mature European economices especially Germany and France who are losing their employment and manufacturing base even faster than the US.

 

Just to humor you a bit. And why is teacher pay so low? I will agree that they work hard, their educational requirement and the resultant cost is prohibitive, but the facts are that there is a glut of teachers compared to job openings. I am married to one, and for every opening they have many, many candidates. So, the question is not why teachers should make more, is why invest in an education in an area that is glutted, THEN expect to be compensated like one is a specialist. It is illogical.

Random thoughts:

 

 

However, we expect to have our orders filled with accuracy and the transactions completed with a cheerful attitude and a smile. We are quick to complain when our demands are not met or our order is not correct.

 

This is a good point but it actually points out what morons people are when they complain about these issues. The reason they chose WalMart is for their prices. How do they get good prices, volume and lower wages which puts the little guy out of business. You know, the guy who provides great service but at a higher price point. You made the choice to do business with WalMart, while the worker also made the choice to accept the low wages from WalMart. A vicious cycle.

Was Minimum Wage EVER Supposed to support a family of 3 or 4?

 

The Logic that you can't raise a family on minimum wage has never made sense to me. Minimum Wage sets the minimum STARTING WAGE that an employer may offer. It does not cap starting pay, limit future pay increases or hinder someone in moving up and accepting additional responsibility and receiving commiserate pay and benefits.

 

This is a good point but it actually points out what morons people are when they complain about these issues. The reason they chose WalMart is for their prices. How do they get good prices, volume and lower wages which puts the little guy out of business. You know, the guy who provides great service but at a higher price point. You made the choice to do business with WalMart, while the worker also made the choice to accept the low wages from WalMart. A vicious cycle.

 

And YOU bring us to another interesting twist: a lot of workers we assume are making minimum wage actually are not. Wal-Mart, for instance, pays above minimum on average. Now, I avoid shopping there because I hate fighting the throngs, but it's not because of a stand against what they pay. I USED to think that, though. But Jumper Dad's comments over the years led me to dig deeper and I know now he's right. And now that I can afford to I shop locally whenever possible. It may cost a little more, but nothing extraordinarily different.

Businesses that want better employees will offer better pay and benefits to get them.

 

The Dirty Little Secret of the Minimum Wage Discussion, is that raising the Minimum Wage harms small business and "Mom and Pop" operations more than big business.

 

I know a couple of "Mom and Pops" that start everyone at minimum wage and only give a 10 cent raise every year or so. A lady I knew worked full time at one for 12 years and was 75 cents over the minimum wage at the time.

 

Raising the minimum wage will only harm small businesses and the consumer.

 

I don't have any issue with some minimum wage increase, but a jump to $15.00 in a short amount of time would by most estimations lead to higher unemployment as companies would try to absorb some of the cost without passing it along to their customers. Best way to absorb any increased expense to to find some place else to save money. With Labor being the biggest cost in most businesses that's where the first and deepest cuts will come from.