Minimum wage to rise this week

[Jeff C]

Increase from $5.15 to $5.85, and to $7.25 by 2009.





Let the discussion begin...:unsure:

 

[Josh Langel]

Jeff, I think we've discussed this awhile back... somewhere..lol

 

[George T]

finally, now when i start working next summer it will be higher.

 

[Justin L]

its great ot raise the minium wage. you all the stores will keep the prices the same. everybody will have more money. no more poor. all of us who make good money will just continue on. NOT any stupid moron who believe any of that is just that. STUPID. stores will just charge more or lay off or just ot hire. cold hard facts. sorry all do gooder people out there. you all just wasted your time.



justin

 

[Tom Schindler]

Stores use the raising of the minimum wage as an excuse to raise prices.





Tom

 

[Gavin Allan]

Instead of having a minimum wage, how about letting the market set the wages?



Why do we even need a minimum wage-- to protect the stupid from working too hard for nothing?

 

[user 62851]

Bout the post though, I am glad they raise the minimum wage. Its good to do that every so often to let the little guys know the government is working for them also. And I don't have any kids, but its also nice to see a happy face on your son/daughter when they come home telling you they got a job making x-o amount of money. Money is money.



Instead of having a minimum wage, how about letting the market set the wages?

I could rant....

I could agree with this statement. It would be great, but it will greatly never happen. I work for the county and it justifies the consumer market for beer, wine, liquor and kegs. Every year, we produce more than a billion in sales. Wild part is, our markup doesn't help for us in the pocket, it helps for other jobs available. Starting salary for what I do, is around $24k. I've been there 3 years and I'm just finally getting to $36k. Our money that is brought in, opens up jobs for police, fire and bus drivers for school/transit. I understand its nice to open up jobs for others, but come on, if we doing all the work, least give us some good starting point. We only get 2 raises a year. Yearly at 3.5% and the cost of living, which can be anywhere between 0-7%. Not that great. But, I continue to do it. Why? B/c I like working outside, and flirting with everyones wifes, girl-friends and daughters. haha lol

 

[Robert Poole]

The minimum wage around her in GA is $7.00 at the McDonalds and some of the other fast food restaurant.

 

[D Knx]

I don't know of any adult who could survive off $13k - 15k a year, not with the cost of housing and food steadily rising. Most companies with a large national or regional presence recognize that it takes more than that - the current minimum - to attract potential employees.



Some maybe able to find HS students for that rate, but not very many adults.



Also, I don't buy the idea that paying someone a living wage puts hardship on the business. Most operating expenses go up no matter what, if your not considering your labor cost increasing, i.e. pay raises or cost of living adjustments, then your not a very good business manager.



D-

 

[Josh Langel]

Never knew minimum wage was meant for career type job.



I guess a cashier at Wal Mart is something one is suppose to do and live comfortably... or not!:wacko:

 

[user 62851]

I mainly agree that its good to go up, b/c well, I have friends that in the high 20s, low 30s of age, that don't have a high school diploma or anything greater, if they have it. And they do the same job everyday that most high school students would be doing just to earn some money. Some friends are waitress' and the current rate here in MD is around $3 an hour. But even just a penny raise per hour, helps out greatly to anything and everyone. So its a cool thing.



I was ranting on just b/c the starting pay for a delivery driver of consumer goods, and having to hand deliver each case 800-2000 per day, is kind of a lot for such little pay. But its a way of life and just like everything else, you deal with it.

 

[2]

that don't have a high school diploma or anything greater,

That is their problem, maybe they should upgrade their skills at a trades school and get a job that pays decent. Why should we set artificial wages for someone that didn't finish high school? I took the time to finish school and college and I have a great paying job. Around these parts (Alberta) their is such a shortage of employees that burger joints are offering 15 bucks an hour along with 1000 dollar signing bonuses. (FYI, the US dollar and Cnd dollar are almost even).

 

[TomT]

Guess this means prices will go up at WalMart.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Better yet-- join the military, give four years of service to your country, learn a technical skill, and then get GI benefits for a college degree.



There are plenty of options in this country for folks who want to work hard and better themselves.



If this wasn't the land of such great opportunity, folks wouldn't be risking their lives to get in illegally.

 

[Josh Langel]

Better yet-- join the military, give four years of service to your country, learn a technical skill, and then get GI benefits for a college degree

Better yet, get paid $1000 a month all while being shot at and blown up in a foreign country where road side bombs are as common as are stop signs here in America.



--then if you make it out, you can do that college thing.

 

[mike wood 3]

I tried the college thing, didn't work out for me and i was great in High School too. Got a hard working job at a lumber mill in Oregon which shut down and forced me into a minimum wage job, which in Oregon at the time was just over $7 an hour and is close to $8 now i believe. Anyways, that minimum wage job -forced- me into enlisting into the military and it has been a great experience. I certainly earn more then 1k a month, have that GI bill to use when I decide to get out, and have job skills that will earn me 75-100k/yr when i get out.



some people just don't have the motivation to make a living or career for themselves.

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

then if you make it out, you can do that college thing.

That's a pretty ignorant statement considering that we have lost less than 5% of our soldiers sent over in either death or severe injury.



That means 95% come home intact.



But on the minimum wage, you're right.... it's not for a career employee. If you spend your career at minimum wage you have no one to blame but yourself.



As a degreed Economist, I cannot agree more about letting the market set the wage. It works with every other earnings field (engineers, doctors, lawyers, firemen, police, welders, etc) that are not union, so why not for the "minimum" wage? If a job only pays $3.00 without tips, how long will people work there? WHat kind of skills will they attract? If that same job doubled to $6/hr, theoretically they would be able to weed out a lot of the under trained, etc. that they don't want.... then again they could get two worthless employees who together may work a bit more than a $6/hr employee....



Get the Goberment out of the markets... period. This is a capitalist society. If an employeer wants to pay low, that's his right. If he then ******* about the quality of employee, that's his problem.

some people just don't have the motivation to make a living or career for themselves.

BINGO! And when you have welfare to fall back on, a lot of people never even try. Amazing.

 

[Chris Kulbaba]

Sounds like about 1/2 of what it SHOULD be at, lol.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

As the father of a 14 yo son who just got his working papers recently and entered the working world, I have to say that I am glad that there is a minimum wage and it has gone up.



The farm/agri labor that I earned good money at as a kid isn't an option anymore this day and age, what with illegals and the fall of the family farm. That, essentially leaves fast food and retail jobs for kids today that want to work, and those are with large corps, most often, that will only pay what they feel the need.



Sure, $5.25 an hour vs $6.25 doesn't sound like big difference to you guys, and yes, it isn't a living wage, by no means, but to a kid working 20 hours a week it means a lot.



If the marketplace was left to set that wage, it would be lower, for the sake of a little higher profits and/or for slightly reduced prices. I haven't seen McDonald's raise their prices yet, and even if they do, I don't see it hurting their business. For the most part, they sell legalized crack.



My son learned the hard way about taxes with his first paycheck. It was around $140 gross, less regular taxes, and a "yearly, one-time township occupational tax" of $50. When it was all done, he cleared less than $60. He was a little ticked. I told him to "get used to it!"



P.S., yes; my son works at McDonald's for the PA state minimum wage. He worked one week and got a raise as the minimum wage went up. I am proud of him. He is working.



TJR

 

[Tom Schindler]

TJR,



Isn't the minimum wage a form of "protectionism"?





Tom