Minimum Wage

kstar · #1 08-20-2006, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

How many waitressing jobs have you had?
I've had 3. Made pretty good money.

How long have you worked at Wal-Mart?
I worked there a year. The full time people have good benefits, including 401k, great stock options and profit sharing.

And for the love of God, I'm glad I can make points without name-calling.

The cost of living has risen, and while min. wage hasn't, most people who have made an effort have seen increases in their pay.

I've had 2 wait staff positions and 3 bartending positions. I make on average, 500 a week in tips. However, not everyone does. That's my point.

I would never work for Wal-Mart, their politics are abhorant. However, many of my friends have to take any job they can, and it's shameful how Wal-Mart treats their workers.

Also, I didn't call names, I asked if you were retarded, which isn't any worse than you insisting that I have no reading comprehension.

macallan25 · #2 08-20-2006, 01:18 AM

I hate poor people?

AGDee · #3 08-20-2006, 09:27 AM

It really isn't that hard to end up homeless... This is the scenario that happened to the lady who bought the house across the street from me:

Had a great business that she inherited from her family (the only business she ever knew), trucking. She owned a few trucks. Bought the house across the street from me and worked her business out of the house. Has 3 kids, ages 17, 12, and 3.

6 months later, her business went dead. Gas prices and a huge lull in manufacturing in Michigan slowed it to a halt. Business went bankrupt. As a result, her income went to 0. She immediately put her house up for sale,but due to the bum economy, housing prices had gone DOWN and she couldn't sell it for what she bought it for a year later. She couldn't pay the mortgage and couldn't sell the house. She ended up foreclosing and filing bankruptcy. She was looking for work, but with no skills other than trucking and three kids and a mortgage to pay, combined with a 7% + unemployment rate in Michigan, she had a hard time finding work. She had taken a job at Walmart, but that didn't cover the mortgage, utilities, food, etc. So, she lost her house, couldn't get an apartment because of her credit rating, couldn't get ADC because she was working (and what she would get from them otherwise was barely enough to cover day care). She ended up moving in, with her 3 kids, to her aunt's trailer.

If she didn't have a relative to move in with, what would she have done?? Some of you make it sound so easy, but the economists still report that 80-90% (depending on which report you read) of Americans are one paycheck away from bankruptcy.. meaning, if they lost their jobs, within one paycheck, they'd be drowning.

That said, I see both sides of the "raising minimum wage" issue. In the late 90's, when things were booming around here, nobody was paying minimum wage. They were begging people to work there. Now that the economy has crashed here, there are former professionals working 2 or 3 minimum wage jobs to make ends meet. It's the basic supply and demand theory and more places can get away with paying only minimum wage.

Also, the services and assistance that are available to people varies greatly from state to state, so you can't assume that someone who can get public assistance in your state can get it in another state. If you do not have children in Michigan, there is no public assistance. The job placement agencies are totally overwhelmed.

There are no easy solutions to these problems. If there were, they wouldn't exist. But don't be quick to judge. Would you be ok if you had to go a few months without a paycheck or if it was reduced by 75%?

preciousjeni · #4 08-20-2006, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGDee

It really isn't that hard to end up homeless... This is the scenario that happened to the lady who bought the house across the street from me:

This would be an example of the type of person who is homeless in the interim but can get back through social service programs.

Quote:

Some of you make it sound so easy, but the economists still report that 80-90% (depending on which report you read) of Americans are one paycheck away from bankruptcy.. meaning, if they lost their jobs, within one paycheck, they'd be drowning.

This right here is why I would like more social service programs to teach people how to sacrifice and save. There are options before you get to the point where you're drowning. Too many people say, "I could NEVER live like that." We're more resilient than we give ourselves credit for. Certainly not everyone will be living ultra-comfortably, but they will be ok.

Quote:

That said, I see both sides of the "raising minimum wage" issue.

And you go on to talk about jobs. But the bottom line is raising minimum wage pushes up costs. I can understand raising minimum wage with inflation, but there's no way to raise minimum wage and not affect cost of living.

Quote:

Also, the services and assistance that are available to people varies greatly from state to state, so you can't assume that someone who can get public assistance in your state can get it in another state. If you do not have children in Michigan, there is no public assistance.

That doesn't sound right, but I don't have time right now to go research it. It's true that some states are a bit more free with their money than others, but you also have to factor in non-profit services. There's always a way.

Quote:

The job placement agencies are totally overwhelmed.

Where did you find this fact?

valkyrie · #5 08-20-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

This would be an example of the type of person who is homeless in the interim but can get back through social service programs.

How can she "get back" by using social service programs? Should she quit her job so she can get aid, which wouldn't be enough to pay for housing? I don't get it.

Kevin · #6 08-20-2006, 12:28 PM

At least in my state, being jobless is not a qualification for public aid -- only a low income.

Munchkin03 · #7 08-20-2006, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktsnake

At least in my state, being jobless is not a qualification for public aid -- only a low income.

I think in Florida, it depends on what sort of aid it is. I believe that most federal aid programs do require you to be unemployed.

preciousjeni · #8 08-20-2006, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valkyrie

How can she "get back" by using social service programs? Should she quit her job so she can get aid, which wouldn't be enough to pay for housing? I don't get it.

The individual in the story is homeless with no job.

valkyrie · #9 08-20-2006, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

The individual in the story is homeless with no job.

It says she had taken a job at Walmart???

PM_Mama00 · #10 08-20-2006, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

Where did you find this fact?

I don't really think the facts are out there, but I do know FOR A FACT that the agencies are overwhelmed. My sister-in-law works as a head hunter and couldn't even find me a job. She's been working long hours trying to place people and it's hard right now. One of my lil sis's works at a head hunter agency and her's is also pretty packed.

I don't think anyone can truly understand what's going on in Michigan unless you live here and experience it.

shinerbock · #11 08-20-2006, 12:59 PM

My roommate was working this summer in Mich, and he has made repeated statements that it appeared as though the entire state was dying.

PiKA2001 · #12 08-20-2006, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinerbock

My roommate was working this summer in Mich, and he has made repeated statements that it appeared as though the entire state was dying.

Yeah, it is. The funny thing is we may be the highest educated state in a few years. A lot of new grads can't find jobs so law school and grad school are becoming increasingly popular.

preciousjeni · #13 08-20-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

I don't really think the facts are out there, but I do know FOR A FACT that the agencies are overwhelmed. My sister-in-law works as a head hunter and couldn't even find me a job. She's been working long hours trying to place people and it's hard right now. One of my lil sis's works at a head hunter agency and her's is also pretty packed.

I don't know that the agencies are overwhelmed as much as employers are already fully staffed.

PM_Mama00 · #14 08-20-2006, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

I don't know that the agencies are overwhelmed as much as employers are already fully staffed.

And when the employers are already fully staffed, that backs up agencies hence making them overwhelmed.

AND we just found out that yet another auto plant will probably be closing.