Minimum wage and new reality of it

[thistlebloom]

It varies by state. I think Washington (state) was pushing for $15. Ours is around $8ish.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The basic Federal minimum wage is $7.25 but different states and cities have their own which may be higher.

If this link works you can see what minimum wage was in your state January 1, 2016.

https://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm

For people like restaurant workers who depend on tips:

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires payment of at least the Federal minimum wage to covered, nonexempt employees. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the Federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the Federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.

 

[seedcorn]

While $15 sounds high for minimum wage, try living in Seattle on that. Salaries are based on living wages needed. Why when we retire, we have to move out of high income areas to lower income areas. Bites to get older and retired.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Cost of living was one of our considerations when we decided where to retire to. Being able to drive to her, my, and our families within a day was another big one. Quality of medical was another. Lots of things to consider when you get to that point. In some ways it bites to get old but I think it is generally better than the alternative.

It is what it is but what it becomes depends on what you do with it.

 

[bobm]

The only ones in our government that have received a raise are those that make the laws. The rest of the government workers haven't received a raise in 10 years. Then the retired folks on a fixed income get a PAY CUT when every time all of our costs rise. Simple math , however the politico bleeding heart liberals among us spout the increase minimum wage nonsence to get reelected. Just one example that we are now faced with : We have a fixed income ,so... 2 weeks ago I had a contract to install the kitchen tiles for $600 which the contractor bailed out on. Today, with the wild scramble to increase labor costs, the best scenario is that it will cost me $ 1,500 for the very same work resulting in a $900 hit on our budget. Just how are we to deal with this fiasco now ? Bend over and say thank you sir, may I have another.

 

[Nyboy]

Cane has a thread on painting floors

 

[seedcorn]

Federal workers/politicians are over paid as is. It's not a liberal vs conservative thing at all. It's a "don't work for" vs "work for" a living people. As my inlaws were told, if can't afford that area, move to area you can. Don't get me started on SS. Never meant to be someone's sole income nor survivor benefits to kids, $$ for disabled, for too fat and/or lazy to work-sorry, that's AG budget.....

I understand things are higher but a job to go from $600 to $1500 in a day? Something smells real fishy as in BAD....

 

[thistlebloom]

I don't know what kind of tile you're having put in nor how much Bob, but $600 sounds pretty low. My husband is a tile and stone man, self employed in the trade for 45 years.

 

[bobm]

Seed... I made the contract for $600 as the price of labor almost 3 weeks before the contractor bailed on me the day before he was to do the work. Now, I have been pricing the tile work for 2 weeks more. so doing the math that is in reality almost 5 weeks time with a jump in the cost of labor plus profit to almost three fold. Their reasoning is that one contractor raids skilled labor from another contractor by paying more for their labor, so since the first contractor has to raid skilled workers from another contracor by paying them more than his competetor paid for his former workers, then in turn he raises his prices to the consumer just in case there is another round of labor raiding and he pads it further in his profit margin in order to be competative in the wage wars. Then there are those that convince entry workers that they deserve a "living wage" for any field no mater their lack of skill or education just like those that spend years in honing their skills and education now earn . confusing and amusing but it sure hurts my pocketbook at every turn.

 

[seedcorn]

Call me a liberal (or anything you want) but I agree that anyone that works a 40 hour week deserves a "living wage". Now to make as much as a veteran in the trade-that's up for debate. Quality work should be rewarded but some jobs are only worth so much. I speak from living that. Most of the time I love my job but whether 4 years in trade or 40, it's only worth so much. I have to think a $600 job was probably under quoted (whether he mis figured hours or was using illegals, etc) while $1500 is because he doesn't want the job. So if he does it, he will make out like a thief. Now that's on management, not labor.......