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Old 02-21-2014, 07:26 AM
 
19 posts, read 25,024 times
Reputation: 21

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There seems to be a disturbing trend amongst employers to continuously offer and extend extremely low wages to workers across this country. From general searches online, I have come to the conclusion that in general, workers can expect to be paid roughly $11-$13 per hour give or take. Now I do understand that pay is commensurate with experience, education and overall competency to perform a job, but I think this low wage trend is adding to continual downward pressure on wages. Take a metropolitan area like Atlanta, it honestly isn't possible to live off anything remotely close to these hourly figures. These wages are minimally above minimum wage and offer low standards of living. How can one be expected to save, invest or even think about retirement? It is a lot more beneficial to offer employees higher salaries in order to retain quality workers and offer security as opposed to sub standard pay which will lead to workers constantly looking for a slightly higher paying job. I sometimes wonder if there will come a time when the vast majority of Americans can no longer afford to live in large metropolitan areas, if they will simple be priced out of them. How do we go about breaking this trend to offer more competitive wages?
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Old 02-21-2014, 08:05 AM
 
9,008 posts, read 14,015,985 times
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What minimum wage really says is, "If I could pay you any less, I would."

Employers constantly complain about raising wages, but we've seen a few minimum wage hikes over the years. Good companies seem to make due. I've never heard of anybody going from running a successful business to out of business strictly because they had to pay employees a couple bucks more an hour.

It seems to me that the best thing to do is for everybody to collectively refuse to work for wages that are too low. Theoretically, the market will correct itself....of course, you could also say the market already is corrected and if people are filling the jobs that pay the low wages, then there is no problem. That's what the market is allowing.

I can see both sides of this coin. Having been both underpaid and overpaid in my life, both circumstances come with a unique set of challenges.
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Old 02-21-2014, 08:23 AM
 
19 posts, read 25,024 times
Reputation: 21
That's a great point, we should stop accepting any less than what we deserve and deem to be fair compensation.
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Old 02-21-2014, 08:30 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
858 posts, read 1,382,913 times
Reputation: 722
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoGhost View Post
That's a great point, we should stop accepting any less than what we deserve and deem to be fair compensation.
...or learn a skill that's worth more than $11/hour.
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Old 02-21-2014, 08:36 AM
 
19 posts, read 25,024 times
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erick295, I'm actually referring to people who do posses skills, they are simply underpaid. I assume you are speaking of those who are unskilled/uneducated correct?
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Old 02-21-2014, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
2,862 posts, read 3,809,915 times
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Ok, so first I had to find out what minimum wage is in Georgia. It's $7.25: 2014 minimum wage, state by state - CNNMoney

That's roughly 15K a year. How can anyone live on that? I'd be forced to flee the metro Atlanta area. I mean seriously, I'm divorced with no children so I probably wouldn't qualify for any gov't assistance.

I assume that the rate must be based on some formula for the cost of living in all of Georgia, but that would not even put a dent in my bills in Atlanta.
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Old 02-21-2014, 09:10 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
858 posts, read 1,382,913 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoGhost View Post
erick295, I'm actually referring to people who do posses skills, they are simply underpaid.
How did you determine they're "underpaid?" In your previous post you were going with a gut feeling ("deem to be fair") and applying it as a basic right ("deserve"). That has nothing to do with its actual value. Its actual value is what it can be sold for, which is apparently only $11/hour.
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Old 02-21-2014, 09:35 AM
fzx
 
399 posts, read 510,598 times
Reputation: 292
I may be wrong but to my understanding, a low of min wage earners have some kind of government aids. For example, I heard on NPR that over half of bank tellers in NY also live with social benefits. On top of my head, I am thinking of Obama care subsidy and working credit, etc

I guess life is harder for ppl who live with 30K/year of income but are not qualified for anything.
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Old 02-21-2014, 09:36 AM
 
Location: Sweet Home...CHICAGO
3,421 posts, read 5,204,934 times
Reputation: 4355
Quote:
Originally Posted by erick295 View Post
...or learn a skill that's worth more than $11/hour.
But what about people who are skilled and/or educated but are still making these wages? I've seen that a lot in Atlanta. I'm not saying it's just an Atlanta thing, but since this is the Atlanta forum, I know I've talked to many degreed folks in Atlanta who make less than $30k a year, some working in IT with a degree. Everyone making the wages ChicagoGhost brought up aren't uneducated or lack skills.

What is your definition of unskilled? Simply someone who doesn't have a degree? Someone who isn't in IT? Please elaborate.

Everyone who has any kind of work experience possesses a skill. Of course some skills or valued more than others in terms of pay. Your attitude seems to be that everyone making a low wage is uneducated and unskilled and that's just not true.
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Old 02-21-2014, 09:40 AM
 
Location: Ono Island, Orange Beach, AL
10,739 posts, read 13,331,099 times
Reputation: 7171
People deserve to be paid what the market will pay them for the work they do. I realize that is a tough pill to swallow, but that's the way it works. The free market folks might even convince you that the minimum wage should go away and let the market work it out. I'm all in favor of the minimum wage, but it does raise the prices for goods and services to a degree - just like any labor cost.
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