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Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Old 04-06-2009, 02:27 PM
 
Location: wilkes-barre
1,973 posts, read 5,272,401 times
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Sallie May is bringing six hundred jobs back to NEPA. Is this good news? What will they pay? I guess it has to be better then six hundred more people getting laid off.
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Old 04-06-2009, 02:45 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,616 posts, read 77,579,178 times
Reputation: 19101
It's mixed news. These jobs that are being imported from overseas (yes, you read that correctly) will be of the call center variety. Yes, they are jobs, but do they pay all that well? I'm pretty sure MovingOutofNJ works for c3i out on East Mountain. With what he makes there he's apparently able to support himself (and apparently also a border line financially dead-beat better half or ex-better half). When I inquired into a position last year to work for the Bank of America call center on Montage Mountain, if I can recall correctly the pay range would have been around $12/hr. Coupled with a spouse who also works that would be plausible, but if you're trying to support a family on $12/hr., then it's just NOT going to work out.

Yes. We're getting jobs. No, they're not going to be the high-paying, highly-skilled ones that will help to retain the young college graduates that we're hemorrhaging out like the plague (The Commish and I are just two perfect examples of the "Brain Drain" right here on this forum as we're both leaving NEPA). Would I move back to the region to trade in my Federal position to earn $12/hr. at a call center?
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Old 04-06-2009, 03:18 PM
 
2,760 posts, read 3,951,737 times
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I agree with everything you said except...keep in mind 12bucks and hour is a lot better than min. wage. America has moved to a two income household structure; if we like it or not does not seem to matter.
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Old 04-06-2009, 03:31 PM
 
Location: Down Yonder
343 posts, read 603,864 times
Reputation: 375
Woo-hoo! $8-12 an hour! Boy, the life, huh? Yes, they are jobs, however, they more than likely will not be living wage jobs. Of course, you have Casey and Kanjorkski touting all the jobs coming to the area. Woop-dee-do! It has been mentioned before, re: for Wall Street West and other firms that to locate here or relocate here and I'm paraphrasing: "You can pay the people of Northeast PA lower wages - they are used to that." It is like we are not worth the same as someone in NY, NJ or other areas. It is so frustrating. When Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY, was awarded the presidential helicopter contract a few years ago ( now, that is in question), that area and neighboring Broome County had something to be excited about. They were living wage jobs and above living wage. It also began to have a ripple effect on the rest of that area. Call centers aren't going to do that. Thanks for letting me vent
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Old 04-06-2009, 04:48 PM
 
Location: Collegeville PA & Towamensing Trails
513 posts, read 1,079,667 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackie2008 View Post
"You can pay the people of Northeast PA lower wages - they are used to that." It is like we are not worth the same as someone in NY, NJ or other areas.
you are worth the same, relative to the cost of living where you are vs NY or NJ. Can't have your cake (less expensive housing and property taxes) and eat it too (high wages needed to support the higher housing cost and property taxes)
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Old 04-06-2009, 04:55 PM
 
106,579 posts, read 108,713,667 times
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it would be great if that was true but it rarely works out like that...there are just to many expenses that are not proportional to income.... nepa i find to be disproportionate ... i find salarys can be way lower then the offsetting expensis..

its like when we were going to move to florida i figured out we could do with 25% -30% less income then new york but salarys were 1/2
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Old 04-06-2009, 05:05 PM
 
Location: Collegeville PA & Towamensing Trails
513 posts, read 1,079,667 times
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I didn't say it was proportional, but its the biggest part of the equation. Food costs are much closer to equal than housing for example. Likewise utilities.
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Old 04-06-2009, 05:15 PM
 
2,834 posts, read 10,763,155 times
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I will say that when I moved to PA 15 yrs ago, most things were 1/2 the price. Not everything though...my mortgage was about 40% cheaper, but electric, car insurance, even dance classes, were 1/2 the cost. Going out to eat here at a local diner is definitely less than 1/2, food is probably close to the same though. And believe it or not, my husbands salary increased when we moved here, enabling me to work part time so that I had more time with my kids. It was definitely a step up. A BIG step up.
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Old 04-06-2009, 05:19 PM
 
106,579 posts, read 108,713,667 times
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my findings since we live in both places currently are housing costs are just shy of 1/2 for us in pa... medical insurance which is a huge expense is the same, college for the kids, the same,, food and eating out about 25%-30% less.... heating our house 20% less , phone and cable 20% less, auto insurance about 40% less .clothes about the same.......

salary for what i do 60% less...its all a question of lifestyle and what you like to do... im sure there are loads of born and bread nepa families that have raised entire familes on these low paying nepa jobs and did a great job..... but when you are used to a certain way of living and doing things a certain way its hard to make do on less..

when we make our move full time it will be when we are ready to pull the plug on working in 2 or 3 years . we will do things we enjoy if we decide to work and whatever we earn will be more a bonus then needed to live on.... origionaly we hoped to make the move and keep working in our industries as im only 56 but that dosnt look possible at these salary levels ....

Last edited by mathjak107; 04-06-2009 at 05:31 PM..
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Old 04-06-2009, 05:43 PM
 
3,756 posts, read 9,549,693 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mathjak107 View Post
my findings since we live in both places currently are housing costs are just shy of 1/2 for us in pa... medical insurance which is a huge expense is the same, college for the kids, the same,, food and eating out about 25%-30% less.... heating our house 20% less , phone and cable 20% less, auto insurance about 40% less .clothes about the same.......

salary for what i do 60% less...its all a question of lifestyle and what you like to do... im sure there are loads of born and bread nepa families that have raised entire familes on these low paying nepa jobs and did a great job..... but when you are used to a certain way of living and doing things a certain way its hard to make do on less..

when we make our move full time it will be when we are ready to pull the plug on working in 2 or 3 years . we will do things we enjoy if we decide to work and whatever we earn will be more a bonus then needed to live on.... origionaly we hoped to make the move and keep working in our industries as im only 56 but that dosnt look possible at these salary levels ....
Math, you hide your age well. I thought you were only 49. You can not make it on a salary that pays $8 to $12 an hour here. It is not as cheap as one thinks.
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