I don’t know how many hours he’ll be working, but I’ll assume he plans to work 40 hrs. So, at $12 an hour, at the end of the week, I bet he’s expecting to have a big fat check for $480 dollars! Whoo-hoo! $480 bucks! That’s pretty good, huh?
Only ... it won’t be $480. It will be less. Bet he’ll be surprised just how much less.
When I worked part-time as a sales clerk after school in NY State in 1964, the minimum wage was $1.25 an hour. After I graduated high school in 1965, I took a full-time, 40 hour week County Civil Service job as a Clerk. We got paid twice a month. After taxes, I had about $90 left for the two weeks of pay. And I had to pay my parents $100 room and board a month.
I used to work for TJX, when my kids were in HS and I needed extra money for expenses. I think I was paid $9.25 an hour. College graduate, GS troop leader, church and school volunteer. Ran all sorts of committees. My experience made no difference to them. I was as good as any HS kid to them. Of course, they knew I was better than that, and I showed it every day. I exceeded expectations.
I liked that job, but when we relocated, I wasn’t about to start at the bottom again, because I would’ve been gone for 3 months, so start at the bottom rung again. No thanks. They survived. So did I.
I’m glad I did that job, but it was just a job.
Use it as a stepping stone, kid. Let it pay your bills a little, but move on.
And if you actually do your job plus a bit you will end up either advancing in that job or finding a new one that will pay you better once you have some skills.
I know this is not popular with the current crowd but that is the way it works.
On the other hand if you do the minimum you will probably stay at that payrate forever.
Potential employers, look closely at this video.
See the low ambition, high expectation, hear the gratuitous profanity, observe the sneering attitude of self centeredness and lack of diplomatic skills. Is this the type of worker you want more of?
If all he does is stock the shelves, that’s probably a fair wage.
Giving in to these demands will just cause an endless inflation spiral. Inflation is caused by too many dollars chasing too few goods. Our existing inflation disaster was caused by government showering unearned dollars onto the general public. As bad as that was, at least it was a limited event whose impact will eventually fade. FAR worse will occur if employers give in to the demand for higher pay, because that effect continues on into the future and gets compounded as raises are added to a higher base.
Wage inflation will put us on a course to everyone making six figures, but prices of goods increasing in proportion, and those whose incomes are fixed and don’t keep inflating (seniors on fixed incomes) being absolutely destroyed. I think at this point, especially seeing the short-sighted attitudes at play, we need a deep and prolonged recession to put out this fire by destroying demand.
Dead people also have a hard time producing an ID.
When I started out, I didn’t care what it paid. I just kept looking until I found a better paying job. Something’s better than nothing.
My first job was 50 cents an hour......
Yeah, no. Freeloading off of the state pays better. I'm not one for a forced minimum wage, but $12.00 an hour is chicken bleep.
Minimum wage needs to be sent packing. Let the market decide.
Especially after Pharaoh demanded that everyone continue making bricks, but without straw.
Regards,