99-Year-Old Man Works For Minimum Wage…For Over 30 Years

Zero Hedge ^ | 24 July, 2013 | Staff

[Errant]

Just ignore the stupid, "If President Obama had a grandfather would he look like Newton Murray?" line. I don't think so...

[Organic Panic]

His boss is a jerk.

[driftdiver]

This man has more work ethic in his little finger then obama’s entire family has.

[The Great RJ]

In 33 years you have never gained any new skills or sought to get a better paying job? He sounds like an exemplary employee and I am certain he could have gotten hired at another company for a better wage, but apparently didn’t try.

[cherry]

well, this is what the proponents of increasing the minimum wage will say...that left to their own devices, employers would just as soon never give a raise even over 30 yrs....

this worker is a good man though...we used to have millions of these kind....working steady, never late, never taking days off..

look at these people "retiring" at age 40 or so...."retiring"....our collective work ethic has become so pathetic its obscene...

[dadfly]

clearly Mr. Newton Murry has been blessed by God.

but, i keep hearing that Americans won’t do this kind of work. i’ll have to cite his example the next time i hear that. i wish he’d quit and run for president though.

[twister881]

He certainly deserves more money to go with the small pension he receives. That said, it's the job that's keeping him alive.

Recall the 100-year old man who worked decades for the Los Angeles metro transit dept., since the days they had trolleys. He missed 1/2 day of work the entire time...to attend his wife's funeral. He retired and was dead within months.

Keep going, man!

[cherry]

you understand that he was well up in his sixties when he took this job, right?

I'm sure he just wanted some work to get by...he was going to recreate the light bulb.....just the same, a decent and moral employer would have at least given COLA increases...

[wideawake]

So this guy took a job at Texaco in 1940 when he was 26, retired in 1980 at 66, and then worked for 33 more years at Bama.

Guy's been contributing positively to society for at least 73 years.

God bless Newton Murray.

[Errant]

You got that right, and on both sides!

I worked with an old black man when I first got married at the ripe old age of 19. We both made minimum wage (about $2.35 hour at that time). He was in his sixties and had put two daughters through college. This was way back before all of the programs they have today. I still remember his name today. He was one of the nicest, most honest, and hard working guys in that entire farm equipment dealership. I and everyone else always used mister, when addressing him.

[Da Coyote]

I respect Newton Murray and salute him for his work.

I do not respect the Obamadork and give him the one finger salute for his lack of work. Same for his dorky wife.

[Tired of Taxes]

According to the article, he retired and could’ve lived off his modest pension after working for Texaco in Trinidad for 40 years. Instead, when he arrived in Florida, he decided to take yet another job (this job).

This man simply enjoys being productive. At 99 years old. :-0 Hats off to him.

[delapaz]

Well you used to be able to work for yourself. Right now I only work 60% for myself and 40% for my superiors in the various levels of government.

That could have something to do with the lack of work ethic.

[Graybeard58]

though he has cut his work week back to just three days.

Slacker.

[SampleMan]

His boss is a jerk.

Really? Based on the article, it takes him 20 minutes to go two blocks, so I doubt he's a super efficient janitor. Additionally, it doesn't seem like he is really needed, but rather the boss kept him on out of a sense of obligation.

If he was really after more than minimum wage, he could have probably done better any week of those last 99 years. Some people are just looking for a room and somewhere to spend their day. I'd say he found a quiet place to retire.

[Utilizer]

Your respect for Mr. Murray brought a smile here on this end.

And your hilarious comment following that made Me burst out into laughter! Well done!

[SampleMan]

last 33 years, no 99

[Errant]

clearly Mr. Newton Murry has been blessed by God.

Completely agree.

Contrast this story with that of the German billionaire a few years ago, who stopped his Mercedes on a railroad crossing, in front of an oncoming train.

A person is only really rich when they are happy and their soul secure.

[ErnBatavia]

His boss is a jerk.

You don't know the half of it.....that storage "facility" was notorious as a seafood repacking/remarking/relabeling station during my years in the frozen fish business.

[twister881]

Similar story: When my family moved to France in the 1950s, my parents rented a house in the Paris suburbs. When we arrived, a woman was sweeping outside. Marguerite announced she was the housekeeper, and that she “came with the property.” She became a beloved member of the family, more than just a housekeeper — friend, confidante, nanny, protector. She would speak only French to me (2-5 years old), and that coupled with attending a French preschool turned me into a bilingual kid, at least for a time. She is gone now, as are my parents, but I think of her fondly from time to time.