Is the US Minimum wage where it should be? How about all wages?

[StofPCs]

EDIT: Changed the title because everyone seemed to not read the post at all.

 

Taking a look at the inflation rates over the past 40 years they might be onto something.  As seen here let's go back 40 years and see where things "should" be: http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/historical-inflation-rates/.

 

Here are my sources:

Historic college prices (private/public) [Tuition only]: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp

Historic prices of automobiles/income/rent: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1974.html

Historic prices of a big mac: http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq5.html

Historic prices of gasoline/homes/stamps: http://www.1970sflashback.com/1974/economy.asp

 

So below is the average cost of everything across the US and how much it should cost based on inflation.  So average household income is down by over 20 grand as per this site: http://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/Median-Household-Income-Update.php.  Gas is about $1.00 too high or 40%, colleges is a joke as I graduated from the cheapest private college in the country and I paid 24k/year in tuition.  The average cost of a new vehicle is around 30 grand I believe (no source).  

 

So minimum wage needs to increase by 50%, colleges need to decrease by over 500% in most cases, automobiles need to decrease by 30%, big macs need to decrease by 60%, stamps are about right as are new homes and rent.  Oh and average household income needs to increase by 50%.  This needs to happen for everything to have scaled with inflation properly.  So I agree that McDonalds workers deserve more.  But I also believe that so does everyone in the US.  We are under paid by about half of what we deserves to equally scare with inflation (while most products/items have scaled 2-4 times faster than inflation).

 

[BonBon Scott]

k thx bye

 

[Trik'Stari]

Yeah not a chance in hell they deserve that. I've worked in fast food, it's shit work, but heres the thing. It's not a career, it's not a "real job" it's for high school and college kids. And it always amuses me how they don't realize that simply demanding more money, will make everything they want to buy more expensive, thus making their "wage increase" null.

 

Work harder, stop bullshitting everyone with that "Art history" degree, and get a real job. Inflation is caused both by banks creating fake electronic money with "loans" and by people demanding more money and benefits for the same amount of work.

[Jobbe03]

 

Of course not, it's fastfood for crying out loud. IT AIN'T S'POSED TO BE FULL TIME CAREERS

[Kyuubixchidori]

The trouble of comparing the things to past, as tech changes cost of each good changes. so you cant always use old ratios to compare. 

 

working at mcdonalds, yeah id want 15 a hour, but then they would cut half their staff and expect you to do twice as much, or really kick up prices

[PokémonTrainerFour]

Raise the minimum wage = higher prices = fucked up economy

[StofPCs]

k thx bye

 

 

 

Yeah not a chance in hell they deserve that. I've worked in fast food, it's shit work, but heres the thing. It's not a career, it's not a "real job" it's for high school and college kids. And it always amuses me how they don't realize that simply demanding more money, will make everything they want to buy more expensive, thus making their "wage increase" null.

 

Work harder, stop bullshitting everyone with that "Art history" degree, and get a real job. Inflation is caused both by banks creating fake electronic money with "loans" and by people demanding more money and benefits for the same amount of work.

 

 

 

Of course not, it's fastfood for crying out loud.

 

 

The trouble of comparing the things to past, as tech changes cost of each good changes. so you cant always use old ratios to compare. 

 

working at mcdonalds, yeah id want 15 a hour, but then they would cut half their staff and expect you to do twice as much, or really kick up prices

 

Everyone did not read the post at all and posted a conclusion.  Basically, we are all underpaid by about half.  Based on inflation minimum wage should be 15/hr and we should all be making double.  This is based on the current prices of everything.  No things would not have to increase in order to compensate, because everything has increased in price except wages.

[Volbet]

The minimum wage in general should be higher in the US. If the US wanted to match the minimum wage of the 1960's, it should be around 11$ today. So the demand of the McDonalds might be a bit much in an american perspective. 

http://money.cnn.com/interactive/economy/minimum-wage-since-1938/

But then again, this comes from a man that lives in a country where the minimum wage is around 22$ an hour.

[StofPCs]

The trouble of comparing the things to past, as tech changes cost of each good changes. so you cant always use old ratios to compare. 

 

working at mcdonalds, yeah id want 15 a hour, but then they would cut half their staff and expect you to do twice as much, or really kick up prices

 

 

Raise the minimum wage = higher prices = fucked up economy

 

Prices have already raised while minimum wage and jobs have not increased.  Based on the price of a Big Mac being $1.57, minimum wage should be $10.60.  So now that the Big Mac is almost $3.50, minimum wage should be like 22-25/hr...

[KieranFretwell]

If they want more money they should have done better in school so they can get a better job. (not everyone is like this)

[Jobbe03]

Everyone did not read the post at all and posted a conclusion.  Basically, we are all underpaid by about half.  Based on inflation minimum wage should be 15/hr and we should all be making double.  This is based on the current prices of everything.  No things would not have to increase in order to compensate, because everything has increased in price except wages.

You think inflation will stop just because we demand higher wages!?

[BonBon Scott]

Everyone did not read the post at all and posted a conclusion.  Basically, we are all underpaid by about half.  Based on inflation minimum wage should be 15/hr and we should all be making double.  This is based on the current prices of everything.  No things would not have to increase in order to compensate, because everything has increased in price except wages.

 

Oh, I apologise. I forgot McDonalds was a full time career...OH WAIT, it's not.

[StofPCs]

If they want more money they should have done better in school so they can get a better job. (not everyone is like this)

The problem is everyone deserves more money.  Prices have sky-rocked but wages haven't.  That is the issue...

[StofPCs]

Oh, I apologise. I forgot McDonalds was a full time career...OH WAIT, it's not.

This is not just about McDonalds, it is about all careers.  Entry level is about 40-50% under what it should be.  And sadly, some people are only capable of very rudimentary jobs.

[Earache]

I can't say that an entry level position at McDonalds merits $15/hr, however the minimum wage in the states is quite pathetic.

[StofPCs]

I can't say that an entry level position at McDonalds merits $15/hr, however the minimum wage in the states is quite pathetic.

 

I would agree except even if minimum wage was $10.60/hr which is where it should be, everything else, including the big Mac has over inflated by 2-4 times in some cases.

[Puppet]

Yeah not a chance in hell they deserve that. I've worked in fast food, it's shit work, but heres the thing. It's not a career, it's not a "real job" it's for high school and college kids. And it always amuses me how they don't realize that simply demanding more money, will make everything they want to buy more expensive, thus making their "wage increase" null.

 

Work harder, stop bullshitting everyone with that "Art history" degree, and get a real job. Inflation is caused both by banks creating fake electronic money with "loans" and by people demanding more money and benefits for the same amount of work.

 

Didn't you say you were unemployed in another thread?

[StofPCs]

I am half tempted to report this topic to be closed.  It seems everyone did not read anything in the post and simply posted their own thoughts.

[DeViLzzz]

The bottom line is there should be a minimum wage for the entire world and it should be much higher than it is right now.  It is hard to get countries all on the same page and that is why there needs to be a New World Order.  If there is commerce in a New World Order, and commerce is something I don't want in that, well then there has to be fair wages.  Companies need to be stopped from being able to go to all around the world finding people who will work for the lowest wage and then take advantage of those people in a way that is just so wrong.


Also for the people that say working at McDonald's is not meant to be a full time job why is that?  Wth?

[StofPCs]

The bottom line is there should be a minimum wage for the entire world and it should be much higher than it is right now.  It is hard to get countries all on the same page and that is why there needs to be a New World Order.  If there is commerce in a New World Order, and commerce is something I don't want in that, well then there has to be fair wages.  Companies need to be stopped from being able to go to all around the world finding people who will work for the lowest wage and then take advantage of those people in a way that is just so wrong.

 

Yes and it's complete BS.  How these companies are making so much money but their workers who work hard to make the money for them get nothing in return.

[Mooshi]

The thing is, it's not just fast food. There are other industries that underpay their workers. Whenever I left my last job, I was pissed when I found out my co-worker doing the exact same work who started only a week before me was making more an hour than I was. The experience level was also the same. The only difference being our race and he being around 3 years older than I was. Any business will pay you jack shit if they can get away with it. I think it was a racial bias and that in of itself is bullshit.

[Trik'Stari]

Didn't you say you were unemployed in another thread?

I am currently. I've worked in fast good before though. I used to deliver pizza for Domino's at 6.75 an hour, in my own personal vehicle. All we received for that was .75 cents per delivery. It sucks, yes, which is why you get a better job.

 

The bottom line is there should be a minimum wage for the entire world and it should be much higher than it is right now.  It is hard to get countries all on the same page and that is why there needs to be a New World Order.  If there is commerce in a New World Order, and commerce is something I don't want in that, well then there has to be fair wages.  Companies need to be stopped from being able to go to all around the world finding people who will work for the lowest wage and then take advantage of those people in a way that is just so wrong.

You can legit say that when you own a business and have to pay those wages. Minimum wage is a bad thing, it reduces competition, and causes prices to rise thus making the minimum wage increase pointless.

 

If ANY of you ever hope to own your own business, and not have to work for someone else, then you should be against minimum wage. It increases the cost of doing business, and does nothing to increase productivity or quality of work done. Pay should be based on merit, I can agree to that, and most companies don't do that, or don't do it well. But unionization and minimum wage, are partially the cause of the current world economy.

[Mooshi]

A kid flipping burgers in Australia gets paid more than someone with a decent job in the US. That's $15 dollars an hour vs $7.25 - American minimum wage is a fucking joke. We can give billions to Israel, but we can't give people a living wage, that's wrong on so many levels it's not even amusing.

[Puppet]

It's hard to say, minimum wage usually covers living costs for low rent areas. The minimum wage for the US and UK seem pretty similar, I think rent is probably cheaper in most areas in the US and you get cheaper fuel (although I wouldn't put 85 RON anywhere near my tank ) we pay less for things like internet, it probably balances out for the most part.

 

I reckon minimum wage is calculated based on the worst areas, but most employers here tend to scale minimum wages with local economy, including McDonalds. SO if you live in London you are going to be getting well over the minimum, I'm pretty sure that McDonalds workers where I live get over the minimum, it's a pretty hard job to coax people into. 

[StofPCs]

I am currently. I've worked in fast good before though. I used to deliver pizza for Domino's at 6.75 an hour, in my own personal vehicle. All we received for that was .75 cents per delivery. It sucks, yes, which is why you get a better job.

 

You can legit say that when you own a business and have to pay those wages. Minimum wage is a bad thing, it reduces competition, and causes prices to rise thus making the minimum wage increase pointless.

 

If ANY of you ever hope to own your own business, and not have to work for someone else, then you should be against minimum wage. It increases the cost of doing business, and does nothing to increase productivity or quality of work done. Pay should be based on merit, I can agree to that, and most companies don't do that, or don't do it well. But unionization and minimum wage, are partially the cause of the current world economy.

 

 

How come everything has increased out of control except wages?  The problem is, if there is no minimum wage, companies will try to pay people 2-3/hr because there will be people willing to do that.  Contrary to what happens where you come from, companies are greedy and all about the bottom line.  They try to get as few people as possible to do as much work for as little as possible.  And my entire extended family all own businesses and they pay almost double minimum wage (Landscaping, Moving and restaurant).