Here's What's Wrong...

[Moonglow]

As someone who employs people, I like knowing that the people who work for me want to stay working for me. Salaries at my companies are considered generous compared to others. That's because it's better to pay someone well over a prolonged period of time than it is to keep having to retrain new people because employees keep leaving for a better paying gig.

When someone is hired by one of my companies, if the person has a college degree in the area in which he (or she) is being employed, that gets reflected in their pay. Someone who's hired working with electronics will get paid more if he has a college degree in, say, electronic engineering. If you get hired by me, you're going to make at least $23.85 an hour from the start, and that goes up after 90 days. After six months a person's record is reviewed and, if warranted, pay is increased again. As a company owner, I can see a definite value in a college degree. In lieu of a degree, if someone has some protracted experience in the field, that will also see the same result and pay will be affected similarly.

I came across as ad today that just makes me shake my head. A company is hiring for a position (what it is isn't really important). The requirements are not very different than you would find in many ads: "the successful candidate will have a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of four years experience" is pretty much how it read. I've seen that a lot.

The problem is that the employer is only offering a starting pay of $15. The high school drop out flipping burgers at Jiffy Chef is making that. This particular employer, though, wants a four year degree and an additional four years experience working in the field.

This is astounding to me. If I hire someone with a degree and four years experience, they're flirtin' with $30 an hour right from the start. I can't imagine telling someone with a college education and experience that he's only worth $15 an hour.

Everyone wants to talk about giving people a "living wage". Well, for someone who's college educated, with experience, $15 an hour isn't a living wage. Employers need to realize that...

I pay bricklayers more than you do your degreed staff.

 

[Moonglow]

Unless there is some other means of compensation like stock options or paid housing, $15 an hour for a Bachelor's and 4 years experience is an insult. McDonald's in paying 13.50 an hour in my city which is notorious for low wages.

I was making fifteen an hour in the 1990's, ten in the 1980's.

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

I live in a low COL area also and I know quite a few people that live on that. They don't buy new cars and take cruises but they get by. The jobs not being to get people are paying $9-$10.

Existing, and thriving, are both living.

A family of four where mother and father work for $15/hr has a total household income of ~56K/yr.

for house/food/clothing/medical/dental/transportation. God forbid anything goes wrong. These are not jobs with pensions either. So there is a perpetual life of subsistence, paycheck to paycheck.

That's Obscene.

 

[pknopp]

Let me guess, you’re also under the delusion that college is for “finding yourself” rather than “career preparation “.

I find very few of the young/new Engineers I work with got anything useful out of their tie at college… they’re unable to do their job and they have even less understanding of how the Real World works.

I'm not all that interested in discussing your issues.

 

[pknopp]

Existing, and thriving, are both living.

A family of four where mother and father work for $15/hr has a total household income of ~56K/yr.

for house/food/clothing/medical/dental/transportation. God forbid anything goes wrong. These are not jobs with pensions either. So there is a perpetual life of subsistence, paycheck to paycheck.

That's Obscene.

I don't disagree in the big picture. They are one serious illness or injury away from possibly losing everything.

 

[MarathonMike]

Gabe Lackmann Maybe people could hold off on having kids until they can afford to raise them. Just a thought.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Well, without disclosing too much. The cost of living here is near the lowest in the nation. I don't see how people can live on 18/hr, let alone 15/hr.

Especially using REAL inflation metrics. Which are hard to find because the government are lying criminals.

View attachment 525557

Alternate Inflation Charts

www.shadowstats.com

Especially using REAL inflation metrics. Which are hard to find because the government are lying criminals.

Shadowstats uses real metrics? Awesome!!!

How many prices does he track? 10,000? 100,000?

 

[Canon Shooter]

I pay bricklayers more than you do your degreed staff.

No, you probably don't, but that's neither here nor there. I know heavy equipment operators who make more than what you pay your bricklayers. So what?

That said, location has a lot to do with it. The average salary for a bricklayer with five years experience in my county is $24.71 an hour. Top end for a bricklayer in New York City is $35 an hour. Where are you located?

 

[Anathema]

I've never been in that position.

I'm under no obligation to give someone a pay raise if their performance isn't what we think it should be. In such a case, it would likely be addressed at the 90-day or 180-day review...

Then you are a very fortunate employer. Especially in this day and age.

I rarely find a Design Engineer my employer has hired who I would hire for any job. The higher the level of the degree, the less likely I find them to be of any use.

 

[Moonglow]

No, you probably don't, but that's neither here nor there. I know heavy equipment operators who make more than what you pay your bricklayers. So what?

That said, location has a lot to do with it. The average salary for a bricklayer with five years experience in my county is $24.71 an hour. Top end for a bricklayer in New York City is $35 an hour. Where are you located?

Commercial bricklayers on average get paid over thirty an hour the twenty range is for residential and yes they do make that much which is why I stopped going to college and went back to being a masonry contractor in the early 1990's because I could earn over fifty thousand in the 1990's.
As I said that is what I pay my bricklayers because I prefer to pay more for better quality and longevity.

 

[Canon Shooter]

Commercial bricklayers on average get paid over thirty an hour the twenty range is for residential and yes they do make that much which is why I stopped going to college and went back to being a masonry contractor in the early 1990's because I could earn over fifty thousand in the 1990's.
As I said that is what I pay my bricklayers because I prefer to pay more for better quality and longevity.

As do I.

I'm just wondering why you felt the need to brag about what you pay your bricklayers, that's all. It's back breaking work, they should be paid well...

 

[Natural Citizen]

The last time I had an hourly paying job as an employee for someone else was back at around the turn of the century.

I believe I was making around 28 Federal Reserve Notes per each hour worked.

And I was putting in anywhere from 14 to 16 hours a day. So that turned into a little over 40 Federal Reserve Notes with all of the over time. And there was a lot of it. Double time on holidays. That's not counting all of the GSA stuff. I made a boat load of cash on the GSA stuff since that was the majority of my projects. And they were all long-term projects.

My hotels were always the best ones. I never paid for meals or fuel/airfare. And I had a company vehicle.

Only time I ever took one of my own cars was if I planned on having some leisure time there and about.

But. Here's the thing. Without me, the company wouldn't have had it's customer base. I'm not being prideful when I say that. Its just true. When I say customer base, I'm talking about very large, well known companies.

I always had offers to go work for a competing company, but the reality is that they just wanted my customers.

But there's just no way I would trust them with my customers. A lot of the people who worked for the company who thought they were somebody were just incompetent douchebags looking to quickly capitalize for their own personal gain. people like that are sloppy. They're sleazy. And they're lazy. Thy;re short-term thinkers. My customers were more than my customers. They were my friends. Many became life-long friends.

So your value in a company is fully dependent upon you. What you bring to the table. I guess that's the moral of the story.

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

Especially using REAL inflation metrics. Which are hard to find because the government are lying criminals.

Shadowstats uses real metrics? Awesome!!!

How many prices does he track? 10,000? 100,000?

But you are completely cool with the government stat fucking your eyes right...right...Toddster cuck?

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

But you are completely cool with the government stat fucking your eyes right...right...Toddster cuck?

The government collects huge amounts of price data.
Does Williams collect more than the government?
Is that why his numbers are better?

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

The government collects huge amounts of price data.
Does Williams collect more than the government?
Is that why his numbers are better?

 

[Jarlaxle]

Exactly.

A buddy of mine runs a charter sight-seeing boat here. Every once in a while I'll crew for him if he's short handed. He pays me $25 an hour so, if I pull a full day, I can make $200-$300 a day. I don't necessarily need the money, but $300 for a day on the water is nothing to sneeze at, either...

Don't crew members on commercial (passenger) boats usually need some sore of state or USCG certification?

 

[Jarlaxle]

Unless there is some other means of compensation like stock options or paid housing, $15 an hour for a Bachelor's and 4 years experience is an insult. McDonald's in paying 13.50 an hour in my city which is notorious for low wages.

I saw a sign yesterday: $15/hour to start...at Dunkin Donuts. Local Burger King is hiring, $15-16/hour. (I think a shift differential.)

 

[Canon Shooter]

Don't crew members on commercial (passenger) boats usually need some sore of state or USCG certification

I believe all certifications are from the US Coast Guard. The state handles vessel registration...

 

[Canon Shooter]

Then you are a very fortunate employer. Especially in this day and age.

I rarely find a Design Engineer my employer has hired who I would hire for any job. The higher the level of the degree, the less likely I find them to be of any use.

My HR people are very good at their jobs...

 

[Anathema]

My HR people are very good at their jobs...

Excellent. Unfortunately my employer (a large utility company) considers these Engineers (we call them Designers) easily replaceable entry-level employees and so long as you meet the basic job requirements, hire almost anyone.