Minimum Wage – A Blessing or a Curse?

I agree with Joe E. that this would be a problem for school students, to reduce their wages. Especially if you have high school kids working the same jobs as anyone else can work, they deserve the same pay.

I left a higher paying job in the late 80s because of the swingshift type schedule (I had two teenage girls to raise as a single mom and I wanted to be home in the evenings!) I had to take a minimum wage job (back then it was $3.85/hr) because my skills were not suited to higher paying daytime jobs at the time.

Minimum wages qualified me for housing assistance (after sitting a long time on a waiting list) and Food Stamps. I made too much to get cash or Medicaid. (My kids couldn’t get Medicaid because they were born before the 1983 cutoff line in the law that gives Medicaid to low income children.)

I was humiliated to need the assistance, and couldn’t make ends meet even with the help. I have pride/vanity issues, and I was determined to do whatever it took to get off assistance, and worked my way to better jobs/pay within a short period of time.

So IMO it’s not a livable wage, even when they raise it next year.

Well, Nemesis brought up the only point that matters–”cost shifting.” Yeah, minimum wage is what it is–but the stalwart conservatives of this “right to work” state don’t realize THEY are paying all of the hidden costs through their property taxes for the county and the city and the other districts on your tax bill. Do you think these minimum wage people just get their paychecks and freaking disappear? Think again. They know exactly each and every program that they qualify to receive. Who pays for those other programs? So, yeah, we can put our head in the Snake River Plain dune sand and say, “it ain’t my problem.” But the fact of the matter is this: IT IS YOUR PROBLEM! The more you ignore it and the longer you ignore it, the more it is going to cost you on your property tax bill. If you think this is a “them” problem that doesn’t concern “you,” then I have to say, you are totally deluded. The social costs of a low paid workforce are measured in a myriad of parallel social and criminal justice services. Do the math–you ain’t gainin’ on this equation by supporting a Slave Wage State. Yer losing. That’s a flat fact.

Enjoy your next trip to Mao Mart–at least the Asian people who make all those cheep widgets still think a dollar a day is “improving their lives!”

This isn’t part of your open questions (sorry) but I wanted to comment on the three arguments presented in your article against junior high/senior high students having a higher minimum wage: to me, those arguments sound biased against that age group.

1)What criteria is used to judge each applicant’s ‘need’ for the job? (One person got the job because s/he was married and had a family but the other equally qualified one didn’t because s/he was single? Or, ‘Hey, you live with your parents and the next person doesn’t so I hired him/her?’) I’m thinking that is illegal.

2)What kind of jobs and limited job experience were being talked about? Aren’t these ground-floor jobs in the first place? No examples were given.

3)I think the interview process and a probation period helps here. However, lack of maturity isn’t restricted to this age group; adults often have to make adjustments to work schedules due to their children’s school schedules, as well as a low need for income if their spouse works; and they may be less likely to stay on a job for any number of reasons.

My understanding is that minimum wage was established so employers had to provide a minimum ‘basic necessities’ living wage to employees, not to determine which age groups deserved it more. The Idaho Dept. of Labor has information on hours, wages and youth that is helpful for ages 18 and under. (Exceptions are also included.)

Blessing or curse? In my opinion, your own outlook and circumstances will decide that question.

Excellent post findhumor

Two private Ambulance Services in Montana, one in Great Falls the other in Missoula. The employees in these companies are Paramedics and EMT’s. Paramedics make $10/hr. and EMT’s make just above minimum wage (say $6/hr.). I know you’re saying “Whats Montana got to do with this?”, well those companies are owned by a very prominant Idaho Falls businessman. In Idaho Falls a Nurses Aid can make $10/hr.+. This Idaho Falls businessman probably knows every tax loop hole then some and he’s been listed in Forbes500. I think we’re very fortunate to have the EMS System we have here, highly trained and qualified paramedics taking care of us.

Crystal, the waitstaff who get tips are paid at a minimum of $3.35 per hour in Idaho. The expectation is that the tips will be enough to make up to minimum wage.

Yes, I believe the law enforcement and the firefighters in this area are underpaid. I don’t do either of those jobs and I think my wages are comparable, but as I don’t put my life on the line, I think they deserve to be paid more than I get for doing my office job.

Oh, Crystal. Sadly disappointed does not begin to describe how you’d feel, if you come here after having those perks where you are currently.

Since it was brought up earlier on this thread, here is one of many reasons why I prefer doing business at other stores besides Walmart. This is just one example of the way they do business and how they bullied the Vlasic pickle company.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

There are many more cases where they strongarm their suppliers to the point of driving them out of business. I shop at Fred Meyer partly just to counteract the huge number of people who shop at Walmart. Walmart will do just fine without me but I refuse to support them.

Walmart does more business than the following stores combined: Target, K-Mart, Sears, JC Penney, Safeway and Kroger (Smith’s & Fred Meyer’s parent company). In many cases they have squeezed their suppliers so hard that they have no choice but to outsource work overseas to stay in business. And that is one of many reasons that I think that Walmart is worse than a lot of other stores. But that’s just my opinion.

Actually he did look at what his salary would be there, and it is alot lower. He makes closer to what the two of you make together.

Right, he owns here in Cali, I own in Idaho. As far as I can tell there are many variables, for example my house payment in Idaho is less than my rent in Calif, but I’d have to work for weeks in a restaurant there to make what I make in two short shifts here.

Just ran a search on indeed.com for RN salaries in NoCal v. IF, HUGE difference there too.

What is minimum wage in Idaho?

With 120 wines on the list it is very important to know what they taste like. I’ve had tables insist I get a glass to try the wine they brought or bought. Just a real old style family run restaurant. Not the first restaurant I have worked at where beverages were available.

And the current min is posted in the article, nevermind my question!

From what I’ve know from talking with friends that have been servers years ago: the employees usually took wine tasting classes, that were not during work hours. Thats why I kinda thought the same thing easterner did. It is interesting, but not unrealistic being that it’s a small “family run” business. (definetely a nice perk though!)

With a small staff it can be kept in check. I’m not advocating drinking at work! And working with alcohol makes me VERY aware of other drivers on the way home!

Please explain?