Businesses Raising Their Minimum Wages - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

aklim · #46 07-16-2014, 10:17 PM

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Originally Posted by MTI

I'm not sure what the parallel you're trying to make. The examples you cite are religious and philosophical communities, which isn't required when business and employees cooperate and collaborate for mutual and individual benefit. You're just putting out the extreme and ignoring the vast middle ground.

Going the "absolutist" route isn't productive or grounded in reality.

Basically, the point is this. While it works with those communities, it doesn't necessarily mean you can simply expand on it and it will work in general. While they might be religious in nature, the principle is the same. Under certain circumstances it might be possible to form a group that will adhere because of whatever reason. That said, it might not be as easy as trying to expand it to a larger group. So I am not ignoring the middle ground. In fact, I would say I am showing the middle ground.

Skid Row Joe · #47 07-16-2014, 10:58 PM

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Originally Posted by SwampYankee

When poor financial decisions, kids and a stay-at-home wife (which led to some of those poor decisions) rendered my paycheck insufficient, I delivered newspapers 7/365, mowed lawns and plowed snow in addition to my usual 45-50 hours. Much of that came at the expense of quality time or activities with my kids, especially my oldest two. I just did what I needed to do to make ends meet and didn't think twice about it.

When I suggested some acquaintances who were having difficulty making ends meet do the same, the response was less than positive. Instead they continued to complain about not making enough money.

When did minimum wage jobs become careers? Or perhaps more importantly why? Is our educational system doing such a poor job that some are only qualified to perform the most menial jobs?

My Canadian truck driver dropped out of school in 8th grade to work on his family's farm. He's more than capable of doing the necessary work and showing the responsibility that brings him several times the minimum wage in CT.

Most of my warehouse crew are high school graduates or have their GEDs. They are more than capable of doing the necessary work and showing the responsibility that brings them multiples of the minimum wage in CT.

If we don't pay enough, we have more turnover. Turnover is expensive for us so the key is to minimize it. If we don't start them at a high enough wage, that is higher than minimum wage, they don't come back after the interview. I understand that desperate times call for desperate measures. But it always amazes me that the companies that actually have minimum wage positions never seem to have a problem filling those positions. Sure, there's a lot of turnover and those companies know how to deal with that turnover. That turnover used to be because employees moved up the ladder within or beyond their employer's walls. Raises used to be based on merit rather than surviving another year because there wasn't enough of a reason to fire them.

How did we end up at the point that the only jobs some folks qualify (or maybe settle) for and consider their full time job, are minimum wage positions? There's more to it than just evil employers bleeding their employees dry. I suspect ambition, or lack of it, isn't insignificant.

The ppl that stay at min wage may not be material for a greater wage. For whatever reasons. There's also the turnstile of turnover in some jobs where the employer either doesn't need to, or doesn't want to pay more than min wage. There's a lot of deadweight being carried by companies that don't pay attention to the efficiency for the dollar they're paying many of their employees. Since many companies just need someone to show-up dependably, they never seek excellence for many positions anyway. There are lifers in many companies that could never duplicate what they're being overpaid by employers that are fixated on that worker showing up, rather than by the cost that overpaid employee is costing them. Ppl are a dime a dozen to fill most any position in America. It's an employer's market in most of America anyway. I find that many companies look the other way rather than to get rid of the overpaid 'lifer' employee, that is costing their company dearly to keep.

INSIDIOUS · #48 07-16-2014, 11:20 PM

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Originally Posted by Botnst

Especially in the SEISU.

What?

t walgamuth · #49 07-17-2014, 06:46 AM

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Originally Posted by MTI

I don't have the numbers, but I would dispute the opinion that most people don't want to work hard, probably because most people that I've encountered over my current lifespan do work hard. Most people that "flip burgers" (btw are there that many burger places where the patties are actually flipped by a person?) don't want to make that a career, but those that do stick it out in the food service industry do work hard.

I agree completely. Working in food service is hard work. I could definitely not be a competent waiter nor a cook. I could probably buss tables but you know that is hard work too.