Part time poverty

[Old Man Jingles]

I am retired.
I have zero respect for millennials that are lazy and want a 15 dollar minimum wage.

I'm sure they can live without your respect if they get $15/hr.

 

[Old Man Jingles]

i took a finance course on google. i'm pretty sure minimum wage is supposed to be livable according to local economies, hence why there's not a national min. wage, but state-state min. wage

Nobody's going to like you ... you're too damn smart!

 

[zubenelgenubi]

you support moving thousands of pounds of products for 4-5 hours everyday for $10/hr?... lol

The way UPS sees it, a lot of people pay for the privelege to lift weights like that. How much do you want to pay for your UPS gym membership? They have plenty of part time sups... er, personal trainers to keep you motivated.

 

[DriveInDriѵeOut]

Businesses have to actively combat inflation to keep costs down for customers. When labor, or any other, costs go up, businesses may elect to let it hit the bottom line, but most don't. They will respond by cutting jobs, reducing higher pay for skilled positions, raising prices, then will look to increase efficiency in other ways. And usually in that order.

It's theoretical simply by virtue of the sheer number of factors involved. It's impossible to determine how much any one factor will affect inflation, or how long it will take for the effects to be felt. If you fend off inflation at the expense of increased unemployment, the buying power of the working class in general has still gone down. If workers have to work longer hours to get the same pay, it reduces their upward mobility because they have less time to be out looking for a better paying job, or take classes to increase their skill level.

Ok....
Thing is, that's a discussion of macro economics. UPS is one employer. I don't really care what the bottom of the barrel, pee on your porch dregs at fed ex or Amazon pay.

Bottom line is, this union shop can afford to pay a living wage and remain profitable. They can, and they should. End of story.

 

[Nimnim]

Minimum wage doesn't cover the rent anywhere in the U.S.

It's not suppose to !!!!!!

I can agree, except for the fact the article specifically mentioned full time jobs at minimum wage. Sure a single part time job at minimum wage wouldn't be a surprise not to be enough, but a full time job at minimum wage should be enough in non high cost highly urban areas to at least feasibly cover housing.

 

[Hannah-banana]

The real answer to this is even more bleak. If you spend all of your waking hours working, you have no prospects for a better paying job/reducing living expenses in the foreseeable future, and you still can't make ends meet; the only reasonable and logical response is to stop working all together. If everyone in your position did this, employers would have no choice but to raise wages. It is because people are willing to work under these conditions that the conditions continue. We are indoctrinated into having a "good work ethic", which isn't a bad thing until it goes too far. Working so hard that it starts to go against your own best interest is a step too far and good work ethic becomes problematic.

YES exactly! But the only way for that to be effective is by mass organization. One person refusing to work just becomes a bum.

People had to figure this out to form the first unions. Hopefully we can do it again.

 

[Hannah-banana]

Not suppose to

The purpose of the minimum wage was to stabilize the post-depression economy and protect the workers in the labor force. The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees.

Roosevelt intended this rate to be “more than a bare subsistence level.” The minimum wage was created expressly to ensure that people of all skill-levels, if they worked, could “earn a decent living” off those wages—thus, a living wage.

 

[Hannah-banana]

I can agree, except for the fact the article specifically mentioned full time jobs at minimum wage. Sure a single part time job at minimum wage wouldn't be a surprise not to be enough, but a full time job at minimum wage should be enough in non high cost highly urban areas to at least feasibly cover housing.

It doesn't . And most employers only offer part time at the moment. So a huge amount of people are patching together multiple part time minimum wage jobs.

 

[Hannah-banana]

The purpose of the minimum wage was to stabilize the post-depression economy and protect the workers in the labor force. The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees.

Roosevelt intended this rate to be “more than a bare subsistence level.” The minimum wage was created expressly to ensure that people of all skill-levels, if they worked, could “earn a decent living” off those wages—thus, a living wage.

Doesn't even cover bare subsistence anymore.

 

[Hannah-banana]

I intend to go to community college or trade school to improve my prospects as soon as possible. I am working on the tuition assistance through UPS. Because duh, I barely have food and housing so I can't afford any tuition. Also, my wages are too low to get any loans. And my parents can't pay for it either.

Doing the best I can.

 

[Hannah-banana]

Maybe I should clarify again, that i don't expect minimum wage to go up so high that I could get by with one part time, minimum wage job. Lol.

It would be nice if I could be just ok with two. Maybe even have 1 FT! That would be great! It's the dangling at the edge of homelessness with 3 jobs that I don't think is fair, and something needs to change.

 

[Edd O'Rion]

I would say work PT at UPS if you’re a student and want spending money. It’s good if you have a FT job, and work PT at UPS for the bennies and extra money. Lastly, if you want to someday make @$100,000 as a driver, just keep paying your dues as a PT, and hope something breaks. The economy is doing great in many places, and there is a labor shortage. There could also be a rash of drivers retiring after the 2018 contract kicks in.

 

[PT Car Washer]

It’s a full time job and they’ve got years worth of pay raises under their belt. They put their time on and moved up in seniority.

The pay rate has nothing to do with seniority.

 

[Hannah-banana]

I would say work PT at UPS if you’re a student and want spending money. It’s good if you have a FT job, and work PT at UPS for the bennies and extra money. Lastly, if you want to someday make @$100,000 as a driver, just keep paying your dues as a PT, and hope something breaks. The economy is doing great in many places, and there is a labor shortage. There could also be a rash of drivers retiring after the 2018 contract kicks in.

I know you mean well, and your advice should be the way it works. But this is where the interesting gap in understanding happens.

There is no "working for a little extra spending money" in my reality. I earn every penny I can scrounge up for survival.

How does a student do that? Who is paying for their rent food and gas? Car insurance etc?

Also I haven't been able to find any full time job, only multiple part time jobs at minimum wage.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

I would say work PT at UPS if you’re a student and want spending money. It’s good if you have a FT job, and work PT at UPS for the bennies and extra money. Lastly, if you want to someday make @$100,000 as a driver, just keep paying your dues as a PT, and hope something breaks. The economy is doing great in many places, and there is a labor shortage. There could also be a rash of drivers retiring after the 2018 contract kicks in.

Edd gets it !!!!

Part time minimum wage jobs are meant for high school kids, college students between classes, and supplemental income for adults.
They are not meant to live off of on its own. They are reserved for unskilled positions that anyone can do.

The problem that has arose is an influx of adults who CHOSE not to go to college or learn a trade and now can't keep up with the times.
Some has arose from pure laziness while others have come about from life situations (raising children,spouse dependency,work skill that has become obsolete)

UPS has taken a page from McDonalds and Walmart.
McDonalds has turned to building order kiosks that has eliminated part time jobs.
Walmart has increased use of the self checkout lines to eliminate part time jobs.
UPS is building automated centers around the country to try and cut their part time force in half.

The minimum wage will increase but the jobs won't !!!!!

 

[HEFFERNAN]

I know you mean well, and your advice should be the way it works. But this is where the interesting gap in understanding happens.

There is no "working for a little extra spending money" in my reality. I earn every penny I can scrounge up for survival.

How does a student do that? Who is paying for their rent food and gas? Car insurance etc?

Also I haven't been able to find any full time job, only multiple part time jobs at minimum wage.

If you don't have a skill that can translate to a high paying job in your area, YOU need to make the change.
Bitching about it on the internet isn't the answer. Maybe you AND your dependants need to move to another area.

 

[Hannah-banana]

If you don't have a skill that can translate to a high paying job in your area, YOU need to make the change.
Bitching about it on the internet isn't the answer. Maybe you AND your dependants need to move to another area.

Actually, I didn't CHOOSE to not go to college. I am from a poor family who couldn't afford it. It requires loans. Loans require a stable high enough wage as proof that the loan will be repaid.

I work 3 jobs. One of them offers tuition assistance. I do believe I'm doing something about it.

Call it bitching if you want. I'll call it an interesting conversation.

 

[Maple Grove MN Driver]

The purpose of the minimum wage was to stabilize the post-depression economy and protect the workers in the labor force. The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees.

Roosevelt intended this rate to be “more than a bare subsistence level.” The minimum wage was created expressly to ensure that people of all skill-levels, if they worked, could “earn a decent living” off those wages—thus, a living wage.

Roosevelt was a Crippled Pinko Commie

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Actually, I didn't CHOOSE to not go to college. I am from a poor family who couldn't afford it. It requires loans. Loans require a stable high enough wage as proof that the loan will be repaid.

I work 3 jobs. One of them offers tuition assistance. I do believe I'm doing something about it.

Call it bitching if you want. I'll call it an interesting conversation.

In many places UPS offers tuition assistance

 

[Hannah-banana]

If you don't have a skill that can translate to a high paying job in your area, YOU need to make the change.
Bitching about it on the internet isn't the answer. Maybe you AND your dependants need to move to another area.

Also, moving requires quite a bit of money. I've lived in many different places doing seasonal work. The situation is the same everywhere that I have been.