$10 an hour
 

In another thread I just read that Ford is hiring people at $10 an hour for jobs that previously paid $25 an hour.

It made me wonder how people live who earned $10 an hour. They not only can't take care of a family on this but can't even take care of themselves.

This would leave them with about $1350 a month after tax. Health insurance alone would cobble up 80% of this.

My question is, what is a fair living wage?

and who here is against a fair living wage?

Even in the auto industry, new hires are brought in at lower wages until they pass "probation". "Two Tier" wage scales are nothing new, even in the unionized plants.

However, you're right, that is low for them. I applied at the GM plant back home in Ohio in the mid '90s and the starting wage then was $11/hour. Last I heard it is now somewhere around $14/hour.

Dave

That's what happens when the 99%ers get to share a measley 7% of the yearly revenue.

$10/hr is student wages. It's not that far off from what I make. I can squeak by as a single STUDENT.

If I had a family to feed, man. That just wouldn't work.

I know I recently posted that Ford, following GMs contract lead, is raising entry level pay form $15 something to $19? something. Plus their still excellent benifits.

$10/hr is still a pretty typical no experience/non-skilled factory/warehouse entry level pay though.

Pete

Yeah, I don't know what tainted source that came from. I know people who work at GM.....

NO ONE starts at $19/hour with full benefits------Never has.

Dave

I know one can't support oneself or family on ten bucks an hour ( I've tried during hard times!) but, for some of our unemployed, that would be better than nothing.
I have an adult son living at home who has been out of work way too long. He'd take anything just to have a job to go to.

What is a living wage in your opinion?

This varies from area to area I know but what do you think it would be.

I know health insurance alone for my daughter and I was over a grad a month a few years ago when I could still pay it. Add to take rent around these parts is at least $800 for the bottom end rat infested one bedrooms.

So before food and car electric and heat you are looking at 2 grand a month after tax.

I'd say you need a grand a week to take care of yourself and a kid living very very small.

So say $25 an hour is a living wage. ?????

As I see it, a "living wage" would start at the point where one goes from merely being able to pay bills and buy groceries to having "disposable income". Around here, that would be slightly lower than where you are. A rat trap apartment around here is about $600-$700 a month. Decent apartments start around $900 a month.

So, for a single parent with one child to acheive "disposable income"------I know women who've managed it on about $18/an hour. ($36-38,000/ year.) Less than that and you have to have "roomies". I date a woman who worked in day care and only made $9 an hour. She had two roomies in a one bedroom apartment. She slept on the couch. Really, she spent most of her nights at my house.:D

Dave

While some might say that the lowest workers in our society shouldn't be given the luxury of 'disposable income', the stimulation effect on our economy would be..... awesome!