[im_noahselby]

I'm curious to hear from others, your thoughts on minimum wage where you live. Do you think it should be higher or is it fair? Do you feel that the minimum wage rate where you live has kept up with inflation?

Where I live in BC, our minimum wage rate is $8.00 Cdn. I wouldn't be surprised if it hit $9.00 soon due to inflation.

New York's minimum wage is $5.15 and I find this to be the biggest shocker, considering how expensive it is to live in that city.

A few rates that surprised me were:

-San Fransisco: $8.50
-New York: $5.15
-Alaska: $7.15
-Kansas: $2.65
-US states that don't have a minimum wage law

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm#

Noah

[Krusty]

Originally posted by im_noahselby:

-US states that don't have a minimum wage law

Noah

US states that don't have a minimum wage law means "for work not covered under the Fair Labor Standard Act" -- not all work. No state can set a wage rate less than the Federally mandated minimum wage for work that falls under FSLA (which is most normal employment as we know it).

The example of Kanas is for non-FSLA work (like waitressing or other tip-heavy jobs). States that have no law simply follow the Federal guidelines without alteration.

I live in a state with "no minimum wage law", yet every place I've worked has the Federal FSLA poster somewhere in the building stating the Federal minimum wage requirements. In other words, no US state can undercut the Federal minimum wage.

[edit] note the line at the top of the page you linked
Note: Where Federal and state law have different minimum wage rates, the higher standard applies.
[/edit]

[Athens]

Originally posted by im_noahselby:
I'm curious to hear from others, your thoughts on minimum wage where you live. Do you think it should be higher or is it fair? Do you feel that the minimum wage rate where you live has kept up with inflation?

Where I live in BC, our minimum wage rate is $8.00 Cdn. I wouldn't be surprised if it hit $9.00 soon due to inflation.

New York's minimum wage is $5.15 and I find this to be the biggest shocker, considering how expensive it is to live in that city.

A few rates that surprised me were:

-San Fransisco: $8.50
-New York: $5.15
-Alaska: $7.15
-Kansas: $2.65
-US states that don't have a minimum wage law

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm#

Noah

New York City is expensive but the entire state as a hole prob isnt expensive. Can't expect a entire state to make its min wage high just for one of its cities. Thats prob why he state is only $5.15. California should be the highest, overal that is the most costly state.

[Athens]

Washington and BC are so much alike, both have the highest Min wages, Washingon having 7.16 making theres the highest in the US.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by Athens:
New York City is expensive but the entire state as a hole prob isnt expensive. Can't expect a entire state to make its min wage high just for one of its cities. Thats prob why he state is only $5.15. California should be the highest, overal that is the most costly state.

That's a good point. It is entirely possible that NYC has its own minimum-wage law. Admittedly, though, I don't know whether or not it does.

[im_noahselby]

Originally posted by Millennium:
That's a good point. It is entirely possible that NYC has its own minimum-wage law. Admittedly, though, I don't know whether or not it does.

Does anyone here know if NYC has its own minimum-wage law?

No one seems to have answered my question:
Do you feel that the minimum wage rate where you live has kept up with inflation?

Noah

[qualey2]

I live in upstate NY, I have no idea what the min wage is here, so there for I cant say if it fair or not. I have not worked for less than $12.00 since I was about 17 years old.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by im_noahselby:
No one seems to have answered my question:
Do you feel that the minimum wage rate where you live has kept up with inflation?

More important than that is if the minimum wage is indexed properly to account for the cost of living in that area. Its great if the set wage keeps up with inflation but if it lagged behind in its regionally indexed purchasing ability then it makes little difference.

[tooki]

Working 40hrs/wk, assuming you never take a day off or vacation, $5.15/hr is not enough to live anywhere in the U.S. at even a minimal quality of life. I think this country's minimum wage is a disgrace.

According to the Dept of Health and Human Services, the poverty line for a household of 1 in 2003 was defined at about $9000. $5.15/hr is only $1700 more than that.

Around here (Baltimore-Washington D.C. area), there's no way a person could live on that little. Heck, I (thanks to being a young man) pay 1/4 the poverty threshold in car insurance alone. Here, you can barely rent an apartment for less than about $600/mo, which is 80% of the poverty-line income, and that's not including utilities. (Remember that one is not supposed to spend more than 30% of income on housing, so people living at twice the poverty line here will have difficulty finding housing, since nobody will rent to you or give you a mortgage.)

Around here, If it were up to me, I'd set minimum wage at $12/h.

It's a disgrace that so many people living in the wealthiest nation in the world are working so much for so little.

tooki

[d4nth3m4n]

trust me on this: there is NOWHERE in ny state where $5.15 is a liveable wage. nowhere.

and i think kansas is so low because of the farming there and the assorted other benefits those jobs have- plots of land to compensate for low wages, produce to take home...

[Anders]

We don´t have a minimum wage here!

But we have a effective minimum wage of $15. Noone works for less. Some kinds of manual work requiring none education is actually paid really much and more than some office jobs. A couple of years ago I worked for Coca Cola sorting soda plastic bottles before they were washed. It was dirty and it was between 2 pm and 10 pm. But it paid $25/h.

About inflation: Yes it keeps up.

[Mac Write]

I am also in B.C., and the min wage has been stuck at $8 since the last century! In fact not only that but Gorden Cambel (Premier of the province) lowered it to $6/hr and called it a training wage! This only applies to the first 500 hours of work and is geared towards the teenager. Good news though, is on the news a week or so ago I heard hardly any employer uses it, since it's so much paperwork.

As for me, I am on permanent disability. I get a whopping $786.42/month hasn't gone up in 7 years (since I was 19 and applied for it). Looking at seeing if I can survive a full time job, I did the math and I would only break even at min wage of what I am getting now! So why work 160 hours/month and get no where finically? The minimun wage in B.C. needs to be raised to $10/hr in-fact $12/hr should be the min wage, and that is Canadian AKA $8 CDN is only $6 US.

I am just concentrating on my websites to get the $400 Net income I am allowed to earn above my disability. Of course I get no income from my website since the money goes to paying writers Hopefully once Apple Ads is launched that will generate more income hopefully...

[SamuraiDL]

its 7.10 an hour in ct. which is not as bad as other places, however if you are a waiter or waitress, then you only get like 3 or 4 dollars an hour.

[Kenneth]

Originally posted by Athens:
Washington and BC are so much alike, both have the highest Min wages, Washingon having 7.16 making theres the highest in the US.

I just realized that after reading that website.

Originally posted by im_noahselby:
Kansas: $2.65

So If I am working in Kansas, I need to work at least 2hrs to get me a cup of joe.

[TETENAL]

The minimum wage in Germany has now been lowered to 1 €.

[effgee]

Originally posted by tooki:
It's a disgrace that so many people living in the wealthiest nation in the world are working so much for so little.

Most certainly is. Come to think of it - maybe those two might be connected in one way or another?

[effgee]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
The minimum wage in Germany has now been lowered to 1 €.

Assuming that some of our friends abroad (= outside of Germany) might not have kept up with the latest developments in legislation, you might want to elaborate on that just a tiny bit - if only because your statement sitting there all by itself isn't really correct.

Äbbelwoi for everybody!!

[TETENAL]

Originally posted by effgee:
your statement sitting there all by itself isn't really correct.

Not quite correct? Oh man. And I thought I could finally afford my own butler like Niles in The Nanny. I always dreamed of that.

[dtriska]

$5.90/hour in Alberta.

It hasn't changed in five years, so, no, it doesn't keep up with inflation. It's also probably not enough to live in this province, considering the growth of the economy.

Is it fair? I don't know. I haven't done the math.

I did learn one interesting tidbit from university about why minimum wages should be kept low: employment substitution. Basically, minimum wages are meant to protect employees who are either just starting out (teenagers, students, etc.) or have little to no education/skills/etc. The theory is that if employers have to pay more in wages, they'll inevitably substitute existing employees for higher-skilled ones. This is supposedly why you see so many senior citizens working at fast food places. So, in effect, high minimum wages can actually hurt the people they are intended to help.

Whether the theory works on a large scale across industries, I don't know. It was more of a sidenote in the class.

[Athens]

Basically there are alot of factors to think about when it comes to if its fare or not.

Cost of living as a whole is important. Answer to the question, do I think the min wage here is fare, yes but barly.

For some one living in Vancouver the average price for apartments is $600.00 a month for a one bedroom. Power is about $20.00 a month or less depending on if heat is included and alot of apartments it is. Monthly transit pass is about $67.00 for a single zone. Medical is 100% free for that income bracket. But for some one making only 8.00 a hour they can get a one bedroom secondary suit (basement suits that arnt really basement suits) can be as cheap as $400.00 a month with power, cable included. When you factor that in 8.00 a hour becomes livable. Some one making 8.00 a hour cant expect to be living in the nicest block, in the nicest house. They have to work there way through life for better incomes for a better life. As long as the basics are meet I think its fare. And another thing is ppl dont seem to take into account min wage is the starting wage, it will go up over time, at least here its law that there is a increase every year. Besides the min wage ppl also should look at the benifits as well, BC has laws that require vacation time, overtime pay, dispute resolutions, worker standards so you might be making say 10.00 a hour somewhere but not be intitled to OT, or vacation time, which makes it about the same as a 8.00 hour job and such.

[im_noahselby]

Originally posted by Athens:
Basically there are alot of factors to think about when it comes to if its fare or not.

Cost of living as a whole is important. Answer to the question, do I think the min wage here is fare, yes but barly.

For some one living in Vancouver the average price for apartments is $600.00 a month for a one bedroom.

You cannont find a decent apartment in Vancouver for $600 a month. No chance in hell. Maybe $800 or $900 and continually rising... Neihboring cities will undoubtedly be cheaper.

It has been said that housing prices in Vancouver and condo prices will one day soon rival New York. And I've heard Sanfransisco isn't cheap either!

Noah

[im_noahselby]

Originally posted by Athens:
Some one making 8.00 a hour cant expect to be living in the nicest block, in the nicest house.

I disagree completely. Obiously you have lower standards of living. To say you will be living on the nicest blocks in the nicest house making only $8.00 an hour is ludicrous!

Let me do a breakdown for you:

800/month for a clean bug free older one bedroom apartment
250/month for food (bare minimum!)

Oh no!!! That pretty much eats up the minimum wage income, doesn't it?

Originally posted by Athens:
They have to work there way through life for better incomes for a better life. As long as the basics are meet I think its fare. And another thing is ppl dont seem to take into account min wage is the starting wage, it will go up over time, at least here its law that there is a increase every year.

Minimum wage incomes do not rise on a yearly basis for most people. That's why no one ever stays at one for very long. You cannot expect to build a better life for yourself by working at one. Only if you are lucky, you may have a shot at a managerial position, but it would be stupid for someone to waste their life working at a dead end job, just for this chance.

If you really want to build a future for yourself, go to college or university as soon as possible and get the skills others don't have.

[PurpleGiant]

Originally posted by im_noahselby:
I disagree completely. Obiously you have lower standards of living. To say you will be living on the nicest blocks in the nicest house making only $8.00 an hour is ludicrous!.

Uh, he actually said you won't be living on the nicest block.

[Athens]

Originally posted by im_noahselby:
You cannont find a decent apartment in Vancouver for $600 a month. No chance in hell. Maybe $800 or $900 and continually rising... Neihboring cities will undoubtedly be cheaper.

It has been said that housing prices in Vancouver and condo prices will one day soon rival New York. And I've heard Sanfransisco isn't cheap either!

Noah

Small Sample, and my bosses place is 500 and its really nice, and hes only 15 minutes from downtown. No idea where you have been looking.

Van Westside (10/07/04)
2924 W 41st. Kerrisdale. 1 or 2 br, shrd w/d, near UBC. Avail now. NS. $550. 604-821-0287
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/09/04)
BROADWAY & Rupert. 1 BR bsmt suite. $500 incl hydro. N/P. Available Oct 15. 604-252-9799
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/08/04)
1BR bsmt ste nr Main St/51 Ave. Langara & shops, $575 incl utils, n/s n/p 604-761-2717
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/04/04)
FULLY RENO'D 1BR APTS Views, New carpet. $595, avail Imed. includes prkg. 215-1799 / 253-0441
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/04/04)
QUIET clean 1BR, nr PNE, h/w flrs. $555 & up, n/s, n/p. Immed or Nov 1. 604-671-0811/294-8898
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/01/04)
Templeton & Dundas 1BR $595 share w/d, prkg, N/p, 1yr lease, Imed 604-732-1218
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

NEW AD - Van Eastside (10/10/04)
Victoria/41st. 1BR $590. Above shop. Ref's, Lease, NS. Cat OK. 604-298-5578
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

West End/Downtown (10/01/04)
1644 NELSON ST. HI-RISE Beautiful view, clean, quiet, well-managed. BACH & 1 BR avail, incl ht & hw, sauna, jacuzzi, Seniors Discount $25.00 604-688-6810 8 am to 4 pm weekdays, weekends by appt.
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

[Nicko]

Originally posted by Athens:
Small Sample, and my bosses place is 500 and its really nice, and hes only 15 minutes from downtown. No idea where you have been looking.

Van Westside (10/07/04)
2924 W 41st. Kerrisdale. 1 or 2 br, shrd w/d, near UBC. Avail now. NS. $550. 604-821-0287
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/09/04)
BROADWAY & Rupert. 1 BR bsmt suite. $500 incl hydro. N/P. Available Oct 15. 604-252-9799
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/08/04)
1BR bsmt ste nr Main St/51 Ave. Langara & shops, $575 incl utils, n/s n/p 604-761-2717
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/04/04)
FULLY RENO'D 1BR APTS Views, New carpet. $595, avail Imed. includes prkg. 215-1799 / 253-0441
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/04/04)
QUIET clean 1BR, nr PNE, h/w flrs. $555 & up, n/s, n/p. Immed or Nov 1. 604-671-0811/294-8898
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/01/04)
Templeton & Dundas 1BR $595 share w/d, prkg, N/p, 1yr lease, Imed 604-732-1218
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

NEW AD - Van Eastside (10/10/04)
Victoria/41st. 1BR $590. Above shop. Ref's, Lease, NS. Cat OK. 604-298-5578
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

West End/Downtown (10/01/04)
1644 NELSON ST. HI-RISE Beautiful view, clean, quiet, well-managed. BACH & 1 BR avail, incl ht & hw, sauna, jacuzzi, Seniors Discount $25.00 604-688-6810 8 am to 4 pm weekdays, weekends by appt.
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

You call those decent?

[Athens]

Originally posted by im_noahselby:
I disagree completely. Obiously you have lower standards of living. To say you will be living on the nicest blocks in the nicest house making only $8.00 an hour is ludicrous!

Let me do a breakdown for you:

800/month for a clean bug free older one bedroom apartment
250/month for food (bare minimum!)

Oh no!!! That pretty much eats up the minimum wage income, doesn't it?



Minimum wage incomes do not rise on a yearly basis for most people. That's why no one ever stays at one for very long. You cannot expect to build a better life for yourself by working at one. Only if you are lucky, you may have a shot at a managerial position, but it would be stupid for someone to waste their life working at a dead end job, just for this chance.

If you really want to build a future for yourself, go to college or university as soon as possible and get the skills others don't have.

Click here if you have more questions on how the system works
http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/facshts/library.htm

The full act is here
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/E/96113_01.htm

And here is the Federal Laws

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/L-2/index.html which contains the laws about pay increases, but unlike the other sites the Federal laws are insane with complications and anything is hard to find in there.

[Athens]

Originally posted by Nicko:
You call those decent?

Ya I call 90% of the places in the West End decent....

[image]
http://apartmentguide.ca/vancouver_g...estEnd_jpg.jpg
[/image]

[MaxPower2k3]

Originally posted by tooki:
Working 40hrs/wk, assuming you never take a day off or vacation, $5.15/hr is not enough to live anywhere in the U.S. at even a minimal quality of life. I think this country's minimum wage is a disgrace.

I completely agree. I'd say minimum wage right now is the minimum that a teenager should earn at their first job (I started out making $5.15 at my first job a few years ago). ~$10,000 a year is nowhere near enough to live anywhere, unless your parents give you a house, you don't own a car, and you get health insurance through work (unlikely if they're paying you $5.15 an hour). Considering the smallest apartment in NYC would set you back far more than your total income from a minimum wage job, it's appalling that it's still accepted.


Someone asked a few posts up, and I don't remember if anyone answered, but no, NYC does not have its own minimum wage.

[The Godfather]

I thought that places that hire you at minimum wage (like Walmart and MacDonalds) will give you a decent raise if you are loyal to them for 6 months (by being early every day, being clean and having work ethic), and more raises 6 months after that.

If it is like that, the only people who get paid minimum wage are those who can't stick with a job for long.

And I heard that macDonalds will even pay for your university if you go.

[MilkmanDan]

Only 5.15 in South Dakota when I was living there. Sucked majorly. Thank goodness I found a better job.

[d.fine]

Does anyone ever feel like he/she earns enough ?

[Athens]

the fact is its a 2 income society, min wage sucks for singles, is good for ppl that live at home or ppl in a relationship or have roomates. Living on min wage isnt impossible, its just not ideal. Nothing stops a person from living in a secondary suit, nothing stops a person from having 2 jobs, nothing stops a person from living with roommates to make it. For a person who wants a nice place, to live on there own they will need a nicer job. Min wage is about providing the min for a person to live acceptable.


BC's min wage $8.00 hour, 40 hours a week makes $1280.00 before taxes, about $980.00 after taxes. BC's min wage is acceptable

Single Person who has to commute to work living on there own in an apartment
Rent: 500.00
Power: 30.00
Unlimited Cell: 50.00
Bus Pass: 67.00
Food: 200.00
Medical: Free

Total: $847.00

Single Person who lives in a secondary suit (basement suit)
Rent: 450.00
Power: Included
Unlimited Cell: 50.00
Bus Pass: 67.00
Food: 200.00
Medical: Free

Total: $767.00

Single Person who lives with a roommate sharing rent (650.00 for 2 bedroom)
Rent: 325.00e
Power: 20.00e
Unlimited Cell: 50.00
Bus Pass: 67.00
Food: 180.00
Medical: Free

Total: $642.00

But the best one, a couple both with min wage in a single apartment, nicer one though.
Rent: 800.00
Power: 40.00
Unlimited Cell: 100.00
Bus Passes: 134.00
Food: 350.00
Medial: Free

Total: $1424.00 (Combined income $1960.00 after taxes)

Or couple both with min wage in a single apartment, nicer one though and a car.
Rent: 800.00
Power: 40.00
Unlimited Cell: 100.00
Auto Insurance: $220.00
Fuel: $150.00
Food: 350.00
Medial: Free

Total: $1660.00 (Combined income $1960.00 after taxes)

5.15 a hour is 824.00 a month before taxes, how much is gets taking off with taxes in the US?

So my answer is 8.00 for a MIN for BC Resedents is acceptable, btw these living costs are based on living in Vancouver City itself, not the burbs and Vancouver is one of the most expensive places in Canada to live. Burbs a bit cheaper, other cities like Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops are cheaper.

[im_noahselby]

Originally posted by Athens:
Small Sample, and my bosses place is 500 and its really nice, and hes only 15 minutes from downtown. No idea where you have been looking.

Van Westside (10/07/04)
2924 W 41st. Kerrisdale. 1 or 2 br, shrd w/d, near UBC. Avail now. NS. $550. 604-821-0287
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/09/04)
BROADWAY & Rupert. 1 BR bsmt suite. $500 incl hydro. N/P. Available Oct 15. 604-252-9799
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/08/04)
1BR bsmt ste nr Main St/51 Ave. Langara & shops, $575 incl utils, n/s n/p 604-761-2717
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/04/04)
FULLY RENO'D 1BR APTS Views, New carpet. $595, avail Imed. includes prkg. 215-1799 / 253-0441
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/04/04)
QUIET clean 1BR, nr PNE, h/w flrs. $555 & up, n/s, n/p. Immed or Nov 1. 604-671-0811/294-8898
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Van Eastside (10/01/04)
Templeton & Dundas 1BR $595 share w/d, prkg, N/p, 1yr lease, Imed 604-732-1218
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

NEW AD - Van Eastside (10/10/04)
Victoria/41st. 1BR $590. Above shop. Ref's, Lease, NS. Cat OK. 604-298-5578
Vancouver Sun / The Province, Area Code 604
Mail this ad to a friend

Notice that almost all the places you've found are from the East End of Vancouver? Anyone who know's Vancover knows what the East End is like. For someone with experience in looking at places, very rarely are the cheapest places a "deal". The picture Athens supplied is from one of the more posh areas of Vancouver, certainly not where you could find anything remotely close to the prices you've supplied.

I'd be very interested in hearing from others who have or currently live in Vancouver.

http://www.sourceenterprises.bc.ca/images/beach2.JPG (link supplied by Athens)

Some pics for others who are interested in Vancouver
http://gallery.colofinder.net/albums...ch2003_418.jpg
http://www.pierluigisurace.it/imager...lano_Beach.jpg

http://www.pierluigisurace.it/imager...horeline_1.jpg
http://www.seestanleypark.com/dtover...lgdtovair8.JPG
http://www.zoltech.net/img/vcrbig.jpg

Sanfransisco of the North? : http://www.djc.com/news/co/11149498.html

Noah

[Athens]

East End and East Side are different areas, yes the East End is terrible, I work there, Kerrisdale is a nice area, 51st is a decent area, Nelson street in the west end is a great area. To be blunt I don't think you know Vancouver very well at all.