Chicago introduces living-wage

[incanada1234 0]

You are correct...but some people have a hard time finding anything and taking a job, even if it's at WalMart, to feed their families is their only option. I'm sure, of course, you being the most intelligent person around, won't have any problems finding a top notch job making lots of money and won't have anything like this to worry about.

LOL, I like your sarcasm.

When hubby and I were first married, we had no money. I couldn't work yet and he worked for peanuts. And actually, even when I finally COULD work here in Canada, I made $7.15 at Canadian Tire (at the time that was about $5.00USD). But we kept sending off our resumes and we invested in real estate. We worked our @sses off and after a few years, we were in a much better place financially. But I've been there, I've had sh!tty jobs, I know what's it like.

Edited July 27, 2006 by incanada1234

[mrc 0]

Then mom and pop stores could once again compete with them and they couldn't bully around smaller chain stores any longer.

Why would they have any employees if one could make more at Wal-Mart?

Mom and Pop better get some rest, they's gonna need it.

Because Wal-Mart isn't going to hire everyone that needs a job.

[Octa 0]

Its a good thing I guess

$10 is right now the starting wage as a teller at JPMorganChase in Chicago. does that compare to working at WalMart? wow.

[Fandango 1,439]

South Carolina is trying to raise minimun wage from $5.15... which is has been stuck at since I was a teenager to a whopping $6.00 an hour!!!! Woo Hoo... seems like a lot of nothing when compared to Chicago now doesn't it???

I don't see a problem with this at all... there is no reason a person should have to work 80 hours a week or two or three jobs just to feed his/her family. The minimum wage nationwide should be at least $10 an hour like Chicago...

I'm not telling how much I make BUT if I had to live off $10 an hour or less I would seriously consider just giving up and collecting welfare.

North Carolina is in the process to try and pass a minimum wage hike to $6.15, and as soon as it was announced, our employer (hubby and I worked for the same guy, I've since quit) was already grumbling that he can't afford it and will have to close down

More likely, he won't be able to afford his 16 weeks of vacation every year, and might have to downsize is $100,000 RV.

That's the whole issue right there....employers don't want to pay more money, they have those expensive houses and vacations to pay for. Just makes me feel so bad for them (sarcasm here).

there's lots of costs involved with running a business....and people who start and build a business from scratch should be financially rewarded. No one knows what the business man or woman had to endure to get where he/she is today...so why begrudge success? It's kinda bitter imo. It's not the gov'ts job to even the playing field by penalizing those who have achieved big money.

As incanada said....no one's forcing anyone to take a job anywhere.

The great thing about America is no one is forced to stay in a circumstance forever...there are plenty of self made people who made huge financial successes of themselves even with coming from nothing. You don't like your employer or think they are being unfair? Quit and find another job.

Oh, and there's a big difference to the cost of living in South Carolina, and Chicago!

[Artegal 1]

Why do people hate walmart:

1) They force wholesellers to keep wholesale prices down. For example the price to make a DVD or CD is way down. But the recording and movie industry increasingly want to charge more for a CD album or DVD. Walmart sets a target price of like $10 for a CD and $19 for a movie. This makes Hollywood mad because they won't make millions of dollars--but instead they will make just millions of dollars.

2) Walmart is open 24X7 in a lot of communities. Mom & Pop stores that are open 9 to 5 monday through friday hate it because the inconvience and lack of selection has forced customers to go to Walmart, where Walmart enjoys the Wholesale price advantage.

3) Walmart when possible tries to prevent unions. While unions should be allowed to form--many unions just simply price themselves out of the market. I remember how in parts of California the starting wage for a bag boy is $12 for a unionized bagger. Walmart, Kroger and other large retail and grocery chains have had to contend with unions slandering them over starting wages. Isn't $12 excessive just to put groceries in a bag? I think you will see more self-checkout and self-bagging in more retailers as wages increase and customer convience and speed and the use of debit and credit cards continues to grow.

4) Walmart won't sell CD music with explicit lyrics. ACLU and others including hollywood people have complained about this--but where is Walmart located--mostly bible-belt and other conservative regions. I have yet to see a Walmart in the inner-city, so 2 Live Crew and the F-word every other lyric ain't likely to sell anyway.

[KarenCee 3]

You are correct...but some people have a hard time finding anything and taking a job, even if it's at WalMart, to feed their families is their only option. I'm sure, of course, you being the most intelligent person around, won't have any problems finding a top notch job making lots of money and won't have anything like this to worry about.

LOL, I like your sarcasm.

When hubby and I were first married, we had no money. I couldn't work yet and he worked for peanuts. And actually, even when I finally COULD work here in Canada, I made $7.15 at Canadian Tire (at the time that was about $5.00USD). But we kept sending off our resumes and we invested in real estate. We worked our @sses off and after a few years, we were in a much better place financially. But I've been there, I've had sh!tty jobs, I know what's it like.

So do I. I work two jobs right now until Joel finds something. I've been a single mom...working my a$$ off when my ex didn't pay CS for 14 months. In this dog-eat-dog world those of us who work dam hard to take care of our families deserve a break. Eventually it will be easier for us too.

Lisa, I wasn't referring to small business, I know it must be hard to get established and actually make a go of your own business...big corporations that can easily afford to pay a decent wage is what I'm talking about. These huge corporations can afford to pay a decent wage to their employees and I seriously doubt it would make much of a dent in their pockets. Of course this is just my own humble opinion.

[Fuzzness 2]

I think this is a great idea. anything that goes against America's version of capitalism is a great idea.

[Ban Hammer 12,861]

the flip side to this is - as the payroll costs increase, less people will be hired due to the company trying to make a profit. end result - less people employed. let's see the celebrating then as the pink slips roll out.

[Garfield fan 0]

That's the whole issue right there....employers don't want to pay more money, they have those expensive houses and vacations to pay for. Just makes me feel so bad for them (sarcasm here).

there's lots of costs involved with running a business....and people who start and build a business from scratch should be financially rewarded. No one knows what the business man or woman had to endure to get where he/she is today...so why begrudge success? It's kinda bitter imo. It's not the gov'ts job to even the playing field by penalizing those who have achieved big money.

As incanada said....no one's forcing anyone to take a job anywhere.

However, I support what Chicago does, big retailers like Walmart should provide their employees with good rewards such as giving them relatively more livable income and options to have benefits. With their low payments and no benefits, those big retailers will just burden the government more because these low income people will still have to go to welfare eventhough they have jobs. So what's the point of letting them have their businesses then if the gov. still have to support their workers ?

On the other hand, I also agree that businessmen/women should be financially rewarded, they can have all the luxuries they want as long as they already did their shares to better the entire society and not only focus on themselves.

[KarenCee 3]

the flip side to this is - as the payroll costs increase, less people will be hired due to the company trying to make a profit. end result - less people employed. let's see the celebrating then as the pink slips roll out.

Still though...there has to be something done about poor wages. I do see this side of it and yet, having been in a low paying job and taking on another one just to make ends meet...I just feel something has to be done. *sigh*

[Reba 2]

The great thing about America is no one is forced to stay in a circumstance forever...there are plenty of self made people who made huge financial successes of themselves even with coming from nothing. You don't like your employer or think they are being unfair? Quit and find another job.

Oh, and there's a big difference to the cost of living in South Carolina, and Chicago!

easier said than done. I did quit matter of fact, and there are not many jobs around here. Factories keep closing, and for every one job listed, there are about 400 people applying The only jobs in my immediate area are subsistance jobs. Retail and fast food. Most people I know have 2 to 3 jobs just to pay the power bill and the rent.

Cost of living may be less in the Carolinas than in Chicago, but when you're only making minimum wage, cost of living is still pretty high.

Sure, we could move to a state that has a lower unemployment rate (NC being one of the highest in the country) or even to a different part of the state, but that takes money. We don't have any.

Its tough to get ahead when you don't even know how you're going to feed yourself next week. And the former boss I grumble about didn't get ahead by his own sweat and tears. He married money and his father in law bought him his franchise He runs off to play at the beach every other week, and comes home to grumble about faltering sales numbers. He has no clue what "real life" is like around here. People either put gas in their car to get to work, or they buy pizza. Can't do both.

[Fandango 1,439]

You are correct...but some people have a hard time finding anything and taking a job, even if it's at WalMart, to feed their families is their only option. I'm sure, of course, you being the most intelligent person around, won't have any problems finding a top notch job making lots of money and won't have anything like this to worry about.

LOL, I like your sarcasm.

When hubby and I were first married, we had no money. I couldn't work yet and he worked for peanuts. And actually, even when I finally COULD work here in Canada, I made $7.15 at Canadian Tire (at the time that was about $5.00USD). But we kept sending off our resumes and we invested in real estate. We worked our @sses off and after a few years, we were in a much better place financially. But I've been there, I've had sh!tty jobs, I know what's it like.

So do I. I work two jobs right now until Joel finds something. I've been a single mom...working my a$$ off when my ex didn't pay CS for 14 months. In this dog-eat-dog world those of us who work dam hard to take care of our families deserve a break. Eventually it will be easier for us too.

Lisa, I wasn't referring to small business, I know it must be hard to get established and actually make a go of your own business...big corporations that can easily afford to pay a decent wage is what I'm talking about. These huge corporations can afford to pay a decent wage to their employees and I seriously doubt it would make much of a dent in their pockets. Of course this is just my own humble opinion.

But Karen, there is a ripple effect that you must see. First of all, business is about making a profit. The prices are made based on that profit margin. So if costs go up, so do prices. Now you can talk all you want about how hard it is for ppl to take care of a family on a chit job...well how much harder do you think it'll be when the $ can't stretch as far at the store to feed & clothe them?

Also, how do you think that'll affect the wages at the Mom and Pop places? Why work at one of these places when you can apply at Wal-Mart and make more money

Conversely, how do you think that'll affect the number of staff at Wal-Mart?

There is a ripple effect for everything. It's not just 'oh let's just give them more they can afford it'. In business, something as small as a nickel difference has consequences....

[Fuzzness 2]

is walmart's profits that thin that they can't afford to pay their employees a reasonable salary?

[Fandango 1,439]

The great thing about America is no one is forced to stay in a circumstance forever...there are plenty of self made people who made huge financial successes of themselves even with coming from nothing. You don't like your employer or think they are being unfair? Quit and find another job.

Oh, and there's a big difference to the cost of living in South Carolina, and Chicago!

easier said than done. I did quit matter of fact, and there are not many jobs around here. Factories keep closing, and for every one job listed, there are about 400 people applying The only jobs in my immediate area are subsistance jobs. Retail and fast food. Most people I know have 2 to 3 jobs just to pay the power bill and the rent.

Cost of living may be less in the Carolinas than in Chicago, but when you're only making minimum wage, cost of living is still pretty high.

Sure, we could move to a state that has a lower unemployment rate (NC being one of the highest in the country) or even to a different part of the state, but that takes money. We don't have any.

Its tough to get ahead when you don't even know how you're going to feed yourself next week. And the former boss I grumble about didn't get ahead by his own sweat and tears. He married money and his father in law bought him his franchise He runs off to play at the beach every other week, and comes home to grumble about faltering sales numbers. He has no clue what "real life" is like around here. People either put gas in their car to get to work, or they buy pizza. Can't do both.

of course it is, no one's disputing that.

[Octa 0]

we all know how "low" WalMarts profits are