US min wage (1 Viewer)

[erawamai]

The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $5.15 an hour. The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Many states also have minimum wage laws. Where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to higher of the two minimum wages.

Various minimum wage exceptions apply under specific circumstances to workers with disabilities, full-time students, youth under age 20 in their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment, tipped employees and student-learners.

$5.15!!!!! Now, i'm no commerce student, but thats approximately AU$6.70! and thats the adult minimum wage? This minimum standard hasnt changed for the past 10 years! In also found some statistics for the average price of rent, and depending on which state you reside in, the average monthly rent (in 2003) ranged from around $900 to $1200 which means that on an adult minimum wage you would need to work at least 44 hours per week just to make rent!

Of course there was a substantial list of people who were statutorily exempt from the Federal FLSA, this means that they can only rely on the minimum wage levels set by their respective state jurisdictions. To see the minimum wage levels as it applies to each state see http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

Highest state minimum wage:

Washington Minimum Wage Rates
WASHINGTON
Future
Effective
Date Basic
Minimum Rate
(per hour) Premium Pay After
Designated Hours 2
Daily Weekly
$7.35 (AU$9.55) 40

Premium pay not applicable to employees who request compensating time off in lieu of premium pay.

Beginning January 1, 2001, and annually thereafter, the rate will be adjusted for inflation by a calculation using the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers for the prior year.

Lowest:

Kansas Minimum Wage Rates
KANSAS
Future
Effective
Date Basic
Minimum Rate
(per hour) Premium Pay After
Designated Hours 2
Daily Weekly
$2.65 (AU$3.45) 46

The State law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennesse dont even have a minimum wage standard. But what I found most interesting was Ohio and Oklahoma.

OHIO
Future
Effective
Date Basic
Minimum Rate
(per hour) Premium Pay After
Designated Hours 2
Daily Weekly
State Law $4.25 40
Except, employers with gross annual sales from $150,000 to $500,000 $3.35
Except for employers with gross annual sales under $150,000 $2.80

OKLAHOMA
Future
Effective
Date Basic
Minimum Rate
(per hour) Premium Pay After
Designated Hours 2
Daily Weekly
Employers of ten or more full time employees at any one location and employers with annual gross sales over $100,000 irrespective of number of full time employees. $5.15
All other employers. $2.00

The Oklahoma state minimum wage law does not contain current dollar minimums. Instead the state adopts the Federal minimum wage rate by reference.

Taken from a friends blog.

 

[Wolfowitz]

Good blog.

 

[gerhard]

if you work in a restaurant/job where there are tips then business's can pay you below minimum wage, usually 2/3 dollars per hour, and the rest of your pay comes from tips

 

[iamsickofyear12]

On top of that you can't be a bludger over there and have the government support you like you can here.

 

[Ilija]

^^ Agreed, though, we should reduce the dole but keep our wages.

 

[erawamai]

On top of that you can't be a bludger over there and have the government support you like you can here.

You mean you think you would be skilled enough to not be on the minimum wage?

 

[loquasagacious]

I think he means that as an extra sucky measure stateside there is no real welfare system to help support the 'working poor' such as we have here...

 

[Enlightened_One]

Whoever uses the American economy as a marker for the Australian economy to aspire to would do well to take notice of this fact.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

You mean you think you would be skilled enough to not be on the minimum wage?

For one particular job that I currently do yes. Otherwise no.

I think he means that as an extra sucky measure stateside there is no real welfare system to help support the 'working poor' such as we have here...

That is what I meant.

 

[Rorix]

I don't understand the point of this thread...so the US minimum wages are $x/hour. So? Can someone please explain what the point of this thread is??? Was there an NCAP office poll? Are we playing Bingo? What is on Who Wants to Be a Millionare?

Whoever uses the American economy as a marker for the Australian economy to aspire to would do well to take notice of this fact.

Oh..I see...so low minimum wages are bad. Are we to also assume high minimum wages are good? Well, surely that can't be correct, for obvious reasons! Or is it just that there is some golden zone..the perfect balance of economic efficiency and living standards that we must aim for..?

But wait, why are we drawing a link between LIVING STANDARDS and MINMUM WAGE? Why, I remember a VERY RECENT report into the Australian economy which basically said that minimum wages were a very blunt instrument in fighting against poverty..in fact, 14% of minimum wage earners were in the top 20% of households (ranked by income), if I'm not mistaken!

Perhaps there is hard, not anecdotal, evidence of the US states with lower minmum wages having lower living standards over the long term..but should I have to spend my time searching for something which might not exist? Surely this is the job of the blog poster or thread starter!


And this was one of the best threads started recently too...

 

[chubbaraff]

iamsickofyear12 have you been on the dole? Hmmm.... Im gonna move on, dont wanna waste my time with the ultrarights

 

[insert-username]

14% of minimum wage earners were in the top 20% of households (ranked by income)

How is that supposed to work? If you're earning the MINIMUM wage, how can you be ranked in the top 20% by INCOME? Unless, of course, those 14% of people are the spouses of rich and successful business people, and they do a token job to keep interested.


I_F

 

[Rorix]

14% of minimum wage earners were in the top 20% of households (ranked by income)

How is that supposed to work? If you're earning the MINIMUM wage, how can you be ranked in the top 20% by INCOME? Unless, of course, those 14% of people are the spouses of rich and successful business people, and they do a token job to keep interested.


I_F

Doesn't make sense...it's just a statistic that I made up man...why'd you have to call me out like that....

Kids of high income earners probably.

Here, I'll google up the report just for you man..

An Australian article on the report..: http://theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17367504%5E601,00.html

WORKERS on low incomes do not necessarily live in poverty, according to the findings of a national study that challenges the link between wages and prosperity.
------
The 3.3 million workers earning close to or less than the minimum wage of $12.30 an hour or less include a disproportionate number of young people and women, many of whom live in well-off households which may include other wage earners.----------
Less than a fifth of low-income earners are in the poorest 20 per cent of households where weekly income is $226 or less.
-------------
Dr Leigh found 14 per cent of people on low incomes live in the richest 20 per cent of households, where the average total household income is $1030 a week.
[what a tight memory i have]

 

[walrusbear]

I don't understand the point of this thread...so the US minimum wages are $x/hour. So? Can someone please explain what the point of this thread is??? Was there an NCAP office poll? Are we playing Bingo? What is on Who Wants to Be a Millionare?




Oh..I see...so low minimum wages are bad. Are we to also assume high minimum wages are good? Well, surely that can't be correct, for obvious reasons! Or is it just that there is some golden zone..the perfect balance of economic efficiency and living standards that we must aim for..?

But wait, why are we drawing a link between LIVING STANDARDS and MINMUM WAGE? Why, I remember a VERY RECENT report into the Australian economy which basically said that minimum wages were a very blunt instrument in fighting against poverty..in fact, 14% of minimum wage earners were in the top 20% of households (ranked by income), if I'm not mistaken!

Perhaps there is hard, not anecdotal, evidence of the US states with lower minmum wages having lower living standards over the long term..but should I have to spend my time searching for something which might not exist? Surely this is the job of the blog poster or thread starter!


And this was one of the best threads started recently too...

since you're so smug about it why don't you start some worthwhile threads?

 

[leetom]

But wait, why are we drawing a link between LIVING STANDARDS and MINMUM WAGE? Why, I remember a VERY RECENT report into the Australian economy which basically said that minimum wages were a very blunt instrument in fighting against poverty..in fact, 14% of minimum wage earners were in the top 20% of households (ranked by income), if I'm not mistaken!

And what of the other 84%?