Well I be!

Yeah, Chuck and Nancy have to eat their words when they said big money for the rich and crumbs for the poor. $11 is a good starting wage for unskilled retail shelf stockers.

 

We have a regional bank in this area that gave employees each a $500 bonus and raised the starting company wage to $15 / hr based on projected tax savings.

 

I understand that there are significant regional differences, but I'm not aware of anyplace where you can really live on 22k/yr in the US. And that's assuming that you're actually being given 40 hours a week, for 50 weeks a year. Never a safe assumption at most retailers. Many will stay under 40 hours a week for benefits purposes.

 

I don't see these jobs as really being for raising a family or being a career, but more for college kids, single folks, retired folks, etc. I know people do it, or try to, and I understand some have no real choice, but it is what it is--an entry level job.

 

Hand any of them change after they have punched it into register. You will quickly learn that they are incapable of doing more than working at wally world.

 

Lots of places must be cheaper than here. I’m not sure 22k would cut it here even for a young single person. Even If you could somehow, one abscessed tooth, big car repair, or a bad bout of flu is gonna ruin you.

 

Should a minimum wage worker be able to support a family, or even themselves?

 

It'd be a tight living for sure; one would think it'd be great motivation to better oneself and move on to something better. But alas, there's always that guy who complains that they're only paying him minimum wage so he's just gonna do a minimum job--without ever seeming to grasp that if he'd do the job to the best of his ability that's his ticket to something better.

 

In general I'd say no. I guess it'd be nice if they did, but that's just not how it works.