12-03-2015, 02:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by bananahead
Hawaii's Act 82 (2014 legislature) increased the state's minimum wage to $7.75 per hour beginning January 1, 2015 and to $8.50 per hour beginning January 1, 2016. Walmart workers pay will increase to $9 per hour in April 2015, and then to $10 per hour in February, 2016.
$10/hour in 2 months.... 40 hours a week... $400 gross, ca$1600 month ca$20,000+/yr is NOT starving wages...
It is starvation wages if you are trying to support a couple of kids on that, and every single Walmart employee here I have ever known had a family. Plus Walmart will not ever give employees a set schedule, until you are higher level manager, so no way to take a second job. Target hires lots of just out of school first job people, but Walmart employees probably average a good 10 years older. The reason people stay there is because if you are a 40 year old woman with a couple of kids and a high school diploma, it is one of the few places that will hire you.
As far as your math goes: take even just 25% of that total out for various taxes, especially social security, rent for a dumpy studio apartment on this side is a minimum of $500 a month, so after just paying taxes and rent you are already down to $700 a month for all other expenses: food, medical, utilities, clothing and transportation. A person working full time and supporting only themselves would be just scrapping by on that pay of $175 a week in a place where a gallon of milk costs almost $6 on sale.