$10 an hour, 4,000 apply

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060825/AUTO01/608250354



$10 an hour, 4,000 apply

Many ex-autoworkers seek work at lesser wages

Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News

STERLING HEIGHTS -- Six years ago, Fred Hibbard, 46, was making $22.50 an hour as a machinist in a tool and die shop.

http://vh10924.moc.gbahn.net/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20060825&Category=AUTO01&ArtNo=608250354&Ref=V2Q=100&MaxW=500
Job-seekers wait for an interview with Faurecia, an auto parts supplier, that held a job fair Thursday in Sterling Heights. Some 2,000 people attended.

On Thursday, he was among some 2,000 job-seekers who lined up for a chance at a $10-an-hour assembly job with no benefits with a French auto parts supplier. The jobs include medical benefits and 401(k) options.

Faurecia SA, which has facilities in four Metro Detroit communities, drew an estimated 4,000 people, many of them former auto workers like Hibbard, over the two days of its job fair Wednesday and Thursday, a sign of the times in a state where the unemployment rate hovers at 7 percent.

The long line of job applicants Thursday snaked through a city park outside the Sterling Heights Parks and Recreation Center, the site of Faurecia's job fair. It was just around the corner from where Hibbard used to work.

"That tool and die shop is dead," he said. "And now, I could really use this job. Ten dollars an hour is a lot better than living on your 401(k)."

Out of 17 job applicants queried by The News on Thursday, eight of them once had auto factory jobs that offered higher hourly wages and health benefits; 14 currently have jobs that pay less than $10 an hour; 11 have children; and only two have health insurance.

[bahrbearian]

1. assembly job with no benefits with a French auto parts supplier.

That is Un-American,, only in Chimpies World.

[warrens]

64. Seemed to have healthcare

One sentence said no benefits, the next said healthcare and 401k

[Kickoutthejams23]

2. My company had to raise starting wages from $10 to $12

an hour for unskilled positions. Couldn't get anyone to interview at $10 an hour. And the ones you did hire couldn't show up every day.

Obviously the market up there is a little better for companies.

[Demobrat]

4. What's the average rent on a 2 bedroom apt.

where you live? Do you know? Just curious. Thanks.

[Kickoutthejams23]

8. 400 to 500 for a "bad" neighborhood $700 plus for a good one

You of course hit the nail on the head. But actually unemployment down here runs (Tampa/St.pete) runs well below the national average. The biggest complaint businesses have is finding qualified workers.

[earth mom]

18. FYI-$10 to $12 bucks an hour is WORKING POOR WAGES.

So you're okay with that?

:grr:

[Kickoutthejams23]

23. Depends where you live.

Keep in mind these are jobs with little or no skill set. And yes I've worked for less. It's a tough go. But I read these press reports about thousands apply for 10 an hour jobs up north and I shake my head when we are so desperate for workers here in Florida.

[earth mom]

24. They are DESPERATE for LOW PAID WORKERS.

Quit coming here with that right wing corporate meme! It's sickening. :puke:

[Kickoutthejams23]

25. $12 dollars an hour isn't necessarily poverty.

If your rent is $500 a month that leaves say $800 a month for other expenses. I'm sure there are plenty of DU's who have less than $200 a week after housing. Yes it isn't top dollar. I'm sorry that not all jobs are 50k a year plus with benefits. But for someone starting out it is pretty good coin.

[earth mom]

28. Bullshit. How long before EVERY job pays $10 or $12 or less an hour?

You know damn well that is not "starting out" pay. That pay is the top wage for most companies, UNLESS they are Union! And what is happening to Union jobs? Hmm?!

* and his band of ugly thugs are destroying them as fast as they can!

You aren't going to win your argument here with me or with very many other DUers, so take it elsewhere! You know, the mean ugly nasty sites where the assholes that post there are vindictive and jealous of Unions or anyone who makes a decent livable wage! :grr:

[Kickoutthejams23]

30. No that is starting pay.

Like I said different places in the country have different employment pictures. I mean skilled construction workers often start at $20 an hour plus.

Now there are low paying jobs down here. I have no idea for example why nursing home employees make so little. Or how nursing homes retain their employees. But $400 to $500 is starting pay for unskilled while skilled labor runs $600 to $800 a week plus.

This has nothing to do with Unions. This is a labor crisis due to very low unemployment and high housing costs.

[earth mom]

32. Low Unemployment?

C'mon now. Everyone knows the unemployment figures in this country are a TOTAL LIE & JOKE!

[Kickoutthejams23]

33. Okay here are some local salaries of actual Floridians

ANDERSON,LATAUS $17,748.00 . $17,748.00 1 CUSTODIAL WORKER

ARMSTRONG,AUDRE $17,748.00 . $17,748.00 1 CUSTODIAL WORKER

AYALA JR,ARMAND $19,689.84 . $19,689.84 1 AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANT

AYALA,ARMANDO $19,982.16 . $19,982.16 1 LABORER

AYALA,BELINDA $19,689.84 . $19,689.84 1 AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANT

AYALA,ROSA A $19,376.64 . $19,376.64 1 AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANT

BALTZELL,MICHAE $17,810.64 . $17,810.64 1 SUPPORT SERVICE AIDE

BANEY,RONALD HO $19,293.50 . $19,293.50 0.25 RESEARCH ASSOCIATE SCIENTIST

BANKS,BRENDA L $17,748.00 . $17,748.00 1 CUSTODIAL WORKER

BANKS,CAROL V $19,773.36 . $19,773.36 1 CUSTODIAL WORKER

Of course that is before their UNION DUES are taking out. Yup these are all members of AFSCME Local 3340

Now most members make well above 20k but why do you belittle anyone let alone Union Members who make less than 20k a year. Are they fools for working? As for winning my argument I never said I was anti-union neither did others who posted the facts about their own local economies here. You seem to be arguing with anyone who points out that employment rates and incomes needed differ from various regions of the country.

Yes if you make 12 dollars an hour in Florida you won't be rich or even "middle class". But it is hardly a impoverishing wage. And yes we have a shortage of workers of all types. It is simply a fact.


http://www.afn.org/~afscme/salary.htm

[ProudDad]

57. You sound anti-union

when you cherry pick the very few, absolute lowest wages from that local's members.

That's still $8.60/hour for the absolute lowest paid (compared to bush's minimum wage of 5.15)

It STILL pays to be union...

[Kickoutthejams23]

65. Not at all.

I have trouble finding people to work at 12 dollars an hour. I have other DU'ers claiming those are non-union poverty wages. I was making a point. That different areas of the country require different incomes. I haven't seen anybody in these parts (Outside of waiters) receive the Fed Min. I think it is a sad joke. Honestly they could raise it to 8 bucks an hour and it wouldn't make a difference down here.

[The Gunslinger]

52. Try raising a family on that.

It's not a lot of $$. I know for a fact.

[Clark2008]

27. It's not where I live.

It's solidly middle-class in East Tennessee.

[earth mom]

29. So 20K a year BEFORE TAXES is enough to live on?

Sorry but I doubt that very much!

[sandnsea]

36. Huge part of the problem

I have family in the south too and there is NOWHERE that $10-$12 an hour is "solidly middle class". Hell it qualifies families for reduced lunches and other assistance programs, $40,000 qualifies as low-income in TN and 42% of children live in low income families. There is nowhere quite like the south for being excited about near poverty wages though, and boy don't even try to tell them different.

[earth mom]

39. Thank you!

I knew that what the guy was posting upthread was a load of b.s.!

I would suspect that those who defend and get excited about poverty wages are in business themselves! :eyes:

[KansDem]

63. Ahhh, don't you know? The working poor are the "lucky ducks..."

It reminds me of the Wall Street Journal editorial a few years back that referred to those who made less than $15k per year for a family of four as “lucky ducks” because their tax burden was nonexistent!

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/09/17/katrina-race/

I guess the über-rich are the unlucky ones...:(

on edit: :sarcasm: just in case it wasn't obvious...

[Kickoutthejams23]

66. Yeah that was stupid.

On the other side of the fence (NO I'm not trying to be fair and balanced) their was a NY times article about some poor guy (single no less if I recall) living in a trailer for $400 a month struggling to make ends meet at his $14 dollar an hour job. Either the reporter had never seen a trailer before or she was unfamiliar with multiplication because this "sad sack" had more disposable income than I do. (I wondered after reading that how many NY times reporters only spend 17% of their income on housing)

My point is that there are other factors than just your final income amount. You can starve in San Fran on 50k a year and live like a king in rural America.

[fuzzyball]

47. I would love a $25/hour minimum wage....but that is not REAL world

In real world business it is strictly DEMAND<>SUPPLY.
Wishing higher wages is just fine, but expect the cold hard
real world to bust your dream.

[bluestateguy]

3. Making it in George W. Bush's America

Support groups are being set up all over the country.

[Selatius]

5. American car manufacturers were so fucking short-sighted

Always concentrating on short-term paydays instead of long-term planning and investment. The SUV was the ultimate payday of the 1990s. It was the cash cow, but when the oil shock hit, they're in the same position they were back in the 1970s. They learned nothing from watching foreign firms deliver to the market fuel efficient vehicles.

The managers and the members of the board of directors for these companies were so fucking stupid, but it's the workers who pay the price, not the people who fucked up. They already got their paychecks.

[Webster Green]

15. Now they think the solution is to run MORE Hummer commercials..

It is hard to believe how stupid they are.

[gizmo1979]

6. Welcome to the new economy

No middle class.Just the very rich and the very poor.I make 20 bucks anhour as a Machinist,our contract is up next year,I'm not hopeful.

[Selatius]

7. I'm sure somebody has talked about you behind your back at work

"Why should I pay him 20 dollars an hour and have to worry about labor laws and environmental regulations and health care and insurance and all that crap? I could easily go to China where the average wage is 60 cents an hour and have the job done for a fraction of the cost, and I don't have to worry about labor unions, strong labor or environmental regulations, or anything of that sort! I want to make money, and these workers are too expensive."

I'm sure that was the gist of what was discussed.

[gizmo1979]

9. You know it is.

We already have a plant in China,but they are not efficent enough yet to handle the large contracts.It's only a matter of time though.

[OzarkDem]

11. That makes me feel ill

sending good paying US jobs overseas and leaving Americans with nothing.

[LuckyLib]

10. One of the airline industry's plans is to outsource flight attendants.

If you can hire Asian nationals at a fraction of the cost, base them in their home country, and pay no retirement or health insurance, you've saved millions. It's on the agenda. Watch for it. After all, it's only one of those "women's" jobs, like teaching. Why pay more?

[FILAM23]

12. Which is it?

Is this a $10 an hour job with no benefits.
Or is it a $10 an hour job with health benefits and 401?
There is a big difference.

[earth mom]

19. Even with benefits those are working poor wages.

You can't live on that and support a family! :puke:

[FreeStateDemocrat]

42. How can you affford to contribute to a 401k or pay med ins on $10 a hr.

The $10 is actually $9.24 after FICA-Social Security, 6.20%, Medicare, 1.45%,.

[Art_from_Ark]

55. Don't forget Federal and state withholding

That would probably bring it down below $9.00

[tbyg52]

13. But the economy is just fine, don'cha know. nt

Edited for typo. Just one line and I messed it up.....

[Sadie5]

14. It just makes me sick

what the *corporation has done to this country. My husband has 30+ years at an auto related company. He has no plans to retire right now. After the massive buyouts the company announced a hiring frenzy to replace the retirees. Each person with a certain # of years(don't know the exact#) was given an application to give to a person who wanted employment at around $18 per hour, no benefits. The apps flowed back immediately but of those who applied, many were rejected because of drug use(hair follicle test). They will be worked 'hard' as they will not be union, nor do I personally know if they will be allowed to join the union. Bush is rotten. He has destroyed what is left of the middle class with his low paying jobs.

[tbyg52]

22. Yup,

destroying the middle class is what they are *trying* to do. They can't have actual slave labor here (although they can and do in the Marianas), but they are gonna get as close as they can.

[ProudDad]

58. They also have slave labor

in prisons -- competing with local workers...

[jaxx]

16. Foreign countries looking to the US for cheap labor?

Sucks don't it?

[madville]

17. They need to move down here

I live right near the FL/GA state line and companies can't find enough people to hire around here. Industrial maintenance (PLC, HVAC, electricians, hydraulics, pneumatics, etc) is big right now, usually hires between $17-$21 an hour and most unskilled positions like production workers and warehouse/forklift run between $11-$15. All of the companies in this area offer good benefits, like someone else said we can't find anybody that wants to come to work. :shrug:


Housing is still cheap in South Georgia, a nice new 3 bedroom 2 bath house can still be had for right around $100k with reasonable taxes and insurance. Typical rent usually runs from $400-$800 a month.

[earth mom]

21. I would bet that the jobs being offered are the $11/hr jobs NOT the $18

jobs.

Read the book Nickeled and Dimed if you want to see that the fact of the matter is there are plenty of jobs but fewer people willing to work for the chump change being offered that won't support themselves and their families. A lot of people keep looking and stay unemployed until they find something better or they start their own businesses if they can. Those who are pushed into a corner with bills to pay and mouths to feed and who have few options, will take those shitty paying jobs. :grr:

[Kickoutthejams23]

26. Maybe it's a Florida thing.

Finding people who actually want to put in 40 hours a week is a struggle in itself. I hear people say there are no jobs out there and yet every business around here is looking o increase staffing.

These isn't a Repuke thing. Most business owners I know are pretty progressive they are just floored by the work ethic of the unemployed. when you are down to 3% unemployment everyone who wants to work already does. Those that are left.... well.

[earth mom]

31. You are WRONG. People will work hard for fair, decent and livable wages.

Key words: FAIR and DECENT and LIVABLE.

The difference is that you and the corporations who TRY to hire people for these low paying jobs think their employees are either too stupid to realize or too desperate to care that they are being TOTALLY screwed over. What those cheap ass employers don't like is that workers are giving them the finger which those greedy employers deserve and then some! :grr:

[madville]

34. What is fair and decent ?

So what is fair and decent. Someone around here with no skills besides a high school diploma or GED can start out at $25k a year with good benefits driving a forklift or pushing buttons on a production line, is that fair and if not what would be ?

Go to school for a year or two and get a technical certificate in almost anything and you are easily looking at $35k-$45k to start and employers can't fill those jobs around here fast enough.

To be realistic, last time I checked businesses existed to make money, not provide employment for the population. I have always thought the burden lies with an individual to make themselves marketable in the workforce.

[PassingFair]

35. Business and Economics 101

"businesses existed to make money, not provide employment for the population"

...and JUST WHO WILL BUY the products?

If people do not make a living wage, if
people cannot afford to stay healthy, how
can we possibly sustain a vibrant economy?

Low wage conservatism is KILLING America.

[Kickoutthejams23]

43. 35k to 45k is not low wages

when the cost of living is low. Yeah you won't be a member of the upper middle class but it hardly starvation wages. My father likes to joke that it was much cheaper to run a household when he was young. For one thing the cable bill was a lot less and the cell phone costs were practically zero.

[PassingFair]

45. I find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe that

$35,000 to $45,000 per year jobs are going begging.

Your $10.00/per hour, no benefit jobs pay less than
$18,000 per year once taxes are taken out.

You keep moving the target.

[earth mom]

38. Yeah, get busy and be personally responsible

ain't that right? :eyes: FYI-that's a reTHUGlican meme! :puke:

The minute that corporations and businesses greedily took control of this country and bought out our representation in Washington D.C. was the minute American workers rights and quality of life got flushed down the toilet!

What's YOUR motivation in defending corporate greed?! Hmm?!

[The Gunslinger]

53. Gee I d love to work for a company with that attitude.

"businesses existed to make money, not provide employment for the population."

thats the Rightist attitude that is sending our jobs overseas.

[ProudDad]

60. A very republican idea:

"I have always thought the burden lies with an individual to make themselves marketable in the workforce."

[CrushTheDLC]

37. 3% unemployment in a state that's been run by a Bush for 12 years??

I'm not buying that one. What are the REAL numbers?

[Kickoutthejams23]

44. depends.

Big state you know. In my area 100k plus jobs take about 4 to six months of job hunting for the qualified. Anything under 50k a year are filled right off the street. The unemployment numbers are if anything a little high. Anyone who wants a job can have one. Now of course if you are beneath certain work (teaching, sales, nursing, construction) or you have a criminal record your hunt will take a little longer.

[ProudDad]

59. How do you know companies

can't find enough people?

Is this the Chamber of Commerce talking or is there a reputable source for this information?

Inquiring minds want to know...

[Kickoutthejams23]

67. I've worked for quite a few firms down here and I assure you in the last

few years it has gotten bad. You run an ad in the local sunday paper for a 25k entry level job and get six responces. Simply a worker shortage. Nothing fancy. Here are some links.

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/13/Business/A_successful_treatmen.shtml

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/1997/11/03/focus2.html (this one is Masons they only pay 9 an hour while union pays 16) both are well below national so needless to say no Masons.

http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBRECF588E.html (8 to 9 dollar McJobs article on how Florida min wage increase to 6.15 affects no-one)

[Imagevision]

20. And the fat cats say NO to raising minimum wage increase

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

40. What happened to "these are jobs Americans won't do"?

[PaDem]

41. This is exactly what Republicans want to see................

guys like this who once had decent paying blue collar jobs who are today happy if they can secure a job that pays ten bucks and hour and provides no benefits. Free market fundamentalism at it's best.

[Josh]

46. Here in Sydney,

$11.80 is the minimum wage for anyone over 18. That people are being paid less than that for skilled labour like a mechanic is beyond apalling.

[fuzzyball]

49. Is that $11.80 US dollars or Australian dollars?

[Josh]

62. Australian,

which is about $8US I suppose. But I actually think I'm wrong. I think it's closer to $12.80 or $13... it goes up with CPI, so I can't remember when the last increase was.

But I'm talking wages that only the some of the lowest paying jobs would pay.

Still, we've got other labour problems here.

[fuzzyball]

48. His $22.50/hour job made the company go bankrupt....so he

was somewhat responsible for his own job loss.

[Jed Dilligan]

50. You know this... how?

That sounds like a reasonable rate for a skilled machinist to me.

[fuzzyball]

54. He said it himself in the article that...

the company went bankrupt from lack of profits (that is the
most common reason). As a skilled machinist he deserved a lot
more than a teacher for example because it is a dirty, difficult,
monotonous job requiring constant attention. I should know because
I had the same job for a while before I learned how to program
computerized machines.

But deserving a wage level is one thing and survival for a company
is another thing. Since payroll is the lion's share of cost in a
machine shop, I have to surmise the company could not make profit
at the existing wage levels.

[Jed Dilligan]

56. I can't get the article

Link only has a pic...

[ProudDad]

61. Why do you right-wingers

always blame the worker?

Have you not considered that the management and owners of the company could have been incompetent (management incompetence is quite endemic in this ubber-capitalist country)?

Maybe this company pissed away profits on yachts and fancy houses and ski vacations instead of investing in new machinery and process improvements.

Ah, but to you Chamber of Commerce types, it's always the worker's GREED, his/her desire for a decent wage and a share of the success that's at fault...never the corporation. They're just being altruistic and supplying jobs to the untermensch out of the goodness of their pea-pickin' hearts, aren't they?

:grr:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

51. $10 is the new $5.

:cry: