Half of the picture is missing

[MorkandMindy]

Two years ago as a result of public pressure they put the pay rate up at the store, from 9.00 PH to 10.00. I went to the office to complain and there was already someone else in there complaining.

[later edit note, PH means per hour, dollars per hour, it is commonly used in the store but evidently not elsewhere very much]

The following year the lowest pay rate (the one I was on) was increased to 11.00 P H and I complained repeatedly to my manager telling him about the increase.

If you don't know why then you don't know enough to have an opinion on minimum wage.

SPOILER: the media is focusing on income whereas expenditure, in particular medical costs, are at that end of the pay range, far more important.

 

[Chesterton]

I didn't know public pressure could determine prices. Why don't they just pressure it up to 100 PH?

 

[Arcangl86]

Since you are saying a store, I'm assuming you got your hours cut?

 

[comana]

Two years ago as a result of public pressure they put the pay rate up at the store, from 9.00 PH to 10.00. I went to the office to complain and there was already someone else in there complaining.

The following year the lowest pay rate (the one I was on) was increased to 11.00 P H and I complained repeatedly to my manager telling him about the increase.

If you don't know why then you don't know enough to have an opinion on minimum wage.

Will you be filling those of us not in the know on the why?

 

[Moral Orel]

What is "PH"?

 

[comana]

What is "PH"?

It is the OPs shorthand for "per hour"

 

[MorkandMindy]

Will you be filling those of us not in the know on the why?

Sure. Those reading this thread had two bites at the apple

9.00 to 10.00 PH was because the store was likely to cut staffing level to keep the payroll the same, and it did. Work went from work as fast as you reasonably can to frantic. We couldn't keep the prices on the shelves up to date and got a lot of grief therefore at the registers.

 

[Moral Orel]

It is the OPs shorthand for "per hour"

Never seen that before. I assumed the 'P' meant something more specific than "per".

 

[JustRachel]

I also had thought that since you were at the lowest pay level (and possibly one of the newest employees), perhaps you would be laid off first when the store couldn't keep up with the wages.

 

[SkyWriting]

Two years ago as a result of public pressure they put the pay rate up at the store, from 9.00 PH to 10.00. I went to the office to complain and there was already someone else in there complaining.

The following year the lowest pay rate (the one I was on) was increased to 11.00 P H and I complained repeatedly to my manager telling him about the increase.

If you don't know why then you don't know enough to have an opinion on minimum wage.

I know enough that poor working conditions will not keep the store staffed.
It might take a while for management to learn better.

 

[comana]

Sure. Those reading this thread had two bites at the apple

9.00 to 10.00 PH was because the store was likely to cut staffing level to keep the payroll the same, and it did. Work went from work as fast as you reasonably can to frantic. We couldn't keep the prices on the shelves up to date and got a lot of grief therefore at the registers.

Thank you. I and, I believe many others, would like to see the whole picture but your OP came off as adversarial and not very inviting towards discussion.

Can you explain how the rate increase was due to public pressure? Was it well-meaning advocacy by the public? Or something else?

 

[Chesterton]

Never seen that before. I assumed the 'P' meant something more specific than "per".

I didn't get it either at first. I think Mork used to be British, and I was thinking "pounds?", "pence?" lol

 

[MorkandMindy]

10.00 PH (per hour, sorry about the abbreviation, I'm so used to it I didn't think)

10.00 PH to 11.00 PH this was the one that caused me to complain a lot and eventually leave. It made me ineligible for medicaid.

It moved me from 16,500 per year, about the highest income eligible for medicaid to 18,000 per year not eligible. Fortunately President Obama had provided the bronze plan for such a situation. It is only 14,388 dollars a year and deductibles it appears average around 4,000 each year, so medical care will be just a little more than my total earnings. There may be more to it than that but I was having trouble keeping up with my job and eternally changing schedule

 

[Chesterton]

Sure. Those reading this thread had two bites at the apple

9.00 to 10.00 PH was because the store was likely to cut staffing level to keep the payroll the same, and it did. Work went from work as fast as you reasonably can to frantic. We couldn't keep the prices on the shelves up to date and got a lot of grief therefore at the registers.

Did you hear that's exactly what Bernie Sanders did with his employees today? The guy who was demanding everyone else pay their workers $15 wouldn't pay his own employees that, so when they demanded it he cut their hours. lol lol lol

 

[thecolorsblend]

.

 

[JustRachel]

I must be the oddball. I knew exactly what he was saying. This place gets ruder daily.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Thank you. I and, I believe many others, would like to see the whole picture but your OP came off as adversarial and not very inviting towards discussion.

Can you explain how the rate increase was due to public pressure? Was it well-meaning advocacy by the public? Or something else?

The public pressure was that many people were angered that because the store didn't pay enough that the employees depended on Medicaid and therefore the store was being subsidized by the government/public/whatever.

 

[comana]

Did you hear that's exactly what Bernie Sanders did with his employees today? The guy who was demanding everyone else pay their workers $15 wouldn't pay his own employees that, so when they demanded it he cut their hours. lol lol lol

That is misleading for what is actually going on. Bernie Sanders defends unionized staffers amid clash with campaign over $15 an hour - CNNPolitics

They are salaried and not hourly workers. The cut in hours was a cut from 60 to 40 hours so that their salary would be commensurate with a $15/hr wage.

"Sources from both the campaign and the union confirmed that the collective bargaining agreement, ratified in May, set a base pay rate for field staff at $36,000 a year. That salary works out to under $15 and hour based on the 60-hour work week. But in addition to the pay scale, the CBA also provides full health insurance without a premium, mental health benefits, parental leave options, a gas card for use while on the job and other options not traditionally available to low-level campaign staff."

 

[comana]

The public pressure was that many people were angered that because the store didn't pay enough that the employees depended on Medicaid and therefore the store was being subsidized by the government/public/whatever.

Employers should take care of their employees. The fact that yours didn't is the problem, not the public who were putting pressure on them.

 

[MorkandMindy]

I did ask a few customers how we can survive now the pay has been moved up and they appeared to genuinely believe that company medical was a free plan and it would take care of us.

So I think I'm suffering from a growing feeling that people mean well but don't put in enough effort to find out if their efforts are doing good or harm.

Most of them know that the newspapers are pretty useless but believe them anyway.