Jan. 1, 2024 twenty two states raise minimum wage + California $20 fast food in April

[Luvnit2]

(12-29-2023, 09:11 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Man, you had it so good.  Minimum was $3.35 when I started working.  I felt a sense of pride when I became 'head' dishwasher at the restaurant in the local Holiday Inn, as it commanded a whopping $4.00 per hr.!  Nevermind that they held dinner theater for six weekends throughout the holiday season, which typically meant being there until 1:30am..  After that, I was feeling so superior to land a job at a factory that made rubber bed mats for pickups and mud flaps for semis, it started at $6.00/hr.  I felt like king of the world, until I rented a 3 br house that cost $450/mo.  Good times..

I worked at a local dairy bar that sold everything from Pizza, Burgers, Fried Chicken and lots of ice cream products. I started at age 15 for yes a whopping $1.65 an hour. They scheduled me to close every Friday and Saturday night, worked until 1:30 to 2 a.m. I quit and next worked at a country club washing dishes for $1.80 an hour and then was promoted to a waiter, I made $1.50 an hour plus tips, ended up being around $5.00 an hour.

I got a job my senior year working at Kroger making $2.75 an hour working overnight from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. stocking shelves. I went to school after I ate breakfast, but was out of school at 10;30 a.m. due to a work/study program. I went to Krogers (i was a senior, but only 17 years old) because I got married in January and Kroger's after 90 days you were able to join the union with a $8.50 wage and full insurance benefits. They fired me soon after my 18th birthday at 88 days. I found out later it was something Kroger did to keep overall wages and benefits down.

I was a unique minor, had a wife and child due in September. Minimum wage jobs were a way to prove yourself as a minor or an adult, a starting wage and many like me took a minimum wage job into management and in my case became and owner of the same business I started in as a manager trainee for $2.85 an hour.

I still believe the American dream exists, but young people need to do what many of us did, take low paying jobs and excel, be. the best, make sacrifices, work the crappy shifts including nights and weekends. I see too many young people unwilling to start at the bottom and work their way to the top.