Half Of Americans Make What Minimum Wage SHOULD Be

WE ALL KNOW OUR ECONOMY HAS LEFT A GREAT NUMBER
OF AMERICAN WORKERS BEHIND.
THAT IT DOES NOT PRIORITIZE THEM AND
IT IS THERE TO SERVE CORPORATE GREED.
BUT THE STATE OF OUR PAY
IS EVEN WORSE THAN WHAT YOU THINK.
LET'S BRING UP THIS
CHART.
I CAME ACROSS THIS TODAY
AND IT SHOWS THAT RIGHT NOW HALF OF ALL AMERICAN WORKERS MAKE
LESS THAN $20 AN HOUR.
IF THAT IS YOUR HEADLINE, THAT SHOULD BE
SCARY.
THEORETICALLY HALF OF THE ENTIRE COUNTRY IS MAKING LESS
THAN THAT.
PUNCH INTO ANY RENT CALCULATOR WHERE THAT LETS YOU
LIVE IN AMERICA, AND THAT IS STARK.
THAT IS SOMETHING, BUT IF
WE WERE TO ADJUST AMERICA, IT WOULD MEAN SOMETHING DARKER.
WE
WILL SEE THEIR THE REAL VALUE OF MINIMUM WAGE VERSUS
PRODUCTIVITY.
PRODUCTIVITY SHOOTS UP OVER THE PAST 60+
YEARS, AND YET THE VALUE OF YOUR
DOLLAR IS NOT GOING UP.
IT IS GOING DOWN WHEN YOU SHOULD BE
MAKING TWO OR THREE TIMES AS
MUCH BY THEN.
YOU WILL SEE HERE WHAT THE MINIMUM WAGE SHOULD BE.
IF IT JUST KEPT PACE WITH OTHER WAGES IT SHOULD BE HIGHER THAN
WHAT IT IS NOW.
WHICH MEANS IF PEOPLE WERE BEING PAID FOR WHAT
THEY WERE PRODUCING IT WOULD'VE BEEN WORTH MORE.
IT MEANS THE
HEADLINE SHOULD NOT BE THAT HALF OF ALL AMERICANS ARE MAKING LESS
THAN 20, IT IS THAT HALF OF OUR
COUNTRY IS ON A JUST MINIMUM WAGE.
IF IT WOULD'VE KEPT PACE
WITH INFLATION ñ HALF OF OUR COUNTRY IS ON A JUST MINIMUM
WAGE.
SO HALF OF OUR COUNTRY IS MAKING WHAT TEENAGERS AT
MCDONALD'S ARE
MAKING.
THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE DOING THEM THAT ARE NOT 15, 16
THAT ARE JUST IN
HIGH SCHOOL.
I SAW A FRIEND OF MINE WHERE SHE DISCOVERED THE
MEDIAN RATE OF RENT IN LOS
ANGELES IS 11,000 ñ OVER $11,000 A MONTH FOR RENT.
BECAUSE OF THE
AVERAGE OF THE COST OF LIVING IN THIS CITY.
IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH
THE NICE PARTS OF TOWN YOU PROBABLY WONDER HOW MUCH RENT
IS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE AVERAGE ñ THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE LOWER
AND SOME THAT ARE HIGHER, THE MEDIAN IS $11,000.
OF COURSE
EVERYONE IS NOT LIVING IN ñ OF COURSE IT'S JUST THE MIDDLE.
HOW
MUCH DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE TO
SUPPORT THAT?
YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR FIVE OR SIX-YEAR-OLDS WORK.
IT'S A PLACE TO BE AND WHERE YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO TURN.
I
UNDERSTAND THIS IS LA, IT IS
EXPENSIVE, BUT THE AMOUNT THAT PEOPLE GET PAID IS ALSO
COMPARABLE.
YOU SEE THE COST OF LIVING IN OTHER CITIES, IT IS
PROBABLY THE SAME FEEL FOR HOW
MUCH YOU HAVE COMING IN.
THAT IS JUST FOR RENT.
WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT FOOD LATER, SHOES, CLOTHES.
THE STUFF ISN'T CHEAP.
TRUE.
THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE
HERE I THOUGHT WAS SCARY.
YOU
ARE SEEING THE PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION THAT MAKES AT LEAST
THAT MUCH MONEY.
ONCE YOU GET INTO $40 AN HOUR, YOU ARE AT 3%
OF THE POPULATION.
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT OWN YOUR OWN
ISLAND WAGES AT THAT POINT.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ADJUSTING FOR
INFLATION, A GOOD, SOLID HARD-WORKING FULL-TIME JOB.
WE
ARE FOCUSING ON THE FACT THAT THOSE WHO DON'T MAKE A TON OF
MONEY ARE BEING LEFT BEHIND, BUT WE ARE ALL GETTING LEFT BEHIND.
WHEN THOSE OF THE BOTTOM ARE MAKING LITTLE, IT MAKES IT
EASIER FOR THOSE WHO SET THESE WAGES TO JUSTIFY PLAYING PEOPLE
IN THE MIDDLE CLASS EVEN LESS AS WELL.
THREE OR 4% IS MAKING MORE
THAN THE VAST MAJORITY?
THINK ABOUT THE PRODUCTIVITY GAINS.
THE MODERNIZATION, INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY, COMPUTERS, ROBOTS ñ WE CAN PRODUCE MORE THAN WE USED
TO AND WE ARE EFFECTIVELY TREADING WATER WITH THE 1950S.
THAT IS INSANE.
WHEN IT COMES TO PRODUCTIVITY AND THE FACT THAT PRODUCTIVITY
IS STILL AT THAT RATE COMPARABLE TO HOW BADLY WE PAY EMPLOYEES IN
THIS COUNTRY.
IT ACTUALLY STILL SOMEHOW WORKS OUT.
I'VE SEEN
STUDIES ABOUT HOW IF YOU JUST TREAT YOUR WORKERS IN A CERTAIN
WAY THE PRODUCTIVITY YOU GET BACK FROM THEM IS SO
EXPONENTIAL, THEY ARE EXCITED TO COME TO WORK, THEY SLEEP WELL,
THEY DON'T HAVE MIGRAINES AND
STRESS.
YOU ACTUALLY GET GOOD PRODUCTIVITY, AND YOU BENEFIT
FROM IT.
IT'S CRAZY HOW THE CONCEPT OF TREATING PEOPLE LIKE
HUMANS WORKS FOR YOU.
AND WE CALL AMERICAN WORKERS LAZY ñ
THAT FORCES PEOPLE TO THINK THEY HAVE TO DO MORE FOR NOTHING.

Half Of Americans Make What Minimum Wage SHOULD Be

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