5 ms·

I’ve looked up minimal wages in Arkansas. It’s $11/h, which seems ridiculously high, but I’m not an American. I think that in a depressed town, it shouldn’t be

by untech 3y ago

I’ve looked up minimal wages in Arkansas. It’s $11/h, which seems ridiculously high, but I’m not an American. I think that in a depressed town, it shouldn’t be hard to find someone for, say, $35 per 12-hour night shift, just to patrol the property with a torch, so that it wouldn’t look abandoned? Which amounts to about $13k per year.

untech 3y ago
Whoops, I’ve just checked the thread and it seems that I angered some folks. Not that this comment would be read by anyone, but just for history: as non-American, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that the minimum wage is $11 de facto, not de jure. It’s almost $2k per month, which is a salary of an educated (non-IT) specialist in lots of countries. I also forgot that minimum wage must be a hot political topic in the US. Sorry for writing stupid things on the Internet, I guess.
adolph 3y ago
I think the above comment is using “torch” which in East Atlantic English means “flashlight” in Arkansas.
- saghm 3y ago
  This reminds me of when my brother and I read one of the Harry Potter books as a kid and we were incredulous when it mentioned him using a "torch" under his blanket to read secretly at night. We thought it literally meant he was using a flame and didn't understand how his he managed to keep his blanket from catching fire
  - untech 3y ago
    Yep, I’ve learned most of my English vocabulary from Harry Potter and man pages, sorry :)
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
jabbany 3y ago
Based on what's being described ("career criminals") it doesn't seem like that would be a good deterrence. A security guard is going to be looking out for their own safety and well-being before any property they're guarding. What do you think is gonna happen if armed criminals show up against a lone guard being paid $35 a night...?
- garbagewoman 3y ago
  I would certainly hope they would be looking out for their own safety and well-being, no matter what they’re being paid
jrflowers 3y ago
> I’ve looked up minimal wages in Arkansas. It’s $11/h, which seems ridiculously high, but I’m not an American. I think that in a depressed town, it shouldn’t be hard to find someone for, say, $35 per 12-hour night shift This makes sense. The legal minimum wage is $11/hr, which multiplied by 12 hours comes out to thirty five dollars
- lazide 3y ago
  I seriously can’t tell who is the more math deficient here. Can someone add a /s somewhere so I’m less confused?
  - jrflowers 3y ago
    How much does eleven dollars even mean? That’s gotta be what, three dollars max right?
    - throwup238 3y ago
      It’s one dollar, Michael, how much could it cost? Ten dollars?
- chucksmash 3y ago
  "Minimum wage" is a bit of a misnomer as there are a whole raft of situations and exemptions where the minimum wage is not actually the minimum wage you can be legally paid.
  - chucksmash 3y ago
    Surprised to see this downvoted as it is just a simple statement of fact, to the best of my understanding. My understanding of minimum wage is on the (US) federal level, where in addition to the standard exceptions that folks know (servers, farmworkers, etc), small enough companies or companies that don't engage in interstate commerce are also exempt from paying the minimum wage. I wonder if people just don't like what I wrote and downvoted ab irato, if this came across as contrarían and was downvoted for vibes, or if state minimum wage laws change the fact pattern and I'm wrong in my understanding. If I'm wrong I'd like to be corrected. P.S. since I hate to leave something incorrect: servers actually ARE supposed to get federal minimum wage from their employer if their tips don't cover the difference between the $2.xx they get paid and the federal minimum wage.
klyrs 3y ago
Hold on, friend. You're not from there but you feel comfortable dictating a fair wage without looking at the local cost of living? That's really weird.
- plagiarist 3y ago
  Minimum wage is $11/h, but that is too high. Time to hire some undocumented immigrants for $35/12h. Toss in some "nobody wants to work anymore" and complaining that regulations are what is ruining the economy, and they'd sound exactly like many Americans.
  - saagarjha 3y ago
    Yeah I’d say they’re ready for their citizenship!
  - throwup238 3y ago
    Isn’t Arkansas one of those states removing child labor protections as fast as they can? Just set up shop at a rural hospital and pressure kids with sick parents into cheap labor. Charge them room and board to recoup the minimum hourly wage. Easy peasy lemon squeezey.
- margalabargala 3y ago
  That person is from Russia. I guess $11 goes really far in Russia these days.
joegibbs 3y ago
I doubt that anyone anywhere in the western world would take a job (especially one where you might get stabbed or shot, work 12 hour night shifts and don’t get weekends or holidays off) for $13k per year. There’s always some other job you can take. You can get a job at McDonald’s that would pay more. In the worst case you can try to live off welfare and you’d probably be better off like that.

by untech 3y ago

untech 3y ago

Whoops, I’ve just checked the thread and it seems that I angered some folks. Not that this comment would be read by anyone, but just for history: as non-American, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that the minimum wage is $11 de facto, not de jure. It’s almost $2k per month, which is a salary of an educated (non-IT) specialist in lots of countries. I also forgot that minimum wage must be a hot political topic in the US. Sorry for writing stupid things on the Internet, I guess.

adolph 3y ago

I think the above comment is using “torch” which in East Atlantic English means “flashlight” in Arkansas.

saghm 3y ago
This reminds me of when my brother and I read one of the Harry Potter books as a kid and we were incredulous when it mentioned him using a "torch" under his blanket to read secretly at night. We thought it literally meant he was using a flame and didn't understand how his he managed to keep his blanket from catching fire
- untech 3y ago
  Yep, I’ve learned most of my English vocabulary from Harry Potter and man pages, sorry :)

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

jabbany 3y ago

Based on what's being described ("career criminals") it doesn't seem like that would be a good deterrence. A security guard is going to be looking out for their own safety and well-being before any property they're guarding. What do you think is gonna happen if armed criminals show up against a lone guard being paid $35 a night...?

garbagewoman 3y ago
I would certainly hope they would be looking out for their own safety and well-being, no matter what they’re being paid

jrflowers 3y ago

> I’ve looked up minimal wages in Arkansas. It’s $11/h, which seems ridiculously high, but I’m not an American. I think that in a depressed town, it shouldn’t be hard to find someone for, say, $35 per 12-hour night shift This makes sense. The legal minimum wage is $11/hr, which multiplied by 12 hours comes out to thirty five dollars

lazide 3y ago
I seriously can’t tell who is the more math deficient here. Can someone add a /s somewhere so I’m less confused?
- jrflowers 3y ago
  How much does eleven dollars even mean? That’s gotta be what, three dollars max right?
  - throwup238 3y ago
    It’s one dollar, Michael, how much could it cost? Ten dollars?
chucksmash 3y ago
"Minimum wage" is a bit of a misnomer as there are a whole raft of situations and exemptions where the minimum wage is not actually the minimum wage you can be legally paid.
- chucksmash 3y ago
  Surprised to see this downvoted as it is just a simple statement of fact, to the best of my understanding. My understanding of minimum wage is on the (US) federal level, where in addition to the standard exceptions that folks know (servers, farmworkers, etc), small enough companies or companies that don't engage in interstate commerce are also exempt from paying the minimum wage. I wonder if people just don't like what I wrote and downvoted ab irato, if this came across as contrarían and was downvoted for vibes, or if state minimum wage laws change the fact pattern and I'm wrong in my understanding. If I'm wrong I'd like to be corrected. P.S. since I hate to leave something incorrect: servers actually ARE supposed to get federal minimum wage from their employer if their tips don't cover the difference between the $2.xx they get paid and the federal minimum wage.

klyrs 3y ago

Hold on, friend. You're not from there but you feel comfortable dictating a fair wage without looking at the local cost of living? That's really weird.

plagiarist 3y ago
Minimum wage is $11/h, but that is too high. Time to hire some undocumented immigrants for $35/12h. Toss in some "nobody wants to work anymore" and complaining that regulations are what is ruining the economy, and they'd sound exactly like many Americans.
- saagarjha 3y ago
  Yeah I’d say they’re ready for their citizenship!
- throwup238 3y ago
  Isn’t Arkansas one of those states removing child labor protections as fast as they can? Just set up shop at a rural hospital and pressure kids with sick parents into cheap labor. Charge them room and board to recoup the minimum hourly wage. Easy peasy lemon squeezey.
margalabargala 3y ago
That person is from Russia. I guess $11 goes really far in Russia these days.

joegibbs 3y ago

I doubt that anyone anywhere in the western world would take a job (especially one where you might get stabbed or shot, work 12 hour night shifts and don’t get weekends or holidays off) for $13k per year. There’s always some other job you can take. You can get a job at McDonald’s that would pay more. In the worst case you can try to live off welfare and you’d probably be better off like that.