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404-GeezManIDK t1_j0geo0y wrote

I'd be curious to know how many people are still making minimum wage in this job market (outside of tipped workers), if anyone has the stats for the state on hand. It seems like the market has pulled well ahead of the legislated minimum and isn't really showing any signs of slowing down, especially in the lower pay brackets.

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pennieblack t1_j0gizn3 wrote

I think there are still plenty of folks who have been making $14/$15 an hour for ages and just don't think anything of it. They'll probably get an indirect boost from the minimum wage increasing.

Edit:

> Maine’s minimum wage will increase to $13.80 to keep up with the cost of living on January 1, thanks to a voter approved referendum passed in 2016. The adjustment will boost wages for up to 147,000 working Mainers, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP). According to Maine law, each year the minimum wage is adjusted by the percent increase in the 12-month Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the Northeast Region as of August in the previous year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released data finding an 8.1 percent increase in prices, resulting in next year’s minimum wage raise. > > According to MECEP analysis of US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, nearly 71,000 Mainers currently earn less than the new minimum hourly wage of $13.80. These workers will see an immediate wage increase on January 1. MECEP also expects nearly 76,000 Mainers who earn just over the new minimum wage level will see their wages increase as employers adjust wage scales.

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404-GeezManIDK t1_j0gqiox wrote

Thanks for finding those stats! That definitely seems higher than I would have thought, which makes me wonder where exactly those workers are located within the state. I'd expect it's really only the more rural employers that can get away with paying that little for labor.

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monsterscallinghome t1_j0hm6wm wrote

I raised wages for all of my staff, none of whom make the minimum wage, because of this increase. Just worked out what percentage over minimum they had been making, then applied that percentage to the new minimum wage.

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Lieutenant_Joe t1_j0gf8w0 wrote

Yeah, no, I haven’t seen a job offering paying this in awhile. Even the stingiest employers are paying 14 an hour by now. They literally would not be able to hire an unemployed guy across the street if they paid any less. Most places are doing 15 at a minimum.

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mlo9109 t1_j0gla4o wrote

>Most places are doing 15 at a minimum.

Exactly... Oddly enough, I had a teacher's aide who left to work at Target because it paid more than what he was making as a teacher's aide at $15/hr. I know actual classroom teachers considering doing the same.

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Lieutenant_Joe t1_j0gm2n1 wrote

I currently work at target. They’re paying three dollars more an hour at the Walmart just down the road.

Education wages in this country are a global laughingstock.

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eljefino t1_j0lmriv wrote

Government jobs lag in raises (COLA or otherwise) because of the elaborate budget approval process.

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