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Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

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Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#41

Post by frgtpsswrdlame »

vorpalhex wrote: post #32
SolarNet wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except raising the minimum wage is often met with cries that it will stifle business and prevent competition. The problem is fundamentally that labor markets can't be free markets, and the minimum wage is not a viable way to control the market distortions. The better solution is to use a basic income which allows people to not work for companies like Amazon until they can pay a better wage.

A minimum wage of $7/hr in the Bay Area or NYC is useless. That won't cover transportation. $14/hr is still, basically, the same amount of more or less useless. In, to quote Ken White, "pluck-my-banjo" Texas, that's a perfectly fine and livable sum. A dollar or two raise and you can probably start saving up for a house realistically. $14/hr is kingly. Amazon warehouses are usually not in banjo-playing rural areas, bu…

Can we please end this charade of pretending a $14 wage is kingly anywhere? I mean even the whole idea of 'banjo-playing areas'? Come on. I find it really gross the way people that have good jobs and have never left urban/suburban environments typecast the rest of the country.

Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#42

Post by ghrifter »

vorpalhex wrote: post #38
austincheney wrote: post #22

Before people comment too much about wage inequality consider for a moment that this ins't a feudal state where people are locked into role and wage limits outside their control. I am a software developer for one of the larger companies and also an Army Reservist. When I go away to do Army stuff I frequently encounter people who work much harder and earn much less than I do in their civilian jobs. Is that fair? I wou…

I'm a high paid software engineer. I also had amazing computer teachers and remember writing BASIC programs to play MIDI in elementary. I also have the advantage of living in the city, being a white male, and being young and social. Being a software engineer requires a particular mindset, a lot of time and exposure, and people willing to support that. I was lucky enough to have all of the above, but most folks do not…

> being a white male

why do you bring up race and gender?

Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#43

Post by matheus2740 »

goshx wrote: post #19

Worldwide. No idea if they operate in Brazil, but using it as an example, USD $28,446 in Brazil is a great salary.

The thing is, direct conversions do not really work. I don't think they operate much in Brazil, but if they did, the salaries would be adjusted to the Brazillian reality (minimum wage, average person income, purchasing power, etc), so in reality, it would be much less than 28 grand USD. The more real conversion is to use a purchasing power index, such as the big-mac index. Using the 2018 data for the big-mac index, that would probably equate to mostly 30.000,00 BRL, which is 2500 BRL/month, which is above Brazil's minimum wage, but it's still a very basic salary, probably comparable to earning 2200,00 USD in the US.

Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#44

Post by gowld »

colek42 wrote: post #39

There is this false assumption that people are paid what they are worth. People are paid what the market will bear. $28k is about 13/hour. For places like East TN this is not a horrible wage, and you can live on it. As a comparison, an entry-level position in the military, E1, makes less even when you account for allowances.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/enlisted-paygrades-and-ran...

says E1-E3 are for basic training and first assignment, and E4 is $25k/yr. Plus I suppose (not sure) that military has much better health insurance (and other benefits, like food and maybe housing?) than Amazon warehouse employees

Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#45

Post by [deleted] »

colek42 wrote: post #39

There is this false assumption that people are paid what they are worth. People are paid what the market will bear. $28k is about 13/hour. For places like East TN this is not a horrible wage, and you can live on it. As a comparison, an entry-level position in the military, E1, makes less even when you account for allowances.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#46

Post by sol_remmy »

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #41
vorpalhex wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A minimum wage of $7/hr in the Bay Area or NYC is useless. That won't cover transportation. $14/hr is still, basically, the same amount of more or less useless. In, to quote Ken White, "pluck-my-banjo" Texas, that's a perfectly fine and livable sum. A dollar or two raise and you can probably start saving up for a house realistically. $14/hr is kingly. Amazon warehouses are usually not in banjo-playing rural areas, bu…

Can we please end this charade of pretending a $14 wage is kingly anywhere? I mean even the whole idea of 'banjo-playing areas'? Come on. I find it really gross the way people that have good jobs and have never left urban/suburban environments typecast the rest of the country.

> I find it gross that..

Can you leave the mock disgust behind? You probably live in an urban/suburban area just like the rest of us, yet your lecturing us.

$14 an hour is not as bad as you think. Median nursing salary in England = 23000 pounds = 32300 usd. So the median amazon warehouse worker makes 82.5% of what the median nurse makes in the U.K. Is that really so bad?

Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#47

Post by gowld »

bluedino wrote: post #8

>> Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos received $1,681,840 in compensation in 2017, the proxy statement said, $1.6 million of which represents the cost of providing his security. Is that pretty typical for a person who is say, in the richest 5-100 people in the world to spend on security? What kind of protection does that buy?

More to the point, the $1.6M number is wholly irrelevant, an accounting detail due to the "security" issue. Bezos makes $1B-$10B/yr because he is a major shareholder in Amazon.

Probably includes private air travel and some bodyguards.

Re: Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446

#49

Post by epicureanideal »

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #41
vorpalhex wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A minimum wage of $7/hr in the Bay Area or NYC is useless. That won't cover transportation. $14/hr is still, basically, the same amount of more or less useless. In, to quote Ken White, "pluck-my-banjo" Texas, that's a perfectly fine and livable sum. A dollar or two raise and you can probably start saving up for a house realistically. $14/hr is kingly. Amazon warehouses are usually not in banjo-playing rural areas, bu…

Can we please end this charade of pretending a $14 wage is kingly anywhere? I mean even the whole idea of 'banjo-playing areas'? Come on. I find it really gross the way people that have good jobs and have never left urban/suburban environments typecast the rest of the country.

Yeah, even in the cheapest parts of the US, $14/hr at best would make you "upper lower class" or "lower middle class", meaning consistently able to pay your rent for an apartment. Or possibly, if you're really really good with your money otherwise and also manage to save for years without any medical expenses, start buying a small condo or half of a duplex. But that's not kingly for sure.
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