Amazon worker’s median pay in 2017: $28,446 • Hacker News Board

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

#71

Post by ceejayoz » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:13 PM UTC

gowld wrote: post #44

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

I'd suspect the military jobs have substantially better job security, as well.

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

#72

Post by zdragnar » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:14 PM UTC

Tyrek wrote: post #25

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…

Sure, but you're omitting a crucial step - a relative minority of the population were actively enabled and were able to pursue their interests/self-invest/etc. when they were much younger (read: teenaged), which gave them a snowballing competitive advantage as they got older.

I didn't pursue programming as a hobby- and then a career- until later in life than what you are assuming here. In fact, I have worked with a number of people at multiple companies- their first programming jobs- who are older than me. They have all come from lower paying jobs. The key is that they put in effort to change.

One was raising two children- an infant and a toddler- and if he wasn't actively coding, he was reading or listening to something programming related.

For now, at least, programming is a highly sought-after skill, and with determination and effort, you can get into it. There really aren't any other barriers than (1) saving up for a cheap computer, and (2) having reliable internet access.

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

#73

Post by panzagl » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:18 PM UTC

ceejayoz wrote: post #71

gowld wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I'd suspect the military jobs have substantially better job security, as well.

For many it's the last job they ever have...

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

#74

Post by sol_remmy » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

songzme wrote: post #60

In the bay area, I'm currently paying 5 people 2k / mo and I've been paying them that much for about a year. They are incredibly hardworking and work about 12 hours / day. I mainly recruit from CalWorks (a public assistance program that provides cash aid and services to eligible families that have a child(ren) in the home), which is the same place that Amazon gets alot of their warehouse staff from. Every-time I pay…

Don't forget that their cash assistance/stipend from CalWorks counts as part of their salary. So their real take home is 2k/month + monthly stipend.

You're doing incredible work though. You're allowing them to essentially apprenticeship with you to learn software development. Bravo sir

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

#75

Post by baby » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

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…

Does it mean these people should “survive” on such a salary? Is that what you are saying?

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

#76

Post by pitaj » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:20 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #57

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.

The definition of what something is worth is what the market will bear.

No, that is the definition of price. Worth / value is subjective.

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

#77

Post by unpopular42 » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:22 PM UTC

DimitarIbra9 wrote: post #48

unpopular42 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bezos' duty is to keep costs low and profits high and indeed he does his job well, just look at their stock.

and exploit employees.

With their explicit consent.

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

#78

Post by akaryocyte » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:24 PM UTC

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?

In comparison Zuckerberg spent $7.3m last year on security https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/15/facebook-...

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

#79

Post by lotsofpulp » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:25 PM UTC

danShumway wrote: post #66

lotsofpulp wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The definition of what something is worth is what the market will bear.

That sounds like a tautology to me. Most people do not define worth based on monetary cost; you are using a very narrow economic definition. If you can't get past that word, then please substitute "value", or "usefulness", or some other equivalent above.

If you ask someone if it was worth it to have a plumber fix a pipe, or a moving company to move their furniture, you would be comparing how much someone is getting paid versus you doing it yourself. An employer paying an employee is a business transaction, there is no other meaning than where the supply curve meets the demand curve, in a business activity, whether it be selling an item or buying labor.

Now, it should be noted that this only works when there are a multitude of buyers and sellers, but that problem is a different problem and should be recognized as such, instead of suggesting employers pay more than market rate, maybe we should be focusing our efforts on the real problem of monopsonies. Or if people are inherently "worth" something just for being, then I think it's more accurate to refer to that as "What are people entitled to" rather than "what are people worth" to avoid muddying up definitions.

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

#80

Post by sidlls » Thu, Apr 19, 2018, 7:25 PM UTC

randyrand wrote: post #69

smt88 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is this false assumption that people are paid what they are worth. Who thinks this? I don't know any adult who is that naive. > People are paid what the market will bear. In many industries, the employer side of the market is vastly more powerful than the employee. The employer can just pass on an employee asking for too much money; an employee may be facing weeks without a job, which is difficult for most pe…

Take an economics course. It should be eye opening. Honestly, it should be required reading for anyone that debates politics and economics. https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/microec...

I've taken economics courses. Real ones from an accredited University, even. The only thing eye opening about them was the revelation that the entire field has such math and science envy.