Posted on Aug 28, 2016
How will the $15 minimum wage pay raise affect the civil service/military pay subject?
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Responses: 8
A few thoughts on $15 minimum wage pay and possible affect on civil service/military pay.
- I do not foresee an immediate direct impact but possible to see a future indirect impact depending upon how much minimum wage laws permeate through our local, state, and federal governments.
- The overall minimum wage idea is a bad idea for several reasons: 1. The private sector and supply/demand should determine labor wages, not the government. 2. If a person does not want to receive minimum wage then a person should not have minimal skills. 3. Nothing is free. Government intrusion into this area only transfers the costs to other areas and other people. 4. Indirect impacts of minimum wage requirements is that the private sector adjusts by hiring less people or transferring the job to something less expensive such as "do it yourself" or robotics" so that minimum wage is actually counterproductive to helping minimum wage people.
- Pay scales are but one factor that can and must be considered in an overall employee compensation package. People seem to focus upon silver bullet solutions when they should be looking at problems systemically and comprehensively.
- I do not foresee an immediate direct impact but possible to see a future indirect impact depending upon how much minimum wage laws permeate through our local, state, and federal governments.
- The overall minimum wage idea is a bad idea for several reasons: 1. The private sector and supply/demand should determine labor wages, not the government. 2. If a person does not want to receive minimum wage then a person should not have minimal skills. 3. Nothing is free. Government intrusion into this area only transfers the costs to other areas and other people. 4. Indirect impacts of minimum wage requirements is that the private sector adjusts by hiring less people or transferring the job to something less expensive such as "do it yourself" or robotics" so that minimum wage is actually counterproductive to helping minimum wage people.
- Pay scales are but one factor that can and must be considered in an overall employee compensation package. People seem to focus upon silver bullet solutions when they should be looking at problems systemically and comprehensively.
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Maj Marty Hogan
Well stated COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM this is what I am looking for- the big picture view. Trying to get people to see the ramification down the road and the blockage to free enterprise. Great response and appreciate your input sir. #2 is my favorite by the way.
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SPC(P) (Join to see)
The robotics statement could not be any truer Sir. I work on them at Amazon and each unit costs roughly $30,000 each. That's about 1 years of pay for someone that can only work X amount of hours, is a liability to the company, etc. If wages go up (which they have in Seattle) I can see our robotics department growing as well.
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Maj Marty Hogan great question, it should spark the imagination that times are changing and the economy/inflation is always on the up. Congress/Government should consider a pay raise for our Military with a COLA pay increase also IMHO.
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Maj Marty Hogan
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL this ties a lot of discussions into one. One on the 1.3% pay raise for the military the other day for one. I have always felt minimum wage is for those entering the job market. I don't think McDonalds ever thought they would have lifers in the fry guy category. I put my self through school as a single parent working full-time. School costs (with the exception of book costs) were pale in comparison to daycare costs. I lived 900 miles from family and still made it work. No student loan debt in the end and better future opportunities. Granted I joined the military young and worked it to my advantage. I did have to give up a few things and still here 32 years later. Sacrifice and hard work gets you a head.
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
Maj Marty Hogan - well said and profoundly conveyed, I agree whole heartily.
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PFC Stephen Eric Serati
Respectfully,those making minimum are not young people anymore,and the price of everything has risen to levels of unsustainability with the current $7.25 federal minimum.Working hard paying bills and limiting debt is a good thing but in today's economical market skewed towards over charging that are in a lot of cases unwarranted,due to lack of or weaking of regulations on corporations the wealthy and Wall Street,like Glass Steagall.If minimum wage kept up through the years it would be close to $15,but they didn't and everyone on this feed knows this.I'm fighting for $15,and I don't have a dawg in this fight except knowing that Citizens should have a livable wage no matter ur gender,race,nationality,culture or religion,and it should be equal.Every Citizen.
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Maybe we need to thin the Civilian Governmental Payrolls... There are way too Many Morons on the Governments Payroll... The Military should get a Decent Raise to start with and a raise to compensate for the damn Inflation... and The Congress Critters Need their Pay Frozen for a Few years till they actually Pass some common since Lays and Stop Excluding themselves from and the BS Laws they Pass to Keep The Population In the Ditch...
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Maj Marty Hogan
I myself am a GS employee. Dual status and do the same job in the Guard. We have filled AD shortfalls for many years. Understanding how it all fits together is a good start. Everybody has a reason for being.
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Since Governments pay the minimum to meet manning and skills, I'd expect this artificially imposed, not related to skill/productivity, requirement to cause a flatline in the GS-1 through GS-6 pay chart. Bumping up the bottom end doesn't create the requirement to do something about the middle and high ends. What it will do is create a disincentive to go the Fed route as bettering yourself for promotion nets little gain. So if this is imposed, it will likely have an impact that makes it difficult for the classification principles in which higher skill, span of control, etc. equate to more pay. If they just did a reset, then all the pay scales run up. Before everyone knee-jerks, and continues their drone about how "poor" the Feds are, you better take a look at how bad off the commercial sector has been and realize for the most part, Feds have it pretty good.
Of course you can take the easy way out and the GS-1 to GS-6 pay scale is replaced by the "I Pay Scale". Can you say "Intern"?
Of course you can take the easy way out and the GS-1 to GS-6 pay scale is replaced by the "I Pay Scale". Can you say "Intern"?
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I could see feet getting drug as far as military is concerned, pay has been low for many years... just because the dollar menu at Mickey d's goes up to $5 don't mean uncle Sam or the branches will see defense as being "worth more"... it just means gov't will be filling Obama's crater a little more efficiently... until you factor in what this will do to inflation.
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Fox News' Cavuto VS. Clueless Liberal on Minimum Wage
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This subject came up over the weekend as my wife is a manger at a small local shop. Fast food pays more than she makes, but she loves what she does. If her boss is forced to raise wages- it could cut the bottom line that is already very thin. Maybe we don't care about small business and only big box stores will survive?
I have attached a small excerpt from an interview on Fox News. Cavuto raises some good points and disregard the EBS break in.
https://youtu.be/QKoju1VfgKU
I have attached a small excerpt from an interview on Fox News. Cavuto raises some good points and disregard the EBS break in.
https://youtu.be/QKoju1VfgKU
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MSgt John McGowan
CAPT.. I think the $15 wage is going to do more damange than help things. Where I live $15 isn't a bad wage to begin with. I know people making minimum wage in nurseing homes. And I seriously doubt Walmart pays the $15 yet.
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PFC Stephen Eric Serati
Your right,like implementing any new practice there are unattended consequences in the beginning,that are adapted to later.But the increase of wages will easily make up for it if laws are put in place to stop corporate punishment.Raising the wage to have corporation and the wealthy raise their prices or bottom lines should be regulated.In my opinion.
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First in my opinion an across the country raise to the stated $15 would be disasterous. First the cost of living is not the same. Look at California, my $175,000 house is work $650,000 out there. 15 and hour here would be a good living and reaching skill trade level, but in New York city it would not be that great a living. In my opinion the Mcdonalds worker flipping burgers for 15 years and crying for a raise up to $15/hr is nuts, why is that person still working at Mcdonalds and not finally learned a skill or moved up the ladder at McDonalds. A guy I went to high school with started flipping burgers back in the 80's and he is now a regional manager making way more money than I am and I have two masters to his High School diploma. If you want it bad enough go earn it, don't expect it for nothing.
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Why would the MINIMUM wage affect Civilian Government pay? I thought if this bill passes, that it's going to be up to the states to regulate and implement it. Civil Service pay scale and grade, I believe, is fair. It already far surpasses the current minimum wage of $7.25/hr. ...that's $15,080/yr........ GS 1 starts at $18,343/year...which is greater than minimum wage if Minimum wage goes up, then Civil service will have to adjust their pay schedule accordingly. $15/hour at 40 hours a week is $31,200...That's a pretty big jump....... But, I believe it's going to be regulate by each state...but Civil service is not...so good question.... Wages have been TOO LOW for far too long. Civil service would simply have to adjust their pay scale accordingly.
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Maj Marty Hogan
GS pay scales are also based on what local rates are paid to like service jobs in an area over regions. As one rises eventually the GS pay scale moves. It depends on which economy you are based on. I have been civil service in 3 states over the last 28 years and pay raises have been little to nil the past 8 years. Minimum wage for unskilled labor surpassing our lowest GS scales worries me. We are dual status which requires our civil service job tied to our military positions. In certain states- it is more cost effective for many traditional guardsman to leave service as they make more "downtown". I have never in my career ran across anything less than a GS5. Great answer Sgt Kelli Mays
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