A ‘livable wage’ and manufacturing

I live in Georgia’s sixth congressional district. You may have heard of the district’s hotly contested race to fill the vacancy created when Representative Tom Price was appointed U. S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The contest between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel—the most expensive U.S. House race ever—has captured national attention for several reasons. Its outcome is said to be a test of the current administration’s approval and a harbinger of whether the Republican party will retain its House majority. Just yesterday, it was revealed that the ballpark shooter, James T. Hodgkinson III, recently criticized Handel on a Facebook post, calling her by a vulgar insult and taking issue with her statement in a debate that she does not support a ‘livable wage’ policy. (The Facebook account appears to have been deleted after the shooting.)

Democrats were quick to jump on Handel’s statement and incorporate it into their ad campaigns, and Handel attempted to explain that she meant “a livable wage as mandated by the federal government. It’s that mandate, she said, that she opposes.”

If you’re anything like me, you’re all too familiar with and sick of politics, spin, and politicians pretending to know what life is really like for and what matters to the average American. A livable wage matters. It remains elusive for many, even those whose education and skills should command it. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to support this claim.

Welder and blogger Josh Welton, who is welding on tanks in Iraq as I write this, continues to follow what’s happening in the U.S. closely and express his views in blog and Facebook posts. His Facebook posts in particular generate a lot of feedback from his fellow welders and fabricators.

This week, Josh shared this article with his friends: “Trump apprentices’ starting pay $60K, more in demand than college grads: Secretary Acosta.” He questioned the accuracy of the starting pay and other figures stated in the article:

“I'd like to know where the hell they pulled these numbers from. Any of these numbers. There are not six million skilled trade jobs open. Apprenticeship graduates do not *average* $60k a year to start. Bottom line: if manufacturers paid better wages for skilled jobs, They Would Be Filled.

“Again ... there isn't a skills gap. There's a ‘willing to work for shit’ gap. If and when we actually reach a critical stage of trades shortages and companies are forced to offer better pay and benefits, then those positions will be filled. But they'd rather lobby to dump more fish in the pond, so they're all scrambling for the bait.”

Here is a sampling of comments from Josh’s friends who shared their own experiences and thoughts:

The longest discussion on Josh’s post began with this comment from a mom: “My son just applied for an apprentice ship and the starting pay is $14.25 an hour. That does not equal $60,000 per year.”

Chris M. replied, “That’s even high for an apprenticeship. That’s what most actual jobs pay in my area.”

Brad D. said, “If I did the math right you would have to work 67-68 hours per week for $14.25 an hour with OT over 40 hours at 1.5 x to be $60k/year. So, it could, maybe be 60k with enough OT. It's a lot of hours but not a physically impossible number of hours.” Brad’s comments generated a lot of back-and-forth discussion about just starting out and overtime. “Mom” reminded him that apprentices are low on the totem pole and don’t get that kind of overtime. They also take classes.

Others responding to this discussion have different viewpoints. Tom P. said, “So every entry-level apprentice needs $60K? Sorry, but no.”

Another said, “I would gladly take $12.50 to $14.00 an hour. What are you complaining about? I currently make $8.50 an hour. I get along just fine. But I also have no debt. Didn’t go out and rack up a bunch of bills, etc. If I can’t pay for it with cash or my debit card, I don’t buy it.”

It’s all relative, and a livable wage depends a great deal on where you live. (Here’s a link to a calculator that can help you determine the living wage for all areas in the U.S.)

It’s also possible that those high-paying jobs are out there, but in dwindling numbers. Josh offered some perspective: “On the flip side, I made waaaay more than $60K when I became a journeyman at Chrysler, but those jobs are few and far between. Most high-paying jobs are heavy on travel and poor conditions. Local shops want to pay $12 to $15 per hour for TIG welders and complain about turnovers.”

How does your experience stack up against these observations? Are you making a livable wage?