Thread: 9 cents an hour's not bad

According to Measuringworth.com, a skilled laborer being paid $0.09/hr would be paid around $15 today.

That's pretty bad by U.S. standards, but, given today's job market, I'm not terribly surprised.

Hi Luke. Its called the trickle up effect. The rich get richer, and the poorer to middle class keep struggling backwards.

I might be wrong, but that looks a bit like an Indentured Apprenticeship agreement. The clause about "witholding 10% of said wages until completion" makes me think so.

In Australia 1st. years apprentice carpenters only get about $8.50 per hour, so in relative terms I don't think it's too bad.

Yes, I know Oz apprentices get a few grand ($3000?) more from the Gov't for tools over the term of the apprenticeship, but s/he still needs to front up to the job more or less fully equipped with a few thousand in quality hand & power tools before even so much as a cent has been paid by either Gov't or employer.

Originally Posted by planemaker

Hi Luke. Its called the trickle up effect. The rich get richer, and the poorer to middle class keep struggling backwards.

I don't know what it's like in australia, but over here it's big political doings to let companies complain that they don't have enough qualified labor so that they can import cheaper second and third world foreign workers to do jobs. There is a whole industry of weekly rate hotels that have indian and other workers in them because it's cheaper to have the indians fly over here, stay in short term living situations, work for a few months and then go back. The public trans I ride goes by one of the places and loads up and brings those folks to town every day.

As far as manufacturing goes, I don't know how much comparable is left. You can manufacture elsewhere more cheaply, so that's what's done. Probably wasn't an option in the early 1900s. Even 30 years ago, I knew a lot of kids' parents who were working in factories. Not these days.

When I started my apprenticeship in 1962, the standard wage for first years was 5 pounds, 6 shillings & eightpence p/w (funny how one remembers things like that!). That's about $10.70 for those born after 1965. No tool allowance or anything like that, just some occasional overtime, which was always welcome. I lived away from home, & full board cost me 5 pounds p/w, so any 'luxuries' (like a new work shirt) came from the overtime pay. I didn't feel rich, but I didn't feel destitute, either. Life was definitely simpler back then....
Cheers,