Interesting read from someone who really knows what a dirty job is.
Mike Rowe
Off The Wall
Hi Mike,
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and hour. A lot of people think it
should be raised to $10.10. Seattle now pays $15 an hour, and the The
Freedom Socialist Party is demanding a $20 living wage for every
working person. What do you think about the minimum wage? How much do
you think a Big Mac will cost if McDonald's had to pay all their
employees $20 an hour?
Darrell Paul
************************************************
Hi Darrell
Back in 1979, I was working as an usher for United Artists at a
multiplex in Baltimore. The minimum wage was $2.90, and I earned every
penny.
When I wasn't tearing tickets in half and stopping kids
from theater hopping, I was cleaning out the bathrooms, emptying the
trash, and scrapping dubious substances off the theater floor with a
putty knife. I wore a silly outfit and smiled unnaturally, usually for
the entirety of my shift. I worked 18 hours my first week, mostly after
school, and earned $62.20. Before taxes. But I was also learning the
importance of "soft skills." I learned to show up on time and tuck my
shirt in. I embraced the many virtues of proper hygiene. Most of all, I
learned how to take shit from the public, and suck up to my boss.
After three months, I got a raise, and wound up behind the concession
stand. Once it was determined I wasn't a thief, I was promoted to
cashier. Three months later, I got another raise. Eventually, they
taught me how to operate a projector, which was the job I wanted in the
first place.
The films would arrive from Hollywood in giant
boxes, thin and square, like the top of a card table, but heavy. I'd
open each one with care, and place each spool on a separate platter.
Then, I'd thread them into the giant projector, looping the leader
through 22 separate gates, careful to touch only the sides. Raging Bull,
Airplane, The Shining, Caddyshack, The Elephant Man - I saw them all
from the shadowy comfort of the projection booth, and collected $10 an
hour for my trouble. Eventually, I was offered an assistant manager
position, which I declined. I wasn't management material then, anymore
than I am now. But I had a plan. I was going to be in the movies. Or,
God forbid, on television.
I thought about all this last month
when I saw "Boyhood" at a theater in San Francisco. I bought the tickets
from a machine that took my credit card and spit out a piece of paper
with a bar code on it. I walked inside, and fed the paper into another
machine, which beeped twice, welcomed me in a mechanical voice, and
lowered a steel bar that let me into the lobby. No usher, no cashier. I
found the concession stand and bought a bushel of popcorn from another
machine, and a gallon of Diet Coke that I poured myself. On the way out,
I saw an actual employee, who turned out to be the manager. I asked him
how much a projectionist was making these days, and he just laughed.
"There's no such position," he said. I just put the film in the slot myself and press a button. Easy breezy."
To answer your question Darrell, I'm worried. From the business owners
I've talked to, it seems clear that companies are responding to rising
labor costs by embracing automation faster than ever. That's eliminating
thousands of low-paying, unskilled, entry level positions. What will
that mean for those people trying to get started in the workforce? My
job as an usher was the first rung on a long ladder of work that lead me
to where I am today. But what if that rung wasn't there? If the minimum
wage in 1979 had been suddenly raised from $2.90 to $10 an hour,
thousands of people would have applied for the same job. What chance
would I have had, being seventeen years old with pimples and a big adams
apple?
One night, thirty-six years ago, during the midnight
showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I sat in the projection booth
and read a short story by Ray Bradbury called "A Sound of Thunder." It
was about a guy who traveled back in time to look at dinosaurs, but
against strict orders, ventured off the observation platform and
accidentally stepped on a butterfly. When he returned to the present,
everything in the world had changed. "The Butterfly Effect" is now an
expression that describes a single event that leads to a series of
unanticipated outcomes, resulting in a profoundly unintended
consequence. (Ironically, it's also a movie with Ashton Kutcher, which I
had to pay to see 30 years later.)
Anyway, I'm not an economist
or a sociologist, but I'm pretty sure a $20 minimum wage would affect a
lot more than the cost of a Big Mac. Beyond the elimination of many
entry-level jobs, consider the effect on the skills gap. According to
the BLS, they're about three million available positions that companies
are trying to fill right now. Very few of those jobs require a four-year
degree, but nearly all require specific training. And all pay more than
the current minimum wage. If we want a skilled workforce, (and believe
me, we do,) should we really be demanding $20 an hour for unskilled
labor?
Last year, I narrated a commercial about US manufacturing,
paid for by Walmart. It started a shitstorm, and cost me many thousands
virtual friends. Among the aggrieved, was a labor organization called
Jobs With Justice. They wanted me to know just how unfairly Walmart was
treating it's employees. So they had their members send my foundation
over 8,000 form letters, asking me to meet with unhappy Walmart workers,
and join them in their fight against "bad jobs."
While I'm
sympathetic to employees who want to be paid fairly, I prefer to help on
an individual basis. I'm also skeptical that a modest pay increase will
make an unskilled worker less reliant upon an employer whom they
affirmatively resent. I explained this to Jobs With Justice in an open
letter, and invited anyone who felt mistreated to explore the many
training opportunities and scholarships available through mikeroweWORKS.
I further explained that I couldn't couldn't join them in their fight
against "bad jobs," because frankly, I don't believe there is such a
thing. My exact words were, "Some jobs pay better, some jobs smell
better, and some jobs have no business being treated like careers. But
work is never the enemy, regardless of the wage. Because somewhere
between the job and the paycheck, there's still a thing called
opportunity, and that's what people need to pursue."
People are
always surprised to learn that many of the subjects on Dirty Jobs were
millionaires - entrepreneurs who crawled through a river of crap,
prospered, and created jobs for others along the way. Men and women who
started with nothing and built a going concern out of the dirt. I was
talking last week with my old friend Richard, who owns a small but
prosperous construction company in California. Richard still hangs
drywall and sheetrock with his aging crew because he can't find enough
young people who want to learn the construction trades. Today, he'll pay
$40 an hour for a reliable welder, but more often than not, he can't
find one. Whenever I talk to Richard, and consider the number of
millennials within 50 square miles of his office stocking shelves or
slinging hash for the minimum wage, I can only shake my head.
Point is Darrell, if you fix the wage of a worker, or freeze the price
of a thing, you're probably gonna step on a few butterflies. Doesn't
matter how well-intended the policy - the true cost a $20 minimum wage
has less to do with the price of a Big Mac, and more to do with a sound
of thunder. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.
Mike
PS I looked into the Freedom Socialist Party and their demand for a
universal, $20 an hour living wage. Interesting. You're right - they're
serious. But not long after they announced their position, they made the
interesting decision to advertise for a web designer....at $13 an hour.
Make of that what you will... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ /socialist-13-hour_n_6008432 )
Mike Rowe
Off The Wall
Hi Mike,
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and hour. A lot of people think it
should be raised to $10.10. Seattle now pays $15 an hour, and the The
Freedom Socialist Party is demanding a $20 living wage for every
working person. What do you think about the minimum wage? How much do
you think a Big Mac will cost if McDonald's had to pay all their
employees $20 an hour?
Darrell Paul
************************************************
Hi Darrell
Back in 1979, I was working as an usher for United Artists at a
multiplex in Baltimore. The minimum wage was $2.90, and I earned every
penny.
When I wasn't tearing tickets in half and stopping kids
from theater hopping, I was cleaning out the bathrooms, emptying the
trash, and scrapping dubious substances off the theater floor with a
putty knife. I wore a silly outfit and smiled unnaturally, usually for
the entirety of my shift. I worked 18 hours my first week, mostly after
school, and earned $62.20. Before taxes. But I was also learning the
importance of "soft skills." I learned to show up on time and tuck my
shirt in. I embraced the many virtues of proper hygiene. Most of all, I
learned how to take shit from the public, and suck up to my boss.
After three months, I got a raise, and wound up behind the concession
stand. Once it was determined I wasn't a thief, I was promoted to
cashier. Three months later, I got another raise. Eventually, they
taught me how to operate a projector, which was the job I wanted in the
first place.
The films would arrive from Hollywood in giant
boxes, thin and square, like the top of a card table, but heavy. I'd
open each one with care, and place each spool on a separate platter.
Then, I'd thread them into the giant projector, looping the leader
through 22 separate gates, careful to touch only the sides. Raging Bull,
Airplane, The Shining, Caddyshack, The Elephant Man - I saw them all
from the shadowy comfort of the projection booth, and collected $10 an
hour for my trouble. Eventually, I was offered an assistant manager
position, which I declined. I wasn't management material then, anymore
than I am now. But I had a plan. I was going to be in the movies. Or,
God forbid, on television.
I thought about all this last month
when I saw "Boyhood" at a theater in San Francisco. I bought the tickets
from a machine that took my credit card and spit out a piece of paper
with a bar code on it. I walked inside, and fed the paper into another
machine, which beeped twice, welcomed me in a mechanical voice, and
lowered a steel bar that let me into the lobby. No usher, no cashier. I
found the concession stand and bought a bushel of popcorn from another
machine, and a gallon of Diet Coke that I poured myself. On the way out,
I saw an actual employee, who turned out to be the manager. I asked him
how much a projectionist was making these days, and he just laughed.
"There's no such position," he said. I just put the film in the slot myself and press a button. Easy breezy."
To answer your question Darrell, I'm worried. From the business owners
I've talked to, it seems clear that companies are responding to rising
labor costs by embracing automation faster than ever. That's eliminating
thousands of low-paying, unskilled, entry level positions. What will
that mean for those people trying to get started in the workforce? My
job as an usher was the first rung on a long ladder of work that lead me
to where I am today. But what if that rung wasn't there? If the minimum
wage in 1979 had been suddenly raised from $2.90 to $10 an hour,
thousands of people would have applied for the same job. What chance
would I have had, being seventeen years old with pimples and a big adams
apple?
One night, thirty-six years ago, during the midnight
showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I sat in the projection booth
and read a short story by Ray Bradbury called "A Sound of Thunder." It
was about a guy who traveled back in time to look at dinosaurs, but
against strict orders, ventured off the observation platform and
accidentally stepped on a butterfly. When he returned to the present,
everything in the world had changed. "The Butterfly Effect" is now an
expression that describes a single event that leads to a series of
unanticipated outcomes, resulting in a profoundly unintended
consequence. (Ironically, it's also a movie with Ashton Kutcher, which I
had to pay to see 30 years later.)
Anyway, I'm not an economist
or a sociologist, but I'm pretty sure a $20 minimum wage would affect a
lot more than the cost of a Big Mac. Beyond the elimination of many
entry-level jobs, consider the effect on the skills gap. According to
the BLS, they're about three million available positions that companies
are trying to fill right now. Very few of those jobs require a four-year
degree, but nearly all require specific training. And all pay more than
the current minimum wage. If we want a skilled workforce, (and believe
me, we do,) should we really be demanding $20 an hour for unskilled
labor?
Last year, I narrated a commercial about US manufacturing,
paid for by Walmart. It started a shitstorm, and cost me many thousands
virtual friends. Among the aggrieved, was a labor organization called
Jobs With Justice. They wanted me to know just how unfairly Walmart was
treating it's employees. So they had their members send my foundation
over 8,000 form letters, asking me to meet with unhappy Walmart workers,
and join them in their fight against "bad jobs."
While I'm
sympathetic to employees who want to be paid fairly, I prefer to help on
an individual basis. I'm also skeptical that a modest pay increase will
make an unskilled worker less reliant upon an employer whom they
affirmatively resent. I explained this to Jobs With Justice in an open
letter, and invited anyone who felt mistreated to explore the many
training opportunities and scholarships available through mikeroweWORKS.
I further explained that I couldn't couldn't join them in their fight
against "bad jobs," because frankly, I don't believe there is such a
thing. My exact words were, "Some jobs pay better, some jobs smell
better, and some jobs have no business being treated like careers. But
work is never the enemy, regardless of the wage. Because somewhere
between the job and the paycheck, there's still a thing called
opportunity, and that's what people need to pursue."
People are
always surprised to learn that many of the subjects on Dirty Jobs were
millionaires - entrepreneurs who crawled through a river of crap,
prospered, and created jobs for others along the way. Men and women who
started with nothing and built a going concern out of the dirt. I was
talking last week with my old friend Richard, who owns a small but
prosperous construction company in California. Richard still hangs
drywall and sheetrock with his aging crew because he can't find enough
young people who want to learn the construction trades. Today, he'll pay
$40 an hour for a reliable welder, but more often than not, he can't
find one. Whenever I talk to Richard, and consider the number of
millennials within 50 square miles of his office stocking shelves or
slinging hash for the minimum wage, I can only shake my head.
Point is Darrell, if you fix the wage of a worker, or freeze the price
of a thing, you're probably gonna step on a few butterflies. Doesn't
matter how well-intended the policy - the true cost a $20 minimum wage
has less to do with the price of a Big Mac, and more to do with a sound
of thunder. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.
Mike
PS I looked into the Freedom Socialist Party and their demand for a
universal, $20 an hour living wage. Interesting. You're right - they're
serious. But not long after they announced their position, they made the
interesting decision to advertise for a web designer....at $13 an hour.
Make of that what you will... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ /socialist-13-hour_n_6008432 )
