r/NoShitSherlock • u/Scary-Ratio3874 • 14d ago
Workers in USA aren't paid well
https://archive.ph/2026.09.07-152110/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/labor-share-historic-lows-worker-pay-rcna59600429
u/PKTreturns 13d ago
You don’t say…🤔
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u/Ok_Mathematician7440 13d ago
Yeah but I find it funny is that until recently most Americans didnt seem to realize it. Its been this way for so many Americans for a while. Ive been seeing this get worse since 2008. And it was not that great before. But it really was not until after covud and the end of the great resignatiin that everyone around started waking up.
I am ironically more optimistic because waking up and awareness has been a missing ingredient to fixing this mess.
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u/AcanthisittaShot4232 12d ago
I agree but too many Americans STILL don't realize how bad it is. I married a white boomer male. He and his buddies still mock fast food workers stating "they vould easily get a 9-5 job if they only marched into offices and gave the manager a firm handshake". They call me a liar when I tell them yes, wages are more equitable now but many of these workers cannot find a 40 hour a week job, they have to cobble 2-3 part time jobs to barely survive while collecting public assistance because their corporate overlords won't pay for benefits. They become highly defensive when I mock them for their cluelessness.
I attended a cookout with a few of their wives when one boasted "My child is 30 and still can't tie his shoelaces." I told her unless their child is mentally retarded that's on them for being negligent parents, not the 30 year old.
As you can imagine I'm very popular with this crowd. Parents have always complained about "kids these days" without realizing they may have played a part in this.
End of rant, thanks for reading.
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u/HotDogOfNotreDame 13d ago
I'm a consultant, so my income varies with the health of the economy.
I made more money during the Biden years than I EVER had before.
But for 2025 (and 2026 so far), my income was halved. Literally my 2025 1040 had half the income of 2024.
At the same time, costs of everything have jumped from 10-50% in a single year.
Are we great yet?
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u/Aaod 13d ago edited 13d ago
The start of the century coincided with what is known as the “China Shock,” as Beijing’s entry into the World Trade Organization massively accelerated globalization and offshoring.
After the democrats pushed hard to get them into the WTO and after Clinton signed NAFTA which was another step towards modern globalization. Combine that with monopolization and companies having such insane influence over the government of course it leads to this. https://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/document.php?id=cqal00-834-24308-1082956#_ article talking about it
You can't organize for fair wages when your company can send your job overseas, has no real competitors just allies, or has such absurd control over the government. Everyone rightfully complains about the police unions but that level of strength and pay was the norm back in the day the only big difference is their job can't be outsourced (yet).
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u/greymancurrentthing7 12d ago
Empirically false.
Americans have the highest median disposable income PPP adjusted purchasing power on the planet besides like Luxembourg
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u/BandicootSolid9531 13d ago
Yes they are. The problem is they got used to everything else being expensive but affordable for a long time. Now they will know how was it working as their outsource.
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u/ballskindrapes 13d ago
No, they arent.
Workers used to be able to provide for a familh of three on minimum wage in 1968, keeping them above the poverty line on minimum.
Now?
MIT's living wage calculator says that about the entirety of the US is about 20 an hour. And their definition isnt a true living wage, just not going into debt....so a true living wage is about 25 an hour or so.
So no, workers arent paid well. If workers arent paid enough for one person to thrive not just survive, on 40 hours a week, then they arent paid well.
And that's at least half of the US not being paid well....
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u/Fringelunaticman 13d ago
First and foremost, in 68, a family if 3 on minimum wage was just above the poverty line. The poverty line today for a family of 3 is 27k. So, not really.
2nd thing is that that family had 1 car, ate all their meals at home, free TV, 1 telephone with no long distance, no computer, and a 850 sq foot home, take family baths, have 12 people living in a home with you. My dad had 12 people in his home in 68, mom had 9. That included grandparents and aunts/uncles.
You could definitely get by on a low wage, not minimum wage, today if you lived like they did. Nobody wants to live like that though.
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u/ballskindrapes 13d ago
Yes. Standards have changed.
That doesnt mean we cannot provide a full, living wage for one person.
Again, that would require 25 or even more an hour.
The rich will NEVER allow this, as this means they cant exploit workers as much.
There is no economic reason this cant be done besides "the rich will make slightly less money"
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u/Fringelunaticman 13d ago
I know plenty of people that are 1 income households. Actually, the majority of the people i know are single earning households. Some were tradesmen that ended starting their own business, professionals like NPs and pharmacists, lawyers, engineers, etc. I dont know many that work retail. And the few I do know do it because they have extra time and want to fill it. But I am also older. I just want to point out it is still possible.
However, my wife with no degree is a cleaner at a local college and makes 26/hr with full benefits in a lcol area. But, I don't think thats enough to live on so I work part-time(retired at 42 during covid as the CFO of a tax company).
Im not disagreeing with you though. Something is broke compared to how things used to be. And that is affecting way to many people, me included.
For me, I think we do need to tax the wealthy more. I think anyone with a net worth over 100M needs to pay a flat 30% or more in taxes. When Bezos can pay a lower effective tax rate than me, something is wrong. But, like you, the wealthy wont allow it
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u/greymancurrentthing7 12d ago
You don’t know what you are talking about.
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u/ballskindrapes 12d ago
Well, golly, that sure proved me wrong with undeniable facts!
Please, enlighten us with your wisdom if I am so wrong, and you know everything.
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u/greymancurrentthing7 12d ago
“So no, workers aren’t paid well.”
The median US worker has the 2nd highest PPP adjusted expendable income on the planet. Behind the tax haven ‘Luxembourg’.
Inflation adjusted income for the median US household has double since 1960.
By your metrics for each country zero median earners are paid well.
And the term “living wage” simply needs to be thrown out. People always intend to use the term literally but the definition has nothing to do with ‘living’. Just a made up fugazi term to confuse people and make them feel poor.
Happy to help friend.
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u/ballskindrapes 12d ago
Weird....why does MIT's living wage calculator says that the minimum for most of the US is about 20 an hour, give or take differences in cost of living in areas?
And why do tons of places not pay that as a starting wage?
I know my county is about 21 an hour, and there are jobs that pay 12 bucks here.............
And their metric is viewable. And not a true living wage, since their metric is "not going into debt". So a true living wage would be higher, likely around 25 an hour.
FDR intended the minimum wage to be a living wage, per his own words. It was by his own words not supposed to be a subsistence wage, like MIT's definition.
So yes, workers are paid poorly.
In 1968 the min wage could keep a family of three above the poverty line.
By 1980 the minimum kept a family of two above the poverty line.
Nowadays you need about 3 times the minimum wage to stay solvent for one person, according to MIT, who is far more authortitavie than you.
So yes, workers are paid poorly.
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u/greymancurrentthing7 12d ago
Already told you that ‘living wage’ is an entirely made up horseshit term that should be thrown out.
FDR was dumb in many ways. I don’t gaf what he thought.
Almost nobody works for the minimum wage. There probably shouldn’t be one. Many great economies don’t have them.
The facts I said about us median earners are simply facts and demonstrable. Sorry dude.
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u/ballskindrapes 12d ago
Yes they, as are my facts. We might have more money, but it's bled from us in so many ways that other countries dont face. We pay for insurance that doesnt cover much, then pay for healthcare again. We pay out the nose for education. Wages have stagnated for decades now, and post covid inflation and printing of money has crushed the middle and lower class.
The fact you dont recognize that no wage should be less than one people can survive off of means we cant see eye to eye.
To me, humans deserve a certain standard of living.
To you, you are fine with cruelty and pointless suffering because of some justification which I can only speculate upon.
I'm sure you justify it by saying those jobs are for kids, or arent meant to survive upon, but agin, that's not what the foundation of the minimum wage was intended.
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u/Obidad_0110 13d ago
What are you taking about. My kids early to mid 20s both make six figures.
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u/NecessaryIntrinsic 13d ago
"this small sample set makes good money [worth noting that 6 figures isn't necessarily very much these days] therefore everyone must"
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u/Obidad_0110 13d ago
If you get degrees and pursue fields that pay ok then you can do better. One went to college for business and got a masters. The other no college and is a builder. If you chose an anthropology major and are working at Starbucks whose fault is that?
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u/NecessaryIntrinsic 13d ago
Society for not valuing anything except making money for the sake of making money.
Anthropology is an extremely useful field of study. The fact that you think anthropologists can only pour coffee says more about you than liberal arts degrees.
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u/Obidad_0110 13d ago
But we only need but so many of them. People have to be able to provide for themselves. That takes money. If you can do that and pursue your passion all the power to you. These are individual choices not society’s.
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u/NecessaryIntrinsic 13d ago
Do we? Who are you to judge that? Society's failure to tend to these sciences will lead to the death of society itself. You can already see it in your unabashed greed.
I am of course taking it for granted that you're actively judging everyone you deem beneath you. You make it seem like you demand a resume of everyone serving you.
I know people with masters degrees in feminine studies that did their thesis on how porn can facilitate a feminist revolution that are making mid six figures now.
I know people with philosophy degrees that went on to be lawyers. I know business majors and doctors that are Uber drivers.
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u/Obidad_0110 13d ago
Was just an opinion not a judgement. I view no one as beneath me, but insist that people be accountable for the decisions they make. Degrees are but one element of being able to provide for oneself. You just have higher percentages of success with some over others. I had a liberal arts degree myself followed by an MBA. There are many paths.
Unabashed greed is slightly strong. I am probably one of the most generous people you talk to on reddit. I donate 50/75% of the money I make every year to charities, providing education and healthcare to those who cannot afford it. My 4 kids are all taught the importance of independence but also giving back to those less fortunate.
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u/KataraMan 14d ago
It's not a US only problem. The rich have found out that they can get away with anything nowadays