I know, this is probably already being covered, and by a number of folks. But I’ll guess each has a differant take on this report, as I do.
September 4, 2006
Many Entry-Level Workers Feel Pinch of Rough Market
By STEVEN GREENHOUSECensus Bureau data released last week underlined the difficulties for young workers, showing that median income for families with at least one parent age 25 to 34 fell $3,009 from 2000 to 2005, sliding to $48,405, a 5.9 percent drop, after having jumped 12 percent in the late 1990’s.
This report really shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, especially the young who are just coming into the workplace and those who came in during the roaring 90’s and have seen their wages roll backwards from than. We get these types of reports every year right around this time, ‘Labor Day’. Most are the negative reality, as this one is, and in the nineties many were of positive, and in some cases outrageous wages for entry level positions, especially in the tech fields. All, like most reports put some spin on the numbers and leave out much of what they mean.
I started noticing the changing economy, of this country, years ago. What was, for the most part, causing this once secure economy were the dedication of the workers because of security of job and their hard work being rewarded, sometimes those rewards had to be hard fought battles for better pay, benefits, safety, etc. and sometimes not. But if rewarded the workers performed thinking they probably had security, if respect for their work were recognized, and they returned the respect to their employers along with their idea’s for better production and quality of the products/services they performed.
This started changing, at least by my notice, a few years after returning from ‘Nam and my Military Service, in the early 70’s, and jumping back into the Construction Industry, as a Carpenter, something my folks couldn’t understand than. Their thoughts were “Get a more secure job in a factory, or similar, building Security with Benefits and Pension. Something the Construction Industry didn’t offer.”
Reason I did, but doesn’t have anything to do with this, is because I’m a damn good Carpenter and also pretty damn good in a number of other Trades in the Industry, and I Really Used To Enjoy the Satisfaction realized from the finished projects.
Their tune started to change a few years after I started noticing what was going on, as they did shortly after me, it turned to “Well at least you’re doing something that will allow you to always find a job, maybe not with the security etc., once offered, but work with a steady income.”
You see what started happening were more and more layoffs from companies that had grown bigger and bigger mostly because of quailty products and services and reputation’s of same. I started noticing friends fathers getting Layed Off as they entered into their fifties and sixties, some only a few years away from Retirement. That was a reality of Shock, because once booted, many lost their Promised Pensions and Benefits Packages and were to old to get another decent paying position.
Why did this start happening, and has grown since, companies, especially public owned, were looking closer and closer at their Bottom Line and Investor Returns {Investors having nothing to really do with the Companies Business, just making money off of money}. They weren’t looking for Better Educated Labor they were getting rid of Higher Paying Experiance, that caused their Growth, and bringing in Lack Of Experiance for Lower Wages and Smaller Benefit Packages etc. including Pension Packages, most of the time not even changing job descriptions to hide what was going on.
The numbers, in these reports, in unemployment/employment reports etc. etc. etc., Never Reflect the fact that Companies ‘Sweep’ out the ‘Old’ and Bring In The Cheaper ‘New’ less Experianced, and the cycle goes round and round with the ‘New Modern Day’ Twist, Outsourcing of Jobs to other countries for Extremely Lower Wages, No Benefits, Unsafe Work Places, Longer Working Hours, etc. etc. etc., as Company/Investor Bottom Lines Grow and Grow and the grease that keeps the Economy Engine Running, the Workers, Wages Fall!!
Companies, smaller to huge, and Investors are only hurting themselves, though it will take more time to notice, as Product/Service Quality has fallen, customer service is not even offered in many cases, respect doesn’t exist, and you can list so many more things differant from the than to the now.
We’ve watched as Well Known Companies have Collapsed and no longer exist, Companies that are started just to sell off many broken up after the sell off to also no longer exist, we see-read-hear about them almost everyday, big to small, just drive around your communities and look at the empty hulks, building that once employed. Most know that wherever they work a 20, 30, 40 yr carreer there isn’t in the books, most change jobs numorous times in their professional carreerers or know they will.
It will sooner, rather than later, when this once vibrant economy completely collapses. One of the reasons will be the Hard Working Employee won’t be Making Enough to afford the Products/Services offered by most of the businesses in existance, and their Debts, along with the Economies Debts will be Called In For Collection with nothing in the pot to pay them off with!!
We are now All just Bodies, No Respect, No Real Concern For Dedication, Wanted To Work Harder and Longer Days, Less and Less Return on Our Labors!!!