Goodbye Middle Class, 2014 SSA wage info.

a reply to: smirkley

I've no doubt your a hard worker, and were I willing and capable of giving up my life, were I not one to suffer from health conditions and things like depression and anxiety I could do the same. But alas I and most people aren't superhuman work machines. The mentality that anyone who can't cut it as a workahalic fanatic monstrosity deserves the gutter needs to go.

Also the difference between you, me, and the one percent isn't enough for the pay discrepancy. It just isn't.

a reply to: WCmutant

You want "A we told you so"? What did you guys think was going to happen when you tell employers that they have to cut worker hours to 29 hours a week or less or spend a fortune on Obamacare?

Also, many low income workers have voluntarily cut their hours so they do not loose subsidies.

www.thecollegefix.com...
OBAMACARE: More than 120 colleges slash and cap student and faculty work hours

Since the launch of Obamacare, at least 122 colleges and universities across the nation have cut student and faculty work hours to skirt the federal law’s mandate requiring employers to provide healthcare for people who work 30 hours or more per week.

Those who have seen their paychecks shrink as a result of the Affordable Care Act include students who work on campus at restaurants, bookstores or gyms, teaching assistants, Residence Advisers, officer workers, student journalists, and a variety of other workers, such as part-time maintenance crews and groundskeepers. Educators’ work hours have also been cut due to the mandate, including part-time instructors and adjunct professors.

A long and growing list of 450 companies, school districts, colleges and institutions that have slashed and capped work hours to comply with the employer mandate

www.illinoispolicy.org...

The three sectors that fall into both the lowest-paid and lowest work hours categories are: retail trade, food and beverage,
and general merchandise. They comprise about one-fifth of the state’s total employment. Of these three sectors, all three now have average work hours below 30 hours per week.

Based on data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois Policy Institute calculated:

Retail: The number of lost hours in the retail sector is the labor equivalent of about 36,000 Illinois jobs lost in that sector since 2011.

Food service: The number of lost hours in the food and beverage sector is the equivalent of 10,000 jobs lost.

General merchandise: Lost hours in the general merchandise sector is equivalent to 20,000 jobs lost.

Since 2011, Illinois has lost the equivalent of about 66,000 jobs in these sectors through reduced work hours – more than the number of jobs added in all sectors over the past year.

While many internal and external factors have been contributing to the state’s seemingly intractable unemployment and underemployment, it is difficult to ignore the correlation between the ObamaCare implementation and the state’s current labor trends.

There is no doubt that Illinoisans need affordable health care access. But the public and lawmakers need to know that this approach – trading insurance for work – is wrong for Illinois.

The problem
Earlier this year, Illinois Valley Community College, or IVCC, announced that it was limiting all part-time employees to a maximum of 29 hours per week. The reason? The school could otherwise face an ObamaCare penalty of more than $500,000.

Under ObamaCare, large employers must provide “qualified” health insurance coverage that contains a minimum level of benefits and with a premium that does not exceed 9.5 percent of employees’ income. Otherwise, the employer could be subject to a penalty for every employee who works an average of more than 30 hours per week. This penalty is but one example of how ObamaCare is forcing some employers to cut employee jobs and labor hours.

While the White House and ObamaCare advocates claim that examples such as IVCC from across the country are “anecdotal,” the harsh reality is that the law could be further undermining Illinois’ already-fragile employment enviroment.

With the state already facing the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, Illinois cannot afford to proceed with a policy that threatens to further undermine job stability and prospects for the state’s lowest-skilled and lowest-wage workers.

www.politifact.com...

Obamacare has caused millions of full-time jobs to become part-time, imposed a tax on lower-income workers who cannot afford it, forced millions of people out of insurance they liked, restricted access to doctors for millions of others, and created an enormous bureaucracy that discourages our doctors and nurses while suppressing health-care system innovation."

Only employees who work at least 30 hours a week are entitled to health insurance. (This mandate kicks in at the start of 2015 for employers with more than 100 employees; employers with 50 to 100 employees must begin complying in 2016.)

So what's to stop you from cutting employee hours so everyone works a 29-hour week? Some employers have already announced that they plan to do exactly that.

www.healthinsurance.org...

originally posted by: smirkley

And if I lost everything tomorrow, which could happen, I would recover completely within a year.

Careful what you wish for bud. Bouncing back gets harder and harder every time you have to do it.

The middle class really is losing right now. Thanks for the great data. Civil unrest is better than losing the middle class entirely. Right now, you have to have a masters or doctorate to get into the middle class.

a reply to: Puppylove

I began my posts addressing the unknown 38 percent. I wished the statistics were broken down further. That data deserves to be analyzed.

I am not the described workaholic monstrosity you are suggesting, although at different points in my life it was a requirement to survive. And I know all about depression and anxiety, although I dont let myself stop me from trying. I dont have any other options.

Again, lets break down the 38 percent number to see the demographics it represents. I feel that is important.

a reply to: smirkley

Right now I'm dealing with being on basically heart attack watch, only reason I'm having work issues currently. I've beaten for the most part my troubles with anxiety and depression. If I were to get a second job I'd be dead within a week.

a reply to: Bone75

It is no wish, believe me. And I fully agree . Every year that goes by, is one more year it becomes harder.

a reply to: smirkley

So why do you not agree that this is a problem we need to adress?

a reply to: Puppylove

Ok. That is what I was driving at. In your case you represent a demographic that has options not reasonable to expect of you.

But my point is that you are lumped into a statistic that covers mearly income. That is why that statistic used as a talking point is flawed. The 38 percent is an unfair statistic to you, and anyone else in similar situations, as it represents multiple demographics. That is what a politician does.

a reply to: WCmutant
I know it's true. My income in 2000 was almost twice as much as it is today. My employer, at the time, provided family dental and health 100%. Little by little, they would start taking money out of paychecks towards medical. They started banning overtime and often I would punch out and go back into the office to finish my work for 3 hours. I had been promoted several times quickly didn't want to 'rock the boat'. I should have known better. It just got worse. 1 minute late 3x in 6 months became a suspension. I changed companies a couple more times after that...but no matter how hard I worked, I made less and got less benefits and got more restrictions.

I emptied my 401k to buy my house, thinking I could easily make the money up. Companies stopped matching 100% and then they matched 50% and then 25%.

Now I hate corporate work and have no retirement and don't know how long I will have a house. I started my own busi ness, but the amount of people that can pay for housekeeping has become much smaller. Now I need 2 knee replacements.

I have been working since I was 14 and I have a degree.

I am sure Fox and Friends would say I have done something wrong.

This all started before Obamacare.

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: WCmutant

You want "A we told you so"? What did you guys think was going to happen when you tell employers that they have to cut worker hours to 29 hours a week or less or spend a fortune on Obamacare?

Also, many low income workers have voluntarily cut their hours so they do not loose subsidies.

www.thecollegefix.com...
OBAMACARE: More than 120 colleges slash and cap student and faculty work hours

Since the launch of Obamacare, at least 122 colleges and universities across the nation have cut student and faculty work hours to skirt the federal law’s mandate requiring employers to provide healthcare for people who work 30 hours or more per week.

Those who have seen their paychecks shrink as a result of the Affordable Care Act include students who work on campus at restaurants, bookstores or gyms, teaching assistants, Residence Advisers, officer workers, student journalists, and a variety of other workers, such as part-time maintenance crews and groundskeepers. Educators’ work hours have also been cut due to the mandate, including part-time instructors and adjunct professors.

A long and growing list of 450 companies, school districts, colleges and institutions that have slashed and capped work hours to comply with the employer mandate

www.illinoispolicy.org...

The three sectors that fall into both the lowest-paid and lowest work hours categories are: retail trade, food and beverage,
and general merchandise. They comprise about one-fifth of the state’s total employment. Of these three sectors, all three now have average work hours below 30 hours per week.

Based on data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois Policy Institute calculated:

Retail: The number of lost hours in the retail sector is the labor equivalent of about 36,000 Illinois jobs lost in that sector since 2011.

Food service: The number of lost hours in the food and beverage sector is the equivalent of 10,000 jobs lost.

General merchandise: Lost hours in the general merchandise sector is equivalent to 20,000 jobs lost.

Since 2011, Illinois has lost the equivalent of about 66,000 jobs in these sectors through reduced work hours – more than the number of jobs added in all sectors over the past year.

While many internal and external factors have been contributing to the state’s seemingly intractable unemployment and underemployment, it is difficult to ignore the correlation between the ObamaCare implementation and the state’s current labor trends.

There is no doubt that Illinoisans need affordable health care access. But the public and lawmakers need to know that this approach – trading insurance for work – is wrong for Illinois.

The problem
Earlier this year, Illinois Valley Community College, or IVCC, announced that it was limiting all part-time employees to a maximum of 29 hours per week. The reason? The school could otherwise face an ObamaCare penalty of more than $500,000.

Under ObamaCare, large employers must provide “qualified” health insurance coverage that contains a minimum level of benefits and with a premium that does not exceed 9.5 percent of employees’ income. Otherwise, the employer could be subject to a penalty for every employee who works an average of more than 30 hours per week. This penalty is but one example of how ObamaCare is forcing some employers to cut employee jobs and labor hours.

While the White House and ObamaCare advocates claim that examples such as IVCC from across the country are “anecdotal,” the harsh reality is that the law could be further undermining Illinois’ already-fragile employment enviroment.

With the state already facing the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, Illinois cannot afford to proceed with a policy that threatens to further undermine job stability and prospects for the state’s lowest-skilled and lowest-wage workers.

www.politifact.com...

Obamacare has caused millions of full-time jobs to become part-time, imposed a tax on lower-income workers who cannot afford it, forced millions of people out of insurance they liked, restricted access to doctors for millions of others, and created an enormous bureaucracy that discourages our doctors and nurses while suppressing health-care system innovation."

Only employees who work at least 30 hours a week are entitled to health insurance. (This mandate kicks in at the start of 2015 for employers with more than 100 employees; employers with 50 to 100 employees must begin complying in 2016.)

So what's to stop you from cutting employee hours so everyone works a 29-hour week? Some employers have already announced that they plan to do exactly that.

www.healthinsurance.org...

As far as I know, student work hours, as in work study or sometimes called 'student lines' , have always been part time. I got paid minimum wage in college for being Student Government Secretary, a non-elected position, 20 hours a week. I worked 'security walks' to walk night students to their cars maybe 8 hours a week at minimum wage. Maybe once a month I worked at an event that was non-student government related and made minimum wage for maybe another 5 hours. However, these hours were never stacked, so I was never a full time employee of the school. Therefore, no health insurance from the school.

The ACA stopped insurance companies from turning you down for pre exisating conditions, determined 10 things that must be in a policy to make a reasonable standard. For most, Premiums went up a little and deductibles went down. The states that lost out at great detriment to their citizens, are the ones that refused to expand medicaid.

I would have rathered something closer to what Canada or the UK has, but Republicans would never have allowed it.

a reply to: smirkley

I make a decent wage and what I see around me is people afraid that they won't have a bragging right or feel special because they make 5-10 bucks more than most people. If you can afford to give the CEO millions you can afford to pay a living wage period... ever heard of "corperate welfare" CONGRAT's you are supporting it ... This is the second or third generation of people with your views. Propaganda must been working since Reaganomics years.

a reply to: burchfield

CEOs give THEMSELVES that pay. That is wrong in corporate america.

I started life on my own with 400 bucks and no education . Reagan had nothing directly to do with how I have lived, or not lived.

Break down the numbers. Dont let government reports dictate your responces.

I would have rathered something closer to what Canada or the UK has, but Republicans would never have allowed it.

This "story" again.

Not one single Republican voted for this crap. Not one.

The Democrats had the majority and could have passed ANYTHING they wanted. Lie to yourself if you would like but THIS is what the Democrats chose to pass without Any, not a single Republican vote.

originally posted by: smirkley
I feel those numbers are misrepresented.

I would like to dig deeper in this. For example, those 38 percenters. Highly likey a majority of that are young persons still living at home and unwilling to take a second job.

Yes, I do believe the middle class is disappearing. No, I think that statistics are being misrepresented.

There is data out there. Unemployment is highest for people 16-24 and the prime working age group 24-54 is dropping from the labor force - i.e., not being counted in unemployment numbers.

a reply to: Puppylove

My Dad had 3 jobs to raise his children and did so until he increased his value at job #1 to get higher paid management position. This was in 1966 - 1974.

I started working as a junior in high school, then worked 2 jobs from 1978 to 1985. I was hired by a new employer making 5 cents more an hour. I was making $10 an hour in 1996 when I went and started my own business. I am still there!

If job #1 isn't paying your bills, get a second job!

a reply to: NewzNose

And have a heart attack and die? What part of health conditions did you miss. Also once again not all humans are built the same, with the same capabilities, we need to stop pretending they are and expecting everyone to exist as machines.

a reply to: Bone75

Also bouncing back gets harder and harder the older you get. The choice between hiring a 20 to 30-something and a 50 to 60-something gets easier when the younger guy can work longer hours for less pay. When you have a mortgage/rent, child-support and medical problems, and lose a job ... Not a petty picture.

a reply to: Puppylove

Stephen Hawkings has managed to continue working. So did FDR. And many other people known and unknown to you.

I have my own critical health issues and I have worked despite it all. I find work keeps my mind off of my ever present medical issues.

But I am not a whiner (not calling you one) who expects to ride coat tails of others. My life is MY responsibility, no one elses.

a reply to: NewzNose

For me it makes my issues all the more apparent, I find recreation keeps my mind off my health issues. So for me it's the opposite. As for Stephen Hawkins, that's an exceedingly unfair comparison. I hardly have his mind or credentials. He's not working in a factory or fast food is he? His work involves his mind, which last I checked is working fine. I can't just magically pull a degree out my ass and have the connections I need to get a job or two that bypass my medical conditions.

Also our lives are our responsibilities, as for no one elses, we're social creatures for a reason. Groups and numbers are stronger than the individual, that mentality is a recipe for failure. We are responsible for ourselves and each other or we're idiots. Everyone who takes that me for me mentality is shutting themselves off from the whole. This is the problem with the 1%, they've done exactly that, they've put themselves above everyone else. Eventually the many individuals out there will stop thinking only of themselves and become the we, we'll become an us, and all those who stubbornly insists they and only they matter and the only one's they are responsible for are themselves will be swept up and find out how stupid that mentality really is.