20 bucks an hour to drive hilo is about 30% over the average starting rate
It's driving hilo, not performing surgery.
Idk what you guys think unskilled labor pays or is worth, but there seems to be some disconnect with reality here. I know they're forklift certified and all, but let's be real.
Average salary in the state of Michigan is 49k and 20 bucks an hour is 42k 🤷‍♂️
Take home, what $120/week? And that is assuming they don't have to pay for their healthcare etc. out of that.
EDIT: Fucked my math on this one, I didn't calculate all the way to week. Still, it's gotten tough to do even $2400/month take home.
if you have a 30 mile commute, assuming you get decent mpg's cost is $6/day now you're down to $90 / week essentially $360 for power and rent...
Fucking food costs the rest these days, much less trying to pay rent for someone. I have a friend that does it, he spends no extra on anything, lives on Ramen and whatever minimalist asian/rice food he can come up with. He puts solar lights outside all day and brings them in his house at night just to have light. He got down to doing the math... he turned his water heater off and was heating water on his stove for a bath, because it was a few bucks cheaper.
Luckily he's a Native American that enjoys bucking the system to live minimally. I don't think he would have the roof over his head driving his forklift if he didn't get whatever little money get gets for being 50% native from the tribe. Had he chosen to have a family he'd be completely screwed. $20 an hour is a bare minimum to even live now.
Everything has gone WAY and I know I haven't gotten a raise to match, and the $20 folks definitely aren't.