Wage Advice..
 

Whats up guys, so tommarow I have to go to my summer job and lobby for a raise (or quit) one or the other. I want some advice on what to ask for/expect. I'm going to give you a chart and then want to know what you think.



The number you see are Column 1 The Year I worked. Column 2, what I made that year. Column 3 is what minimum wage was/is that year and the % is the amount I made over minimum wage.

2002 5.25 5.15 2%
2003 5.50 5.15 6.7%
2004 6.00 5.15 16.5%
2005 6.50 6.00 8.3%
2006 ? 6.75 ?

So my raises went +4.7% in 2003, +9.8% in 2004 (yr I became manager) but I took a -7.8% over minimum wage in 2005.


So my question is what should I be asking for when I go in tommarow?

Re: Wage Advice..
 

[quote=Gmanc711]Whats up guys, so tommarow I have to go to my summer job and lobby for a raise (or quit) one or the other. I want some advice on what to ask for/expect. I'm going to give you a chart and then want to know what you think.



The number you see are Column 1 The Year I worked. Column 2, what I made that year. Column 3 is what minimum wage was/is that year and the % is the amount I made over minimum wage.

2002 5.25 5.15 2%
2003 5.50 5.15 6.7%
2004 6.00 5.15 16.5%
2005 6.50 6.00 8.3%
2006 ? 6.75 ?

So my raises went +4.7% in 2003, +9.8% in 2004 (yr I became manager) but I took a -7.8% over minimum wage in 2005.


So my question is what should I be asking for when I go in tommarow?[/quote]

min wage raised, that doesn't automatically mean you lost money. You should measure your wages against those of the previous year or inflation, not against min wage.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

$7.00/hour

Re: Wage Advice..
 

What is your job?

Re: Wage Advice..
 

[quote=Gmanc711]Whats up guys, so tommarow I have to go to my summer job and lobby for a raise (or quit) one or the other. I want some advice on what to ask for/expect. I'm going to give you a chart and then want to know what you think.



The number you see are Column 1 The Year I worked. Column 2, what I made that year. Column 3 is what minimum wage was/is that year and the % is the amount I made over minimum wage.

2002 5.25 5.15 2%
2003 5.50 5.15 6.7%
2004 6.00 5.15 16.5%
2005 6.50 6.00 8.3%
2006 ? 6.75 ?

So my raises went +4.7% in 2003, +9.8% in 2004 (yr I became manager) but I took a -7.8% over minimum wage in 2005.


So my question is what should I be asking for when I go in tommarow?[/quote]

My bargaining position would start like so:
In 2004, I made $6 while the minimum wage was $5.15. I was $.85 above Min Wage at that point. Then minimum wage went up in 2005 and I made $6.50, only $.50 over minimum wage. This year minimum wage is going to be $6.75, and I think it's only fair that I get back to being at least $.85 above minimum wage. That would mean you're asking for $7.60 an hour.

I think if you start hitting them with %'s above min wage, their eyes might glaze over. Speak in terms they can grasp, just shoot for 85 cents above min wage, like you had in 2004.

That's a good starting point in negotiation, because $7.60 an hour is still $1.10 above what you made last year (14% raise). But if they're only willing to give you $.50 above min wage (like you had last year), then I'd take it (that would be $7.25). And $7.25 is still a nice raise from last year, it would be 11%.

If they only want to give you $7.00 I'd start looking elsewhere. Someone will surely think you're worth more than a quarter above min wage, given you've got 4 years under your belt.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

they won't care about % over minimum wage. they'll only care about how much it costs to keep you (someone who understands how the place works) vs how much it costs to train someone else to replace you.

instead of %s and numbers, try, "here's what i do to help you make money, and I think the work i provide is worth more than my current paycheck."

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[quote=That Guy]min wage raised, that doesn't automatically mean you lost money. You should measure your wages against those of the previous year or inflation, not against min wage.[/quote]

I wholeheartedly disagree.

Think about what minimum wage is. That's the least amount they could possibly pay someone to work. In other words, it's the bottom of the barrell in terms of the quality of worker. Your value in the job market is determined by your value relative to your peers.

GManc, what it really comes down to is are you a better worker than some dipshit they can hire off the street at min wage? Can you really do the job better? I'm guessing you can because you have experience with it. If you can convince people that you're better than said dipshit, you can ask for more than min wage. It's all about the value you bring to the table.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

[quote=That Guy]they won't care about % over minimum wage. they'll only care about how much it costs to keep you (someone who understands how the place works) vs how much it costs to train someone else to replace you.

instead of %s and numbers, try, "here's what i do to help you make money, and I think the work i provide is worth more than my current paycheck."[/quote]

OK now we're on the same page.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

My feeling is they're not going to fire you for asking for $7.60 (min wage + 85 cents). So it can't hurt to ask, after all you have a rational reason behind it (you want to stay at 85 cents above min wage). And if they want you to come down from there, you can be reasonable in the negotiation. I'd draw the line at $7.25, saying hey I was 50 cents above min wage last year, I should at least stay at 50 cents above this year.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

Please take this the right way. But you can't find a summer job that pays better? Do you have a car to deliver pizzas? That was my summer job and I made a killing. And managers at the larger pizza chains are really down with the summer job thing. They don't care.

That just seems awfully low. Do you have any other options?

Re: Wage Advice..
 

if you can work the weekend shift at a restaurant, that's the best money. you've got to be friendly and have a good memory and be willing to let people treat you like crap though.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

[quote=Schneed10]My feeling is they're not going to fire you for asking for $7.60 (min wage + 85 cents). So it can't hurt to ask, after all you have a rational reason behind it (you want to stay at 85 cents above min wage). And if they want you to come down from there, you can be reasonable in the negotiation. I'd draw the line at $7.25, saying hey I was 50 cents above min wage last year, I should at least stay at 50 cents above this year.[/quote]

min wage is 6$ where he works, so min + 85 would be 6.85, not 7.60.

here in N Va, even the MCDonald's pay 8-9$ an hour.

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Schneed-

Ive seen the responses you get in here, and Im positive you handled being treated like shit really well.

haha

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It's not like you're irreplacable. If you don't take the money they're offering, someone else will. What's the least you're willing to work for?

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True Story:
I went in for a .com managment job back in early 1999. They had a figure they were prepared that had a $5,000 range. I did my very best to show I was qualified, personable and bla, bla, bla.

They ofered the job and asked what I thought I would want. I said the higher figure. When he said ok, I added that I wanted a $5,000 "Signing Bonus" so I could ramp up my clothes and get ready. He said he needed to talk to the CEO , who we had met.

I said "ok, call me".

On the way home he called and said they would go with the salary and a $3,000 signing bonus! lol!!!!!.
~edit: Who asks for a signing bonus? Me! Hey, it got me $3K!

I said "I'll be up to get the check tomorrow and will start in 1 week."

True Story.

Don't sell yourself short.
Quam Esse Videri
"To Be, Rather than to Seem"

"Be" worth money.

Good luck
mike

Re: Wage Advice..
 

[quote=That Guy]min wage is 6$ where he works, so min + 85 would be 6.85, not 7.60.

here in N Va, even the MCDonald's pay 8-9$ an hour.[/quote] According to GManc's first post in this thread, the Min Wage in 2006 is $6.75. I was going off that, holmes. Not sure where you're getting the $6 from.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

[quote=Monksdown]Schneed-

Ive seen the responses you get in here, and Im positive you handled being treated like shit really well.

haha[/quote] I'm not sure who this is directed to, because That Guy was the one with the suggestion that he get a job at a restaurant and be able to take crap well. I'm a little confused. But incidentally, during high school I used to caddy at Merion Golf Club. It's a real prestigious club with some real snotty members. And one day I caddied for a member with a major reputation for being a jerk. I made a suggestion on a certain shot, he scoffed, hit it the way he wanted and threw his club at my feet. So I threw his bag at his feet and said OK chief, carry it yourself. I then walked home (my house was half mile away, so it was a great way to exit). The next week I talked to my high school swim coach and he gave me a job lifeguarding at his summer pool. That paid a lot less than caddying, but I didn't have to deal with any crap from people. At that point in my life, I was much happier with making less cash. Now it's a different story now that I'm out in corporate America in a stuffy finance office. So GManc, I'd say unless you really need the cash bad, just take the job that's easy on you. I see you're listed at 20 yrs old, you have time to get all serious later in life. If you stick with this current job, it never hurts to ask for more money. The worst they can say is no, now get back to work.

Re: Wage Advice..
 

I don't know if you want my advice but here goes... I think you should ask for more money and try to bargain with them. You are one of the best managers they have and you know they really like you there. You have worked very hard and have worked your way to the top. As sad as it is that you'll only be making about $7 an hour (when you deserve much more), its a job that you really like and have fun doing. I say take what they give you. It probably your last summer before you are out there in the real work world. So take what they give you and make it one last fun summer. (and its not like you have to pick up the puke anymore... then it would be a different story)

Re: Wage Advice..
 

Thanks for the help everyone, I read everyones post and took it all into consideration. This is always a great place to come for advice like this. I'll be sure to let you guys know what happens tommarow. Its hard to really get into details of the job, but I'm going to be pretty assertive in asking for more money. Thanks!

Re: Wage Advice..
 

[quote=Schneed10]According to GManc's first post in this thread, the Min Wage in 2006 is $6.75. I was going off that, holmes. Not sure where you're getting the $6 from.[/quote]

oh i thought that was a guess what his salary would be, guess i got confused and misread it.