Comments about ‘Low pay hurts many Utah working families’

Anyone who has had to hold down a job Utah is saying "duh".

We need to bring back "creative" financing so Utahns can once again afford a home!

Let's see: I am chosen by God to own and run this business; you on the other hand are to work for me... and God.

Here is your pay. No unions, now. No strife. Just make sure I make my money, beat my chest, and point out how I am on third base.

When the leaders of our society actually care, there will be change. Not before.

Utah workers are paid next to nothing compared to everyone else. And the cheapest of apartments are no less than $800/month and you'd be lucky not to get raped in the parking lots of those ones or have permanent medical problems from living near meth labs. I am educated and I do fairly well considering, but I make only a fraction of what I should be making with my credentials, education and experience.

Thanks Utah for keeping hard-working families from getting ahead.

Now aren't we glad we have a state has the "right to work law" and made everyone an "at will" employee? Keep voting Republican and things will never change or improve.

And yet time and time again we elect the same types of individuals in office, who we know won't change a thing.

Republican or Democrate make no difference, what we need is middle class officials. No more rich boys who could careless because they have the money to avoid any issues with taxes, housing, or low income they put upon us!

Hmmmm wonder why Big Government Obama wants Huntsman Jr.???? Duh, he knows he won't do anything to detour from the Obama administration agenda's against the middle class..

This information hasn't changed in the 48 years I've lived here. Only the cost of the apartments. Uneducated people make great followers.

If education is the problem, we must change it first. I favor an extremely radical change. For example, at 12 years of age students could focus entirely on schooling that is geared specifically toward a specific job. Those who have good reading and math skills can focus on careers that will require those skills. But most state colleges also should be changed so that the tuition is significantly less expensive with each student focusing on a specific career. Rather than start with such required courses as history, chemistry, algebra, English literature, and so forth, the courses should help them immediately to gain the skills necessary to get a good job in the field they choose. And specializing should be something that is done up front rather than at the end. Why should a student graduate medical school before focusing on, say, knee surgery. Teach them everything there is to know about knee surgery, get them working at it right away, and then fill in the holes in their knowledge. This would significantly increase the number of medical care providers in specialized fields, which would lead to lower medical costs, lower educational costs, etc. Trim all the fat.

I agree with Utah Worker. The price of housing is very high here in Utah. In traditional families this can be a real tough challenge if you insist on being a single income household... but it can be done. You just have to work extra hard, and put all your kids to work too. :)

Do not make the differance. Only when we realize it is 'we the people' will any change take place.

I would like to take a break and say thanks to:

1. Employers: thanks for your greeding and selfish
2. School advisors: thanks for convincing my parents, me, and my kids that we wouldn't be able to make it in college so why the waste of time and money?
3. Neighbors: thanks for your little town mentality.. college? who needs that here? we are farmers

I went against all odds and got a college education. But I am still underpaid. And guess what? they just hired a guy with a bs and mba in computer science with 15 years experience as a simple data analyst which wage will be 15-18 an hour.

Thanks again all...

Thanks to Utah wages, I won't be able to get married, have kids, and live on my own until my late twenties. Take that to Priesthood meeting, brother fat cat business owner who won't pay his employees anything but keeps all the money to himself so he can live in a fancy house on the hill.

Heavenly Father is really smiling down on you?

Before neoconservatives, globalist and the abused wealthy in America; one income would support a family. This meant children had supervision.

Today, with the corporate share value being our only value, good paying jobs have been outsourced. It takes two jobs to do what once was done by one income and kids have suffered with schools morphed into baby sitters, organized team sports were child are baby sat and limited "quality Time from parents who can't be involved in the schools or community.

Conservative leaders are great at shunning personal accountability. We have workers who can't afford vacations worried about Obama rising taxes on those earning money most will only see in dreams.

Tax rates were up to 70% during Eisenhower. American workers rarely brought up taxes because they earned enought to have the American dream and pay taxes.

With the decline of wages it's not out sourcing, breading unions or an attack on American workers, its taxes.

Conservatives with money would like to do nothing, let unemployment reach over twenty percent and see our economy tank. They have the resources to ride out twenty year on a beach waiting for a rebound.

I thought the whole reason for the Mexican labor force was to take the low paying jobs no one else wants. What happened.

Low pay not only hurts Utah families, it hurts the overall Utah economy because families have less money to spend. When families have less money to spend, business get less money, and when businesses get less money, they pay less to their employees, and when employees get low pay, they spend less... it is a vicious circle that keeps an economy sluggish. If CEOs and owners of Utah companies had any brains at all, they would try to pay their people as much as possible, thereby stimulating the Utah economy, which is good for their businesses!

"I am educated and I do fairly well considering, but I make only a fraction of what I should be making with my credentials, education and experience."

Then why don't you move somewhere where you make what you feel like you're worth?

If people are willingly here yet earning a substandard living, how does that incentivize businesses to pay more? If people were really that distressed about their pay, there would be this mass exodus from the state and companies would get the message that they need to pay more.

I think it's far more likely that you're just complaining about your pay, and you would probably be doing so even if you were making twice what you are now. Is that a fair assessment?

Utah is one of the lowest incomed, paid(-per-person) states in the nation. The reason we're not at rock bottom is only because the vast majority of Utah familes are two-income families. Utah industrials, manufacturing and private businesses notoriously pay poorly and far less in hourly wages on average than even surrounding states such as Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, portions of Nevada...

We left the state 30 years ago because this was the case even back then. We left for higher pay and lower cost of living.
The problem is still the same; not political, racial, educational, or religious, but that there are people that want to live there no matter the cost. So stop blaming each other. All of you are the problem.
There is an over-abundance of workers(causes low pay). There is a shortage of housing and commodities (causes high prices).
Some of you might consider leaving-- we did, and we found a wonderful, beautiful world out here. You don't have to live in Utah to be religious, you don't have to live there to be cool, and you don't have to live there to have wonderful family relationships or friends.
Just a thought-- it worked for us!

Guarantee there are tons of people in this "study" that can't support their family's needs, which include 2 cars bigger than they need, big screen TV's with Satellite TV, cell phones for all in the house, eat out 3-7 times a week, lots of discretionary spending etc... Doesn't sound like they understand how to live within their means to me, but have an entitlement attitude about what they should have. Don't blame government (either party) or employers, pull yourself out of your stupor of entitlement, live within your means and if you want more means, sacrifice for the short term and get an education in a field that will pay you more. Take some responsibility rather than wallow in self pity.

Get an education, work hard, and live within your means. Take control of your life or choose to be a victim, just don't complain about it if you've chosen the latter.

Its not your employer's responsibility to see that your income meets your needs and is to your satisfaction: it's yours.