California Gov. Schwarzenegger orders minimum wage for 200,000 state workers, citing lack of Budget

I think this has to do somthing with Aliens (from space) taking over California and the government officials are all clones now......Just my thought

[edit on 1-7-2010 by Cloudsinthesky]

And here we go! (said in UFC Announcer Mike Goldberg voice)

This could get interesting real fast. If the feds don't bail them out look for more states to sign on to the sovereignty movement. I'd say this is the beginning of the end of the system!!! Yahoo!!!

I do feel bad though for all the folks who will go through hell this next few years. But it is necassary so we can start building a new system and get big brother off our backs!

Burn baby burn!

And Atlas Shrugged...


[edit on 1-7-2010 by hawkiye]

reply to post by David9176

Yes it does.....on imported products...absolutely. Prices will go up at Chinamart....although a tariff on foods would be a horrible idea obviously so we shouldn't do that ....but everything else damn near needs to be done. The jobs will never come back and the middle class will never recover.

This would just be a tax on the lower classes. People can't afford much more than what they have now, and to tax cheap imported goods would hurt the low-income people most. You would be making life harder for those whose life is already really hard. I hope you could live with that.

reply to post by spaznational


That's an amazing attitude. Seriously.

I must have issues thinking I'm equal to others, and that my work has value.

Seriously. I'm just not cut out to be somebody's door mat. I love to help people, and do so frequently. But not like this. Not by force. Not by having my life turned upside down.

I'm not criticizing you. You seem very humble, and understanding.
I just can't imagine that the majority of workers will feel the same.
Especially after working for a while in one of the professional positions.

If you planned your life around a certain income, as we all do, then to suddenly have that pulled out from under you, would be extremely difficult. Life changing. ............................
Ya know? I would have to leave there. I wouldn't spend my life in a forced poverty to pay for the mistakes I had no control over. People are just different, I guess.

My issue is equality. He's no better than anybody else. Not by my estimation.
That's just how I feel.
Sorry, if I'm stepping on toes. I don't mean to. This just makes me angry.

Edit to remove unnecessary comments.

[edit on 7/1/2010 by ladyinwaiting]

reply to post by DINSTAAR


You do realize that politicians on both sides of the aisle are advocating VAT taxes, fair taxes, and flat taxes.

How is this any different? The only way to create demand for american jobs is to be able to make them compete with cheaper labor...the only way to do it is with tariffs.

If it doesn't change the result will be far worse than what you are stating by raising tariffs. Do you raise tariffs across the board? No...obviously some tinkering would need to be done.

But if we ever expect to actually regain our lost manufacturing base and keep our own money in our own country...then it has to be done.

We also need to actually start enforcing anti trust laws and break up the endless monopolies that are crushing all of our competition and corrupting our government.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


The Governator takes no money from the state. He works for free.

He is a multi millionaire though. $175,000 is chump change compared to his wealth.

I'd probably work for free too, if I was a multi millionaire.

[edit on 1/7/10 by MikeboydUS]

Well at least he is giving warning,if these people are truly good at theior trade should be able to find a new job for more pay,I just think he uses accountability,he has been against these tree hugger bills costing milliuons,but bummer if my buisness was going broke I too would be cutting back or just close the door,I see how some posters are influnenced seems they watch too many movies and TV,as far as public works goes,the private sector can do it faster better and cheaper,life will suck if you work for feds

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


"I must have issues thinking ... that my work has value."

Prior to 1980, Americans not only felt valued as a contributing member of the American workforce, but they commanded wages of value, which allowed for the accumulation of wealth.

After 1980, the wealth of these hardworking Americans was either conned or outright stolen from them. Their work was devalued /made insecure in order to be able to yank their jobs from them without a complaint. Jobs were outsourced, other lower wage workers were insourced. Wages were devalued.

"If I was laid off tomorrow it would suck for me but it would NOT be an injustice." to quote the prior poster.

Yes, yes it is an injustice. An economic injustice.

You see, there is a reason Glenn Beck is going to co-opt Martin Luther King Jr. The official state/corporate sponsored version of MLK deals with only race. GB, the good corporate "free market" shill will make sure the focus stays on race.

MLK paid the ultimate price, his life, because he also said:

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

The profit motive, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspires men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life.

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

A man can't ride your back unless it's bent."

How would GB answer MLKs question?...Now, Where Do We Go from Here? Chaos or Community....He and his followers would prefer the chaos of armed rebellion over an inclusive community.

For Americans to not see that forcing minimum wage on workers devalues them and is an injustice, then corporatism has arrived, taken over the govt, and our minds.

And, Glenn, hears a quote about you
"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan."

reply to post by Hx3_1963


I have zero sympathy for state workers.

I hope they all quit over this, and take their so-valuable services and skills to the private sector, where they can compete with illegal aliens for janitor jobs, just as I do.

Who would work for mimimum wage in California? Other than illegals. But government people? I find this hard to believe.

One could not even live in a trailer and drive a 20 year old gas guzzler on that wage. And forget feeding your children. Get in the food line.

Minimum wage in Cali would take all your wages just to to pay taxes. Nothing left over.

We are going to have more criminals/survivalists than good people. If true, the world is going to get very ugly. What a shame.

California = Russia ten years ago. Arnie, please resign.

How does this even work?

Those protected under Labor Union agreements/contracts are exempt.
Those who are salaried employees are exempt.
This supposedly only affects hourly workers, not part of a Union?
And for only the month of July?
Truly bizarre....

Is the state worker minimum wage the same as the pivate sector minimum wage or is it a special gov worker rate?

reply to post by Hx3_1963


Good for him. For too long the folks who work in government feel that they are immune from economic events. In the private sector, folks get laid off, they cut costs, do more with less. When someone works on commission and business slumps they make less and sometimes significantly less than in good times. Same deal for waiters, roofers, mechanics, everyone but folks in the government.

Its about time we injected some private sector reality into the public sector. It might make the government a bit more sensitive to the impact their actions have on the economy

reply to post by ..5..


State and Federal Minimum Wages may be different, but within the State it is the same for *almost everyone. Of course, there are certain sectors it doesn't apply to. Restaurant workers and those who work for tips, for example.

US Dept of Labor

reply to post by LadySkadi


It probably relates to those other groups having already settled for give backs, in effect a pay cut, to help with the budget.

Here's an article.

Originally posted by ladyinwaiting
I assume Mr. Schwarzenegger is including himself in the new pay scale.

I will have to assume that he is, since he is a "state worker", and state employee himself.

Just goes to show you how little he thinks of the pawns who help run the state of California, and how little he values them.

Ummm, well actually, he doesn't take the pay he would get as Governor. I believe he donates it. Nice try at an insult though.

I think a lot of people are missing the point. Yes getting your wage rolled back to minimum wage would suck bigtime. However, if a budget isn't passed then there is far less money available to run the state. The state is using all it's credit cards right now and they're all close to maxed. If something isn't done soon it gets more and more difficult for them to borrow money at a reasonable rate. If they don't start restructuring the State and default on some loans then what's happening to Greece could very well happen to them. If they're not already there!


I wonder if things will get bad enough that States will start taking the IMF up on their offer to shore up State budgets?

We here in Jersey have really gotten cut.
Over a billion in cuts to the schools

Thousands of layoffs and hundreds of teachers out.

It’s pitiful to watch people who have worked for the state for years getting layed off or bumped to a lower job.

The governor cut taxes for the millionaires to the tune of 800 dollars a year for people making over 400, 000 that allowed him to cut the education budget and aid to the municipalities over a billion.

Soon police, firemen, and other state workers will go

Look for crime to go up
Property taxes to go up
Schools to go down
Etc

All so this ignorant governor could protect the rich

The country is going down
fast!


[edit on 2-7-2010 by inforeal]

[edit on 2-7-2010 by inforeal]

california's minimum wage is $8.00/hr. San Francisco's is $9.79/hr.

can a state gov't force private business to pay it's workers a higher wage than they themselves are willing to pay?
seems to be the governor is breaking california law here, isn't he?

Thursday, Jul. 1, 2010 - 9:37 pm
The Schwarzenegger administration today ordered State Controller John Chiang to reduce state worker pay for July to the federal minimum allowed by law -- $7.25 an hour for most state workers.

The instructions from the Department of Personnel Administration exclude roughly 37,000 state workers in six bargaining units that recently came to tentative labor agreements with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Some employees, such as doctors and lawyers, would get no pay because federal exempts them from any minimum wage requirement. Managers, supervisors and others who don't get paid for working more than 40 hours per week would receive $455 per week until a budget deal got done.

Confession: I didn't read this last night before I posted. Yeah, I know, I know that's a mistake, but anyway.

I feel better that it is only for one month. The professionals can suck up a month, and I personally wouldn't complain too much either, although I would be furious I'd been put in that position. If things ever improved, I would ask to be reimbursed.

In fact this is not the first time California has done this, or has at least proposed doing it. I continue however, to see this as a "let them eat cake" scenario. He is out of touch with the citizens, because he can't seem to truly grasp that people really DON'T always have other resources; ways to acquire the things they need, as he and Maria do.

I read somewhere, that he actually spends more than $455.00 a month on pedicures and manicures, so it's probably difficult for him to believe anybody would actually take that amount of money seriously. Disconnected.

Governors always hit up state employees for the simple reason they are the only population they have true control over. Narrow-minded, and power wielding.