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International Automotive Technicians Network
Proposed $15.00 hr. minimum wage. Good?
Posted to Industry Issues Forum on 2/20/2021 105 Replies

Hello folks,

I am going to avoid the political discussion on this subject, to avoid violating iATN policies. So I ask any who reply to refrain from politics and focus on how it may impact our industry.

I am curious if people think this $15.00 minimum wage idea will be sustainable in this industry. We are already struggling to find any qualified employees to perform even simple repairs and servicing. Would any of you start a "green" employee with no experience or tools at this rate? Myself, I cannot afford to have someone just watch me work, even more, I cannot afford the resulting mistakes that are likely to happen. This could be dangerous or even deadly.

Where are these imaginary $15.00 hr. jobs going to come from?

Back many years ago the minimum wage was established to incentivize young people to get into the job market before or as they graduated from high school. It was not designed or intended to be a living wage from my understanding. It was an incentive to work long enough to gain some skills in the job market and ten move up to better paying jobs as the skills got better.

What worries me is more jobs are going to be cut as a result.

Roughly 2 years ago I let my last helper go because he was not following simple instructions and he was costing me due to a lot of rework and mad customers.

Glenn A. Hunt
Consultant/Owner
Automotive Doc's
Devine, Texas, USA

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