How Much Did You Make at Your First Job?

Minimum wage workers in Wash­ington State got a pay raise on New Year's Day when the state's mini­mum wage minimum wage increased from $9.19 to $9.32/hr. It appears that thirteen other states raised their minimum wage as well -- by as much as $1/ hr in New Jersey. That said, Washington still holds the #1 spot for highest mini­mum wage in the U.S. fol­lowed by Oregon at $9.10/ hr.

Here's a brief history lesson on minimum wage. (Feel free to skip the next few paragraphs if you want to get right to the fun stuff.) According to the Depart­ment of Labor website, minimum wage began with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. At that time, the minimum hourly wage of workers in jobs covered by the act -- generally em­ployees engaged in inter­state commerce or in the production of goods for in­terstate commerce -- were required to be paid 25 cents an hour. In 1961 an amend­ment significantly extended minimum wage eligibility.

Washington State's min­imum wage law was initi­ated in 1961 and matched the federal minimum at the time, of $1.15/hr. In 1988 an initiative was passed by Washington voters, requir­ing L&I to make a cost- of-living adjustment to its minimum wage each year based on the Consumer Price Index.

Our "top spot" status on the minimum wage chart may or may not be something to brag about, depending on which side of the fence you stand on in what is often a hotly debated topic. Proponents contend that raises in mini­mum wage act as eco­nomic stimulus and ensure a livable wage for unskilled workers. Those who op­pose increases often cite the burden on employers and the fact that teens and young workers who would be willing to work for less, are often unable to find jobs and gain work experience. Why hire a 16 year old when you can hire a 36 year old for the same pay?

History and politics aside, I couldn't help but reflect back to making $3.35/hr. at my first "real" job waitressing at our local Elk's Lodge in Condon, Oregon. That was actu­ally a great deal because employers were allowed to take tips into consideration and could pay servers less than the minimum if they so chose. Mine didn't.

A comment regarding my early work experience and a question asking oth­ers about theirs on the Waitsburg Times Facebook page turned up some fun and interesting comments worth sharing.

Port of Columbia Man­ager, Jennie Dickinson said she made, "$1.10 per hour plus tips in 1983 . . . I was a waitress then and they didn't have to pay mini­mum wage to food serv­ers!" (I started waitressing a year earlier, while in high school. Apparently, my boss was more generous than Jennie's.)

It turns out that a sur­prising number of readers started out at just over $1/ hour, including Debra Stiff Monsive, who worked as a "Dairy Queen girl" in Ore­gon for $1/hr. and Meredith Bellevue Bretz who made "$1.50 ish" as a Laundro­mat attendant. Waitsburg artist Gail Gwinn said mini­mum wage when she began working was $1.25/hr. but, "we only got $1.11, some sort of restaurant loophole." (Again with the tips!)

Ray Fosnot, owner of R&D Creations in Waits­burg, recalls a minimum wage of, "$1.25 an hour, but my dad would only pay me 50 cents." Kath­leen Clink Smoak made, "$1.25/hr. in the orchards at Dayton, Wash. when I was 15." Mary Ellen Berg, who apparently knows how to stretch a dollar, said, "Hard to believe, but I started my first full time job at $1.25 a hour and that year I bought a brand new car."

As impressive as those stories were, there were a few folks who started out at even less than $1/hr. Darell Wyatt, who began working for $0.95/hr. said, "We got paid in shekels back then" and Michael Rancourt re­calls making "$0.75/hr as a hotwalker at Longacres racetrack" in Renton, Wash.

Many folks shared mem­ories of less "official" first jobs as well. Katie Mantz Leid got,"$0.50 an hour for babysitting, $1.50 for driving wheat truck for my dad." The $1.50 for driving wheat truck must have been fairly common as it was mentioned by a couple of different readers. Waitsburg's Barb Knopp babysat for only 25 cents an hour and Charlotte Hardt remembers, "$0.25/hr. for babysitting, 50 cents after midnight . . . "

Chris Webber made, "75 cents a flat picking strawberries on the South Touchet," while Laraine WeedenHoltsclaw recalls being paid for picking cucumbers by the pound in "the fields where the Mormon church is now (in Dayton)." I think Ron Moore, who received, "10 cents per hour stocking grocery shelves when I was 11," wins the Lowest Pay Award. Unless, that is, you count Barb Doty who said, "I worked in my dad's store and got paid '0' dollars per hour -- that's right -- I worked ot help the family."

If you have a bit of free time, hop on over the Waits­burg Times Facebook page to read the rest of the 60+ comments and add your own two cents. Maybe we'll ask a new question this week. Do you remem­ber what your first major purchase as an adult was? I remembering purchas­ing a VCR in 1985 for somewhere around $800. That was back in the day when you actually rented the VCR player WITH the movie, because VCRs were so expensive most peo­ple didn't have them. You know, this whole conversa­tion is making me feel old.