Do you think the gabage man /sanitaion engineer make a fair wage for the work?

Question

A friend of mine makes 9.50 an hour

Answer 1

I am a Wastewater worker and I make $30 an hr. Even at that income we feel we are under paid. Personally, to deal with someone elses waste I want to make $50 an hr. Thank you

Answer 2

The wages of labour is dependant on several factors (4 to be exact according to Adam Smith) Apart from the variations of supply and demand, wages are higher when the cost of entry into the profession is high. Which is why even the lowliest accountant makes more than the typical street sweeper.

However, people without specialised and highly trained skills can also earn more than the lowliest accountant. Why? because of another factor- the environment and nature of the job- it takes more motivation to work in a dirty or dangerous field.

The question of fairness in this context is quite hard to entertain. In a world where we can leave or enter into jobs as we like (very much close to reality), if you regard $9.50 an hour for a garbage man job is excessive, then more cashiers will quit their $5.40 per hour job and become garbagemen. If $9.50 per hour is too low (or 'unfair') then they would quit for a cleaner job. In the end, the wage rates is simply a reflection of the equilibrium wages where everybody is happy with their jobs. Some people want a safe and clean job for less money, while some takes more risk for better pay.

The conclusion is, without any sort of intervention from government, labour unions or monopolistic employers, I'd say almost ALL sort of wages are "FAIR".

*We must resist the temptation to say "it's a dirty job and i feel im uderpaid and would like to be paid more" because everybody would LOVE to be paid more for what theyre doing regardless of what job it is. When we are talking about what is fair, we want to talk about our wage IN RELATIVE to wages of other jobs, not what we think or feel about a particular job.

Answer 3

The average wage (for non supervisory or professional) workers is about $18 dollars an hour or $37,000 a year which is a about 2/3 the the median household income of about $50,000.
http://www.visualizingeconomics.com/2006/11/05/2005-us-income-distribution/
People in high cost of living areas like NYC average more and in cheaper areas average less. Considering that the work is unpleasant, I would think that it would pay above the average, so your friend could probably do better unless you live in a very low cost of living region. For a map of median income/cost of living in the US see
http://www.visualizingeconomics.com/2007/08/07/united-states-household-income-map/

Answer 4

15. an hour is fair, if its a good company that has great bemifits, holidays ect. But it also depends on what state your in, and the cost of living.

Answer 5

Yes

Answer 6

Sanitation Engrs Are not all paid the same. It will vary from state to state and town to town. The large cities pay more than rural.

Answer 7

They are out there in the rain and heat and...why is it they make so much when the lawn mowers dont?hmm,wondering now?
yes,i say its more than fair..we need to look into some other feilds that dont make as much.LIKE WOMEN..:)

Answer 8

yes. they get paid all kinds of money for that. Yes it's a gross job, but they get all the holidays off, they can wear gloves so they don't have to touch the garbage, and you can always take a shower when you get home. They get paid a LOT.

Answer 9

i am not sure what they make..but if its between 15$-$18 an hour, then yea, they make a fair wage. Anything less is highway robbery!

Answer 10

Considering that there is a long waiting list of people looking for that job, I would say it is at least fair, if not excessive.