33% of Nevada workers make between $8 and $15 an hour....and many don't have decent health coverage:

[amborin]

This is why Bernie's plan to raise the federal minimum wage is so important. And, why Medicare for all is so crucial:

Not just in Nevada, but everywhere.


http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-legislature/bumping-nevada-minimum-wage-9-hour-called-good-start-just-start

Bumping Nevada minimum wage to $9 per hour called a good start, but just a start

......The minimum wage is $7.25 for workers who are offered health care coverage and $8.25 for those without workplace policies.

About 70 percent of the state’s minimum wage workers are not employed full-time, but most work two jobs....

.... by 2016 larger employers will be required to offer full-time workers health insurance or pay a fine.

So companies are using more part-time workers at 30 hours or less per week.

3.8 percent of Nevada’s employees work for minimum wage at the $8.25 per hour rate....

Some 33.1 percent make between $8.26 and $15 per hour with the remainder apparently having better-paying jobs.

The federal poverty level for one person is $11,770 per year; $15,930 for a household of two; and $24,250 for a household of four.

A minimum wage of $9 per hour for a 40-hour workweek equals $18,720 per year.

Las Vegas and Nevada again claim No. 1 rankings for underwater homes

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/las-vegas-and-nevada-again-claim-no-1-rankings-underwater-homes

By Jennifer Robison

Las Vegas Review-Journal

A key housing indicator showed little improvement at the end of 2015, heralding the potential for a slower local real estate recovery.

The Las Vegas Valley ranked No. 1 among big U.S. metro areas for its share of homes with mortgages that were significantly underwater at the end of 2015.

Fourth-quarter numbers from California research firm RealtyTrac reported that 27.7 percent of valley homes had serious negative equity, defined as a loan that's at least 25 percent higher than the home's value.

That was more than double the national rate of 11.5 percent. By way of comparison, San Jose, Calif., had the lowest share, at 1.8 percent.

Nevada rated No. 1 among states as well, at 23.9 percent. Illinois ranked No. 2, at 20.7 percent, while Florida placed No. 3, at 19.8 percent.

[kgnu_fan]

1. K＆R

[bigdarryl]

2. Isn't it a right to work state ?

[HDSam]

3. It is

and in northern Nevada you can't throw a rock and not hit a distribution center or casino. These places pay an average wage of about $11.00 per hour with few or no benefits. And you better not have a disability or be older than 40. And you definitely need to be computer literate.

Oh, and you should have a reliable car to get to these opportunities -- many of these prime employment opportunities aren't on the bus line. For example, the Reno-Tahoe Industrial Center, the largest industrial park in the United States is about fifteen miles away from the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, but has no bus service.

Couple that with generally poor pay from the casinos, a broken education system, and easy access to I-80 and you have a state ripe for employers seeking workers they can hire and fire at will.

Those that have found consistent employment outside of the customer service and warehousing fields know that in a right-to-work state the smallest error can result in having to get on the staffing agency merry-go-round trying to stay one step ahead of bill collectors by working in distribution centers, call centers, or in minimum wage customer service positions.

The pitiful thing is I moved to Reno from a southern state and it's better here. And employment is getting better as employers see the available pool of workers willing to work for nearly anything dry up with the economic recovery and slow increase in construction. Maybe they'll quit requiring resumes for that $8.25 per hour job, but I'm not holding my breath.

[amborin]

4. that is just horrible;

[HDSam]

5. And that 18k per year

at $9.00 per hour mentioned in the article is gross, not net. All said, if you're pulling a pallet jack and have an RF scanner on your belt, you'll be lucky to walk away with $1200.00 per month. And we have some of the highest housing prices in the United States.

To add to the problems, Washoe county imposes a gas tax at the pump, increasing the price per gallon by about 35 cents. Prices in Reno are ~ $2.17 per gallon, twenty miles away in Carson City it's ~$1.74.