Patch Readers Remember: What Was Your First Job?

Law-makers and workers are focusing more and more on the minimum wage.   Patch used information provided by the United States Census Bureau to show how many households in Pinole-Hercules are earning $25,000 or less. Fast food workers from across the country are asking for higher wages according to the Christian Science Monitor. 

We asked our Facebook followers about their first jobs and whether those jobs were minimum wage.

Stephanie Fishkin Dark wrote, “My first was an under the table job at a home furnishings store: they paid me cash as a tween to dust and clean off the surfaces.”

Mary Heck Spryer told us, “First official job was as a cashier at a department store $1.65/hr in 1971. Before that, babysitting for .50/hr (.75 after midnight).”

Dan Jones’ first job was in the restaurant business.  He wrote, “Chinese Kitchen, Clayton road in Concord $2.50 an hour plus all the pork fried rice i wanted, but only 2 prawns per shift! LOL <true!”

In 1955 the Federal minimum wage was $.75 an hour and has increased over the years to today’s rate of $7.25 an hour.  Some states have a minimum wage different from the federal rate.  The minimum wage for hourly workers in California is $8.00 an hour and workers in San Francisco and San Jose enjoy minimum wages over $10.00 an hour.

What was your first job?  Was it a minimum wage job?  Tell us in comments.