In this part of the country, that meant he wanted to work for Caterpillar Inc., the construction equipment powerhouse. Now the Canton, Ill., resident is on the morning shift at the company's East Peoria plant, installing fenders on tractors and working on hydraulic lines, a manufacturing job description that once promised an American middle-class lifestyle.
The reality for Ellis is nothing like that.
With the new job he started in January, Ellis' pay jumped by $5, to $15.57 per hour, but he has no medical benefits for himself or his 3-year-old daughter, whom he shares custody of with his ex-girlfriend. Between rent and child support, he acknowledges falling back on his parents for support.
"If you talk to my mom and dad, they would tell you I'm an idiot because I'm barely making ends meet," Ellis, 38, said.
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5 comments:
"Some entry-level manufacturing jobs pay so little that workers depend on government aid to feed their families and pay for health care."
Therein lies the problem. Some of these companies don't offer health benefits or higher wages because they know the government (aka taxpayers) will pick up the difference. Then these same companies will turn around and cry about the taxes they have to pay and threaten to take their jobs overseas.
It's what happens when the bottom line becomes the most important thing.
I call bullshiskty.
A decade into a career he found at his colleges annual job fair, my brother has managed 4 different steel plants across the country. Every plant pays the prevailing union wage despite the fact they're non-union. Excellent health benefits, 401K match, stock options, the works. They even pay for all moving fees if you decide to take them up on a transfer, and they give you a month of paid time off so you can get settled in.
Manufacturing built the middle class, and despite the fact everyone says "Nothing in Made in America" anymore, those folks are wrong. Check out the world ranking of country by factory production.
I can't speak for Mr. Ellis, but he's obviously not been very proactive in his career. 38 and still paying rent with an entry level job isn't Caterpillar's fault, it's Mr. Ellis's.
I'm not going to comment on the state of this fellow's finances, however, having to support 2 households through child support is probably a strain.
To me divorce has destroyed the middle class.If a man and a woman stayed together for the rest of their lives,they would be in better financial shape.
423-A lot of study's back up your point of view as credible. Divorce forces a family, that under one roof would succeed, to two homes that struggle. But, such is life.
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