Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Factoid of the Day: It Still Pays to Work in Virginia

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by

James A. Bacon
in

In three states — Washington, Massachusetts, and New Jersey — a family of four can earn more than $100,000 annually in equivalent government benefits, according to a study, “Paying Americans Not to Work,” published by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. The earned income equivalent for the state of Washington is a mind-boggling $122,653 a year, or $31 hourly wage equivalent for both parents working.

For a family of two parents and two dependent minor children, 14 states pay benefits that potentially exceed median wages earned by school teachers, machinists, electricians and truckers.

Virginians who believe in reinforcing the work ethic can take some consolation that the Old Dominion is pretty far down the list — 36th. Maximum potential benefits amount to $57,744, the equivalent to paying $15 an hour. That’s less than school teachers, building inspectors, electricians, firefighters, truck drivers, and machinists make — more than retail associates.

— JAB

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17 responses to “Factoid of the Day: It Still Pays to Work in Virginia”

  1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    And here we have been told by Conservatives that electricians and machinists are getting rich with no education these days…. 🤷‍♂️

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      Who said that? Here’s what’s required in Virginia, for a Journeyman license. A master license requires even more.

      Overview of the different types of VA electrical licenses
      The DPOR issues two types of electrical licenses:

      Journeyman electrician license
      If you’ve ever looked at the DPOR application for tradesmen, you’ve probably noticed that even journeymen electricians need a sizeable amount of work experience before they can apply for licensure.

      Specifically, you’ll need one of the following:

      Four years of experience and 240 hours of formal vocational training
      Five years of experience and 160 hours of formal vocational training
      Six years of experience and 80 hours of formal vocational training
      Seven or more years of experience and 40 hours of formal vocational training
      An associate’s degree or certificate of completion from at least a two-year program in an electrician-related field from an accredited community college or technical school and two years of practical experience
      A bachelor’s degree or certificate of completion from an accredited college or university in an engineering curriculum related to the electrical trade and one year of practical experience
      Ten years of practical experience

      1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        “Who said that?”

        Well, Sherlock just told us that “Walmart is offering new truck drivers $110k per year. To start.” This in his latest attack on college education in Virginia. Granted a truck driver is no electrician but JAB does cite truck drivers above in this piece.

        1. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          I did find a press release on Wal-Mart’s webpage where they state:

          “These latest investments mean Walmart drivers can now make up to $110,000 in their first year with the company. And that’s just a start – drivers who have been with Walmart longer can earn even more, based on factors like tenure and location.”

          Of course, qualifying for a CDL isn’t easy. You have to pass a medical exam and a drug test too, in addition to passing the knowledge test.

          1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
            James Wyatt Whitehead

            The piss test is the big barrier to filling all of those CDL job openings. Most applicants can’t even start taking the classes because of the piss test barrier. I know.
            I took the class. It was free too! 7 grand free. Virginia will pay almost all of the tuition. The instructor was awesome. His institutional knowledge was so useful. We live in a world of dummies. Out of 18 I was the only one to finish. Most washed out because they could not pee clear. I wonder when the woke warriors will start pissing and moaning about that one.

          2. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            It won’t make me any friends with the woke warriors, but my observation has been that an awful lot of the people that I know smoke weed are really, really lazy. Like sponge off friends and relatives for a place to live because they don’t work lazy.

          3. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Yes, but are they lazy because they smoke weed, or do they smoke weed because they are lazy?

          4. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            Not sure, but Afroman has a song which seems to explain a bit:

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeYsTmIzjkw&ab_channel=AfromanVEVO

          5. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Funny. I had not heard that song before.

            I am familiar with this one, though (it’s a bit older than Afroman’s song):

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6ZKp4K-pks

  2. how_it_works Avatar
    how_it_works

    ” Maximum potential benefits amount to $57,744, the equivalent to paying $15 an hour.”

    How is that figured? 15 x 40 x 52 = $31,200

    1. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      I was wondering the same thing. $57,000 per year is more like $27/hour.

    2. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      57K works out to about $27 an hour, no?

  3. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    Shocking!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c6dbccf717b3138808a3dde236aa230c58d8373b655ab5031f4b1e6dadb0c7b0.jpg

  4. WayneS Avatar
    WayneS

    Whatever happened to “equivalent government benefits” being a temporary safety net?

  5. Matt Hurt Avatar
    Matt Hurt

    According to https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/teacher-pay-by-state, the average teacher salary in 2022 is just slightly over the maximum benefit figure by less than $2000.
    Virginia is the most underwater with regards to teacher salaries compared to average household incomes. Given the stressful nature of teaching, I can see that the difference between a salary and being on the dole is not significant. Maybe that’s where all the teachers are going?

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d8ce94c9cb54cf1ae7968a7d5aa54bff7c60efc280dfd7361eec4d3f4d9950ff.jpg

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      I think one factor that has some effect perhaps is two-earner households.

      There are advantages to sticking with a sub-par salary job that does provide a pension and health insurance combined with the other earner.

      In Spotsy, we have teachers whose spouse work in the trades and the teacher has the family health insurance and if there are kids also, it’s a significant draw. Many of the teachers who do leave Spotsy, actually don’t leave teaching but commute north to jurisdictions that pay higher teacher salaries especially for some positions and seniority.

      1. Matt Hurt Avatar
        Matt Hurt

        Well it’s a fact that less folks are coming into the profession than leaving, and the problem is worse this year than last.

        As far as retirement, the new hybrid plan VRS has offered for the last few years isn’t much of an incentive. Also, from what I can tell, the younger generation doesn’t consider retirement as much as previous generations.

        With the current labor market, many teachers are finding much more lucrative means to while away their hours than teaching. Maybe the recession will eliminate many of these opportunities and these folks will be forced to return to the classroom.

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