Originally Posted by Jerseygirl08 (Post 2181901)

I totally agree. I'm a recently retired RN. A Handyman pay in TV is better per hour than a registered nurse pay. Don't get it. And way higher than a teacher's pay. Don't get that either.

When I was on the floor working my arse off - with no 15 minute breaks, no 30 minute lunch, and never getting out on time ..... and wait ..... called names, spit on, urine thrown on me, elbow broken, no holidays spent with my family, and on and on it goes . . . I often wondered, "What the hell am I doing this for?" Society needs nurses, doctors, teachers, firemen and firewomen, and police officers - for sure. We should pay them accordingly. And if they are not doing their jobs accordingly, they should be fired - not protected. My rant is over.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2182256)

Good post. It is very SAD that (say) a plumber would make more money than a nurse or TEACHER. The US has been VERY backward about its priorities for years. One reason for that is that "the powers that be" have DECRIED that UNIONS "shall be NO MORE"! They fear UNIONS because UNIONS are about helping ordinary people get ahead. If these upper, uber elitists COULD do it, they would have already OUTSOURCED TEACHERS and NURSES to China.

Originally Posted by Kenswing (Post 2182298)

It must be a regional thing. My wife is also a retired RN of 40 years. For at least the last 15 years of her career she was in the six figures and she only worked 35 hours per week. She got extra pay for her degree. Extra pay for any specific certification she held. Weekend differential, etc. That was in Washington state. I know she probably wouldn’t be making that kind of money here.

Originally Posted by JMintzer (Post 2182431)

Why is it sad that a plumber would make more than a teacher or nurse?

They may charge more per hours, but that includes their business expenses, insurance, etc... They don't TAKE HOME that hourly fee...

Do you have a clue how much it costs to outfit a truck/van for a plumber?

Have you ever called plumbers for an emergency visit when your house floods? When your toilets backs up into your house? How about when your gas furnace dies and you're freezing in your home?

A good plumber is worth what they charge...

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2182491)

That shows that Wa. the state is more progressive than Fl. Their schools probably rank higher than Fl. schools. And because of that more sophisticated employers and employees live there rather than in Florida. Their High School graduation rate is probably much higher than Florida's.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2182495)

Not compared to a teacher. Societies can turn on the quality of their school system. No one cares to rank countries on how good their plumbers are. One thing for sure Is that Florida is going in the wrong direction. Soon Fl will be so desperate to hire teachers that plumbers will be accepted into the classroom.