[kellychaos]

In independent companies (non-union) the starting wages (including benefits) of like jobs is, more or less, the same because it has to be. It's more or less based on competition, human nature and the distance from one's home. A job that involves too much of a commute is impractical. Even if the job is shitty, a person won't work for a less than competitive wage if he can find a similiar job in his area. That's why the real issue, when all the periphery things are peeled away, comes down to the way a person is treated by his employers and whether a person's job gives him some sense of pride or purpose in what he does.