Man Born in 1867 Talks About Working in the 1880s - Filmed in 1930 - Colorized & Restored Video

[wishstar]

1. He made $5 his first week of work as a teen in 1880's, my grandpa made $10/wk in 1902

My grandfather came over from Italy at age 18 in 1902 and was happy to earn $.25 per hour well before the FLSA established $.25 per hour minimum wage in 1938. In 1902 he could easily afford a room and meals at a boarding house where he met my grandmother who had also come from Italy as a teen and worked at the boarding house for her keep. They eventually had 10 kids and owned a nice large home and later even a summer cottage on the water too. He had been a blacksmith apprentice in Italy and worked in metal projects up until his death at age 91.

My first full time job in 1976 was for $5 per hour which at the time was considered quite good (I rented an apartment for $100 per month) and by 1979 I was making $7 per hour and could afford to buy a house in 1979 with a $300 mortgage. I could never have envisioned that our federal minimum wage would still be only $7.25 over 40 years later.