Week 1 Blog: Nickel and Dimed

“Respond to the questions at the end of the “Nickel and Dimed” article and discuss what you have discovered at the Dept. of Labor web site answering how the data relates to Barbara Ehrenreich’s book “Nickel and Dimed”.

1.        Have you ever held a low-wage job?  If so, would you say you worked hard?  What was your pay?  Were there any benefits?

I worked part-time as a restaurant hostess in high school.  I worked hard; this was my first job, and I was excited to be working—I felt so grown-up!  I dealt with customers and servers, handled food when required, and learned quite a bit about customer service, and interpersonal communications.  I earned 4.75 an hour.  The ‘benefits’ included a small percentage of the shared tips, and a discount on food.  However, each pay period a ‘small deduction’ was taken from each paycheck to help defray the cost of the food discount. 

2.       Ehrenreich claims that most well-off people in the United States are dependent on low-wage workers.  What do you think she means by this? 

I think she means that we try to save money by paying others low wages, and spending it on ourselves.  We depend on cheap labor to keep costs low, especially in the food, retail, and leisure industries.  All businesses try to keep costs as low as possible to maximize profits.  A business’ greatest cost can be the payroll, and so many will try balance paying lower wages while retaining skilled workers.  Some companies calculate the total cost of benefits packages (such as the company contribution to medical premiums) into the salary actually paid to the employee.  Many consumer products are now made overseas, where labor is significantly cheaper; therefore, goods cost less, and consumers are happy.

3.       Do you think most people with jobs at Wendy’s or Wal-Mart have a real chance to enroll in college and to work toward a different career?  Why or why not?

Yes, I think that most anyone has a real chance to enroll in college and work towards a different career.  I know that Wendy’s and Wal-Mart train good employees as managers and leaders; those skills can be transferred to a variety of job markets.  There are many options available to pay for college, especially Federal Work Study Programs:  your employer gets federal grant money to employ students, who gain experience working in any number of fields, and students get money for living expenses.   There are a lot of programs designed to make college accessible to just about everyone, including those with disabilities, and those for whom English is a Second Language.  Finding ways to enroll and pay for college depends on the creativity and effort of an individual.  I worked hard to enroll in college, and I continue working hard to ensure I complete my degree!  I know how hard it is to consider college when it feels like you can only earn enough to pay your bills.  I think taking college classes helps raise your self-esteem, no matter how many you take, or how far along you are. 

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, most people earning minimum wage or less are under the age of 25, or over 65.  More women than men earn minimum wage, and lesser education generally equates to lower wages.  The service industry, mainly food and drinks servers, has the most minimum wage earners.  This relates to Ehrenreich’s article by describing the people who earn the least amount of money.  They are intelligent, funny, smart, and skilled; but lack education, training, or access to resources such as healthcare.  According to the statistics, people under 25 are paid the least.   They are the most unskilled—they are finishing their high school or college education, and they do not have the same skills or work experience as older workers.  However, they are energetic, intelligent, and may have schedules that are more flexible.  People over 65 are probably retirees, and looking to supplement their retirement income.   Women historically earn less than men do, and there are more women employed in the service industries than men.  I think the data and Ehrenreich’s article shows that what people earn is disconnected to how hard people work; especially for minimum wage. 

 So, what do YOU think?

Anna C. 

Assigned readings:

Ehrenreich, Barbara.  2001. “Nickel and Dimed:  On (Not) Getting By in America.”  Sociology, 13^th edition. Ed. John J. Macionis.  New Jersey: Prentice Hall , 2010. Page 10.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey,  Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers:  2006.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. March2, 2007.  http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/print.pl/cps/minwage2006.htm.