Is there dignity in low wage work? Of course there is – there is dignity in
work! But let’s get real for a
moment. According to the Economic Policy
Institute’s Budget Calculator (http://www.epi.org/resources/budget/),
a family of four (4), two working parents, would require $62,268 to meet basic
living expenses in Adams County. A
single parent with two children would require $54,358. This is similar to what we find when we ask
groups all across our counties. For a
family of three the numbers range from $49,000 - $78,000 depending on the
group. And yet we know wages in our
local community, for service and agricultural work, are between $15,000 and
$30,000 per year. Based on our research,
a family of three would have to work 3.6 minimum wage jobs to meet basic living
expenses. That is 3.6 full time, minimum wage jobs!
So what is dignity?
One definition is “The state or quality of being worthy of honor.” In fact, following the definition was this
sentence “The dignity of manual labor.”
Interesting.
I believe there is dignity in work, and I have a deep
appreciation of those that work so my life can be easier – the people who go to
work at convenience stores, restaurants, cleaning people, those working at
Amazon so I can get my Prime Package in “only 2 days”. And yet, I know, because I work with those
folks on a daily basis, that most of those folks are low wage earners. Working incredibly hard, but struggling to
earn enough to make ends meet.
Frequently with few or no benefits.
Frequently no PTO or Sick Leave.
Frequently little or no personal meaning in the work. And when you work in those conditions, when
there is constantly not enough, life becomes more chaotic. If your car breaks down, or the kids get
sick, or your evening child care provider backs out – it is incredibly
impactful to your ability to stay above water.
You may lose everything you have because of what might be a bump in the
road for others. Do you get to go on
vacation? Can you enroll your children
in extracurricular activities? Can you
own a home? Can you even live in a safe apartment? Can you have cable without people judging
you? And if you, though you are working
full time or more than full time, still qualify for SNAP benefits (food stamps)
can you shop without judgement? The
answer to most of those question is no.
There will always be a need for low wage earners – people
who are working just as hard as you and I, for lower wages. Often times working more hours at hard
physical labor for low wages. They have
no retirement, no pension, no 401K. They
work in jobs that impact their bodies and health – how long can you work at a
factory stacking boxes. What happens
when your body can’t do it anymore? How
do you support yourself then, because Social Security is still years away?
Look around tomorrow as you go about your day. Take a look at all the people in your path,
working hard in low wage jobs – frequently at more than one low wage job so
they can support themselves and their families.
And for many of those people, the jobs they work for the entirety of
their life, will be low wage jobs. This
is us, right? This is our
community. How do we treat people in our
daily interactions? How do we talk about
and value their work? We didn’t choose
who are parents were, where we were born, or the aptitudes and talents we
received. Where we come from matters –
it may not determine all of our future, but it certainly determines how hard
the path to success is. So how can we
make sure there is dignity in low wage work?
