The Working Poor Deserve Higher Pay And More Recognition

Many low paid workers can thrive in society and get through their struggles, but the lack the respect that they deserve for what they do. Barbara Ehrenreich and Mike rose share their professional observations on this matter. Ehrenreich shares her research from a chapter in her book Nickeled and Dimed, called “Serving in Florida.” She focuses largely on how low-wage workers are oppressed and how little voice they have. She describes how difficult it is for low-income workers to survive month to month and what sorts of problems this lifestyle can cause. Roses share’s his experience in his article, “The Intelligence of the Waitress in Motion.” Rose focuses on how little credit low-wage workers receive for utilizing high level intelligence to get

Throughout the years, the ability to survive in the American economy without a college education has been diminishing. The employment opportunities now available to many Americans without college degrees are called “unskilled” jobs. These forms of employment are often unstable and offer low pay without much of a change for advancement within the company . Low income families are often constrained by many hurdles that do not allow them to raise themselves from below the poverty line . Many misconceptions come to light when talking about those American families below the poverty line, of those misconceptions are highlighted by statements such as that they do not work, work

The novel, “The Working Poor” by David K. Shipler gives us an inside look into the lives of the lower class and he explores exactly what it means to do hard, exhausting but honest work in America. The working poor are working people whose incomes fall below the poverty line. While poverty is often associated with joblessness, a significant proportion of the poor are actually employed. Shipler teaches us that just because you have finally become employed does not mean that most or all of your worries are over, often times they are increased. Largely because they are earning such low wages, the working poor face numerous obstacles that make it difficult for many of them to find and keep a job, save up money, and maintain a sense of self-worth. Shipler did an amazing job bringing light to the “forgotten America”.

Income Inequality is a major problem that has been going on in America for decades. Many people feel that it barely exists today, but those people are very uneducated and don’t really care about the huge problem in front of them the many people that feel that way are highly uneducated, and seem to not really care about which has been gradually increasing instead of decreasing. Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done, only of course if the poor class of people decide to actually educate themselves and get a higher education. One says poor class, simply because that’s how they’re classified. There are five types of levels that Americans are classified as, and they are: Upper Class, Upper Middle Class, Middle Class, Working Class, Poor. The highest percentage of Americans fall in the Poor department, and it has been that way for decades, and will continue to be that way for decades to come.

Throughout the book we see several reoccurring patterns and themes. One of those is how workers continuously try to allocate income to food, lodging, and medical care. It is interesting to see how they, and Ehrenreich manage this feat. We also see the relationship between dead-end jobs and poverty traps, and the many obstacles Ehrenreichs’ characters faced. And, finally we see how applicable Ehrenreich’s experience, and that of low-wage workers are, by drawing comparisons to Madison, Wisconsin.

It is not shocking to hear that tens of millions of Americans are living in poverty. Startling statistics about the poor are constantly being tossed around on television with images of run-down neighborhoods and malnourished children. The real surprise, however, is that millions of those in poverty are full-time, minimum wage earning workers. Many say one should feel morally obligated to help these people. President Barack Obama said it best in his February 2013 State of the Union address, “Let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full time should have to live

“Nickel and Dimed” by journalist Barbara Ehrenreich is the recollection of Ehrenreich's experiment to examine the economic conditions that the working poor in America had to endure after a major welfare reform, which made welfare less of a “safety net” and encouraged recipients of welfare to be reliant on a job and a job alone. With just a car, a couple thousand dollars, and a PhD in biology, Ehrenreich went undercover in a few states in America to take on the minimum wage life herself, and prove her claim that the working poor are being undermined by the covert and unjust class system in America. Her claim proved to be true several times throughout her experiment. In each state, she needed at least two jobs to pay for just her bare necessities, which led to exhaustion. It was so difficult for her to manage two

Why does it seem that the working class is set up for failure? Do these workers lack the experience in their chosen fields? Do these employees lack in their work ethic? Does the government need to give more support? Questions like these arise in both the story Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich and the article “The Minimum-Wage War” by Rolling Stone. At first glance, these writings may seem unrelated; However, the themes of minimum wage and work ethic go hand-in-hand with respect to these texts. These writings express the correlation that working a minimum wage job and having a strong work ethic does not always result in enough money to pay for the cost of living. Consequently, unskilled workers become forced to work two or more positions (or become a part of America’s underclass).

Although it is not difficult for the wealthy to increase their wealth, for those in or near poverty, the possibility of economic mobility becomes nearly impossible. The federal minimum wage in the United States is seven dollars and twenty-five cents per hour, however, that wage falls far below what has been determined to be a living wage. Using MIT’s living wage calculator, the minimum salary for a family of four with two adults working minimum wage jobs would need to increase between $15,000 and $40,000 to achieve an income that is considered “livable.” The probability of an individual bettering their situation financially, when they can’t even afford to live above poverty, is highly unlikely. Ehrenreich, the author of Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America, conducted a social experiment, putting herself in the life of the working poor, presenting how it is essentially impossible to live comfortably while working a minimum wage job. In the book, she shows the daily struggles of the working poor while contrasting it with her day to day life. Despite the flaws of her social experiment, she is able to present some of the invisible struggles of those in poverty. Her findings align with Shipler’s observations about home environment and the other factors that contribute to decreased upward mobility for those in poverty. In The Working Poor, Shipler highlights some of the critical factors that limit upward mobility for the poor, such as education. Shipler explains that both poor education systems and having parents who did not graduate from high school decrease graduation rates and opportunities later in life. In addition, stressful living situations, to include abuse and addictions, greatly affect children and often have repercussions in later life. Ehrenreich is able to effectively present the issues in the industries that employ minimum wage workers

In Barbara Ehrenreich’s bestseller, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, the author provides a peek into the daily lives of the unskilled workers forced into the labor market by welfare reforms. She shares her experience, capturing her use of the“undercover” method of journalism to better understand the world of the minimum wage working class. Her memoir details the endeavors she took to maintain a lifestyle under circumstances just as millions of Americans would soon experience it. Parting with her desk job as a writer and essayist, she uncovers what life under the poverty line is like first hand as she enters the world of service, attempting to work some of America’s least attractive jobs. With every account, Ehrenreich concisely

In America, low wage workers are experiencing difficulty maintaining a roof over their heads, putting food in their mouths, and providing for their families (Briana, 2016). Many of these workers are working at least two or three-part time jobs, or working full time at low-wage paying jobs. However, working full time or having two or three part-time jobs, still isn’t enough

Does the United States really support its citizens and allow them to prosper? In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, Ehrenreich investigates this question by living as a low-wage worker for three months in cities around the United States. Her experiences teach her that as her jobs change, so does her place in society. Nickel and Dimed effectively proves American society does not support the poor; instead, it decreases low-wage workers’ mobilities and forces them to live lives that are focused only on their jobs. Through her journey, Ehrenreich learns that because she works “unskilled” labor, her place in society changes.

Still, even those who push above a poverty-level wage can fall into a trap. Between $7 to $10 an hour, they make just enough to start losing what little safety net there is.”

The Working Poor: Invisible in America is a story that takes personal stories and accounts of people lives to describe the injustices that people face every day. Poverty is damaging to both the economy and the people who face it. Many times social policies are created to assist the people who are working but still struggle to get basic needs like food, utilities, gas, and medical. Poverty is a perpetuating cycle that is intended to keep the poor oppressed and discriminated against. Respectfully, this critique will address the social problems that are identified in the book, the major social welfare policy issues, the social values and beliefs that are critical and the implications for future social welfare policy and social work practice.

In first world countries, labor laws were created to protect and benefit the labor workers and to enable them to profit from their labor. According to Economic Justice for All, “employment is a basic right, a right which protects the freedom of all to participate in the economic life of society.” This quote is true for all individuals of all backgrounds, and not just those in first world countries. Many individuals in the world do not benefit from the property that makes profits and so they must endure employment to elude poverty, and to support themselves and their families. With the ethics of Economic Justice for All, in the United States alone, there are 8 million American’s that are unemployed, cannot find jobs, and are living under the poverty line, which equivalates to 7 percent of the labor force in America. The article goes on to say that “the burdens of unemployment compel us to the conviction that as