Low wage jobs are supposed to be for those that are just starting in the workforce. Those that are in high school or even for those that never finished high school. However, many people have fallen on hard times and have had to get any job they can just to make ends meet. Unfortunately, some never make it back to what they used to bring home. Today more than ever, overqualified people are working low wage jobs. That makes it harder for those who need a minimum wage job to obtain one. It also makes it much more difficult for felons who can’t obtain better jobs due to their records.
I had a friend who fell on hard times. She was escaping an abusive relationship and had to travel across multiple state lines to get away. When she settled down temporarily, she had to find a job for the summer before she could finalize permanent living conditions elsewhere. Even though she was a college student who was half-way through her degree and had been working since the age of sixteen, she was only offered a low wage job for an assistant manager position. Back then Virginia, in 2006, that was only $6.25 an hour.
I understand that she wasn’t planning on staying at the job for long, however, with her experience, I feel that she should have been given a better wage. If people with good credentials aren’t able to obtain jobs that pay more than minimum wage, then what are the rest of us supposed to do? This country has to do better in taking care of its people.
I absolutely hate that there are people who have been working for years and haven’t received a wage increase. I believe if someone has been working and doing a good job, then they should get a raise every couple of months. At least every year they should increase one dollar. Maybe every three months they increase a quarter. I also believe that if they get an award like employee of the month, then they should get an increase in their salary. There should be ample opportunity for someone who is faithful, responsible, and dependable to increase their low wage salary beyond the salary they started.
If the government can’t or won’t make the businesses that operate in America offer higher wage jobs that are least able to take employees over the national poverty line, then the government should make each state lower the living costs so that we all can survive. Most public schools offer breakfast to their students now. They were concerned about children starving at home, but if they fix the original issue, then they can guarantee that the majority of students won’t go to bed or wake up hungry. It’s like a doctor who prescribes painkillers for a broken arm without setting the bone or putting it in a cast. All they are doing is treating the symptoms and never treating the root of the issue.
I hope poverty never overtakes this country. I hope that the government uses wisdom to make better choices for those that keep this country running. I hope they take a cue or two from other countries with low wage jobs that equal middle-class American jobs (Australia for example). Although there is more to eradicating poverty than just increasing low wage jobs, it is a start. Something I feel the government has yet to do.