Essential Workers Essentially Not Valued
It took a global pandemic to classify food workers as essential. Post-coronavirus will they be valued as they should? Probably not. However, workers are fighting to change that.
March 30, 2020
We are dependent on a system, for better or worse, to bring food to our tables and that system requires people. The person that toiled in the heat for your tomatoes, the person who puts up with working at a fast-food joint for your french fries, the person who has to perform customer service at your local grocery store with a painted-on smile, the line cooks who work like a well-oiled machine for your meal that is more an experience than nourishment, this is them. People that have dreams and aspirations, hardships, success, and worry. You know, human stuff. And when a global pandemic is announced and we’re told to isolate so that, well, we and others don’t die these are the workers who continue to risk their well-being. They have always been essential and now that they have been classified as such in this time of coronavirus, employers, industries and governments have that much more of a responsibility to finally value them.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average hourly wage for fast-food workers is $10.89, for cashiers $10.78, and restaurant line cooks $12.76. For anyone who has bills this is barely or not enough to live off of. For example, making $10.78 an hour and working 40 hours a week gets you $431.20 a week and $20,697 a year before taxes. Sure, maybe if you’re young, live at home and don’t pay rent and not supporting anyone you can maybe afford to make about $400 a week. Though, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows that restaurant workers between 2005-2017 were on average 29 years old. And today in 2020 I doubt that average has changed much. Therefore, it is safe to say that a large portion of food workers are adults, with bills, children, and responsibilities that exceed the $400 a week margin. If the national average for a 1 bedroom apartment according to Apartment List is $963 then all you have left is money for bills. Some people, for this reason, get stuck in the vicious cycle that are cash advances and not being able to get out of debt, let alone being able to save money. And to aggravate matters more, did I mention the federal minimum wage is $7.25?
When it comes to worker’s rights it has always been workers themselves that create the necessary changes in the workplace and their earnings. We have 8-hour workdays and overtime pay because of historic labor strikes. Today, there are still workers rising up and demanding their worth. One of the most notable campaigns is the Fight for $15 being led by fast-food workers demanding from their multi-national employers that they be paid at least $15 an hour and the right to form a labor union. These food workers have a long list of complaints such as chronic low pay, sexual harassment from co-workers and/ or management, and unsafe work environments. The campaign started in 2012 when over 100 fast-food workers in NYC went on strike and set their demands. Over the past 8 years, they have managed to reach numerous victories at the state and local levels. New York, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, and Connecticut have passed laws that gradually raise their state minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. San Francisco, New York City and Seattle have also passed $15 an hour city-wide legislation. Through the food workers’ hard work, strategy and courage they are slowly raising the national minimum wage for everyone.
In July 2019 the Raise the Wage Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives which would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, but the bill still hasn’t reached the Senate for debate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed that he is unlikely to take the bill up, while President Donald Trump has threatened to veto it. And let’s be honest, even $15 an hour is still too little in many cities, but it is a vast improvement from $10.78 or the laughable $7.25.
In another sector of food services, Instacart- the grocery delivery service- is under pressure from their shoppers amid the coronavirus. Instacart has had a tremendous increase in sales as the nation is told to shelter-in-place and households request their groceries be delivered, but their shoppers now face the risk of catching the potentially deadly virus. On March 30th shoppers went on strike in an effort further to highlight their demands from the company that once called them heroes. They demand a $5 hazard pay per order, an automatic 10% tip, and safety equipment such as sanitizer. Instacart so far has disregarded the hazard pay, said the tip can be adjusted to whatever the customer previously tipped and that in a week shoppers can receive hand sanitizer. The company is doing so well that they reported that they plan on hiring more than 300,000 more shoppers, but yet meeting the reasonable demands of their shoppers is not looking like an option for them.
While most food workers are deemed essential and some continue to work, others have no certainty when they will return as their employers have trimmed down their staff to a minimum. In response to this common scenario across industries, congress passed a relief package that includes a $1,200 untaxed direct deposit and unemployment benefits that vary per state but that includes $600 per week for 4 months for those unable to work due to coronavirus. Before passing this relief package some Republican senators expressed that they worried some people would end up getting more money than they normally do.
With the mindset of many congressmen, it makes it nearly impossible to think that the Raise the Wage Act would pass if brought to a vote. This is why workers have to constantly fight so hard and it’s not fair, but we should be grateful and supportive. Because the work they do in turn sets new standards that affect all of us. We all deserve to have a sustainable life. A life that we can build and grow, break generational poverty, have improved health, save for a rainy day, and not only have bread but roses too.
I encourage you to support the Fight for $15 campaign that is transforming US economic history. They are on the frontlines shifting the standards for all of us. Pay a visit to their website and check out their petitions and ways you can get involved in your city.