Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. (US Department of Labor)As a national holiday, it was established by Congress in 1894, after the majority of states had already established holidays in honor of Labor. In the anti-union (in, oh, so many ways) South, it is a good time for shopping the sales and alcohol-related highway deaths.
I've been thinking about labor and wages and such since coming back from the AEU's 101st Assembly in St. Louis. While the Assembly program was focused on the theme of "Bending the Arc of History Toward Justice," there were resolutions on other matters that also got some attention in small briefing sessions and in the business meeting. One was the Living Wage resolution. It's worth a read. And it's worth knowing that an earlier draft of the resolution focused on raising the minimum wage to $15. After some discussion, the makers agreed to change the resolution to support a living wage--the amount of money that a person must earn to support their family if they are the sole provider.
Here is the current living wage estimate for Travis County. Less than $15 for a single adult, but considerably more for adult + child, a family situation for many in Travis County. Indeed, thirty-three per cent of children in Travis County live in single parent households.
Living Wage Calculation for Travis County, Texas
Living Wage Calculation for Travis County, Texas
livingwage.mit.edu/counties/48453
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
One thing I see a lot of is outright abuse of people working--for little money--in a service capacity. Waitstaff. Sales clerks/cashiers. Others who help take care of our needs in public and in private. The abuse comes when we think we have been ill-served. Something is not perfect. Service is too slow. Whatever it is that triggers our (false) conviction that we have somehow been disrespected, mistreated, or otherwise taken down from our (assumed) royal throne. I could just say, "Get over yourself," but as an ethical humanist I want to point out that we are bound to respect the inherent worth in all human beings. A mistake in service is just that--a mistake--not a catastrophic assault on our personal worth. Courteous, non-confrontational language ("Please take this bag as well," "I'd like more ice in tea, please" "I think there's an error in this receipt") can keep things flowing smoothly and acknowledge the worth of the person as well as the service. Instead of abusing those who help us, we reduce at least one source of stress in their workplace and respect their humanity.
I have also seen--just about all of my life--the chinchy, cheap tactic of under-tipping. We can argue that the "owners" of whatever service is being provided should pay better wages. I'm not sure how that would work out with portage services in transportation centers, but I know it would raise the price of meals in most restaurants. Lower prices come from low wages. We eat fine meals while the servers can't even afford a place to live. We work in offices cleaned by people who are homeless. Am I kidding? Austin Resource Center for the Homeless provides day and overnight beds for workers in our downtown businesses. They are simply not paid enough to live close enough to their jobs to be able to work there. (I mentioned transportation, didn't I?) Look at the etiquette of tipping and then consider how tips are considered, in reality, not merely an indication of quality of service but as a necessary part of the worker's pay--in lieu of actual wages. Got poor service? Say so--nicely. Ask for any corrections you think necessary, including sharing with management that some additional training is needed. Don't stiff the worker when circumstances are beyond his/her control. Remember that the time given to your care is a part of their workday for which they need to be paid. Then think about your part of their living wage.
What I'm writing about is not a big deal. This is really a very small part of our labor force and a small part of their lives. We can advocate for better policies that give workers--all of us--better lives, better conditions, better incomes. Nothing here argues against that--and much more can be argued in favor of it--but small things have big consequences. A little courtesy can go a long way toward encouraging someone who is working in difficult circumstances. A proper tip can help make a struggling family a little more secure. You will be making a small effort, but you will still be engaging in ethical action. Try it. You'll like it. (And share this with your sister-in-law.)
2 comments:
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat waitstaff.
Thanks for pointing out ways that we can live more ethical lives "in big ways and small."
Thanks, Trish. The bigger solutions are needed as well, but we can't all be working on those bigger solutions all the time. Sometimes, we just need to eat some dinner. If we don't cook it or serve it, we can still make the very small effort that it takes to see and treat those who are helping us as the human beings that they are. The same goes for all the low-paying service jobs out there where tips are expected as a substitute for a living wage.
Post a Comment