In
a recession that won’t say die, words like “underemployed” and
“underpaid” take on a life of their own.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย They also consume some people’s
lives.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย City resident Brent James knows
this.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย A single parent, he works two
part-time jobs; each pays around $6 an hour, he says. One of these jobs is in
food services at an affluent suburban school. But the affluence doesn’t pump up
James’s paycheck or lifestyle. “I don’t even have health care,” he
says. “I use public transportation. I can barely pay my rent and utilities
bills to keep a roof over my head.” His says his paycheck from the school
is growing slightly. “They gave me a 20-cent raise.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Palmyra native Katie Russell knows
the score, too.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The SUNY Geneseo sociology major
says she holds down two campus jobs, one at the current minimum wage ($5.15 an
hour) and another at $6 an hour. She works just six hours a week during the
term, she says, but she has to make hay during the summer. A recent summer job
gave her 50 to 60 hours a week at $7 an hour, she says. But summer earnings
stretch pretty thin over the school year.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I come from a single-parent
family,” says Russell, whose brother is just entering grad school.
“It’s tough. I don’t want to ask my mom for money.” She muses about
some Geneseo students who have to work 30 hours a week at a near-minimum wage.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Farmworker Conchita Solis has her
own perspective.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I work on a farm in Monroe
County,” she says, through translator Bill Abom, head of the
Brockport-based Rural and Migrant Ministry. “I’m the mother of three
children. I’m paid $6 an hour. I earn [up to] $230 a week.” She takes
advantage of a day-care center, she says, but it doesn’t cover all her hours.
“I have to pay someone extra to take care of my children till I come from
work.”
It’s not hard to imagine
that these three lives would be easier if the wage-scale went up. (“Once I
get to a $10-an-hour job, I’ll be satisfied,” says James.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But James, Russell, and Solis,
aren’t just dreaming about this. They’ve signed onto an effort to raise New
York State’s minimum wage.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The effort, the “$5.15 Is Not
Enough” campaign, is being run by nine statewide groups, including Citizen
Action, the Fiscal Policy Institute, the New York Public Interest Research
Group (NYPIRG), and the Working Families Party. Among the more than 60
endorsers are local groups like the Rural and Migrant Ministry, the Rochester
and Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation, Metro Justice, FoodLink, and Action
for a Better Community.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The campaign’s key organizing tool
is a brand-new report — and call to action — from the Albany-based Fiscal
Policy Institute (FPI). Raising the
Minimum Wage in New York assembles a great deal of data about low-wage
workers. But it also makes a political point: raising the minimum to around $7
an hour in several stages would have no bad effects on the state labor market.
The raise, says the report, would cut job turnover, a huge expense for
businesses. And it actually would improve the economy by, among other things,
putting more spending money in low-wage workers’ pockets.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The case can be made on simple
fairness, of course — the old principle of “a fair day’s pay for a fair
day’s work.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย And no documentation is needed to
show $5.15 doesn’t go far these days.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Still, it’s interesting to gauge how
far the minimum wage has dropped over the years. In 1970, says the report, the
federal and state minimum was $1.85, which translates to $8.83 in 2003 dollars.
That was New York’s all-time high.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย It’s revealing how many people are
directly affected, too. When the media track the effects of the minimum wage,
they usually single out a few job classifications — as we admittedly have
done ourselves. Food service, farm labor, student employment: These are
well-known minimum-wage “ghettoes.” But the FPI report has a long
list of occupations in which at least a quarter of all jobholders get under $7
an hour. The occupations include cashiers, service-station attendants, barbers,
retail salespeople, funeral attendants, library assistants, and film
projectionists.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย All in all, low-wage workers account
for almost nine percent of the state workforce of 7.8 million. But that number
is a little skewed. As the report says, the state workforce data leave out
self-employed persons and “those earning above $142 per hour.” That’s
right: no decimal point in that figure.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The report concludes: “In
addition to having the widest-in-the-nation gap between the rich and the poor,
New York has the dubious distinction of having the greatest disparity between
its average wage and the earnings of a full-time minimum-wage worker.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Simple justice argues for narrowing
that gap.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย (To see the full report, visit
www.fiscalpolicy.org.)
A postscript
for Rochesterians more worried about jobs than about pay rates.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย It pays to worry: The Kodak layoffs
will soon put thousands more in the unemployment line, at least temporarily.
Benefits of up to $405 a week will keep workers and families from losing their
homes and hopes — not to mention their minds. The typical unemployment check
will be a lot smaller than the old paycheck, though.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Which brings up an uncomfortable
question. If $405 is a sacrifice while you’re unemployed — and it definitely
is for many people — just how bad is $206, a week’s pay for a full-time
minimum-wage worker? And that’s assuming this full-timer actually gets 40 hours
a week.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But what happens to the minimum-wage
worker who gets laid off and collects unemployment?
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย According to a formula on the state
Department of Labor website, if you made $3,575 or less during your “high
quarter,” you get one twenty-fifth of what you made during those 13 weeks.
So if you were slogging along at a steady $206 per week, your weekly
unemployment benefit will be $107.12.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย And that’s definitely with a decimal point.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But of course you can fall back on
the savings you amassed while riding high at $5.15.
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2004.
