A lot of Americans are in awe about how people living in the richest country in the entire world have to work for long hours and yet have nothing to show for it.
Available report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that in 2012, about 1.57 million Americans were earning a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Although millions more earned above the figure, several others earned below the minimum wage. More than 60% of those who earned minimum wage in 2012 were either in the hospitality, retail, or the leisure industry.
Approximately 28 million people will benefit directly or indirectly if the minimum wage is increased. This is because business owners usually adjust wages of workers above the minimum wage. Here are 5 jobs where under no circumstance should workers go broke for discharging their honest day’s work.
Airport workers: American airport workers have become disadvantaged as a result of actions by government, employers and their proxies to prevent the creation of strong unions. Take the LaGuardia Airport for instance; it was purposely constructed to restore hope and honor to American workers, but today, cabin cleaners earn a miserable $8 an hour without health benefits.
Fast food workers: the irony presented here is that those serving the orders are practically working for close-to-starvation incomes. Non-managerial fast food workers make an average of a measly $8.94 an hour. Majority of these workers are females while a considerable number of them have families to support.
Fishing industry workers: some of the most dangerous jobs in modern America are found aboard fishing vessels. They include pulling in lines, preserving the catch, and operating equipment among others. Industry wages are not subjected to minimum wage laws; instead, they are based on a percentage of harvest. That notwithstanding, if you deduct the cost of equipment and gear each worker is supposed to buy, their wages are typically below the minimum wage.
Construction and mining workers: Laborers including helpers often undertake the most hazardous tasks on construction and mining sites. Their functions involve explosives and scaffolding, yet they are the lowest paid. $10 an hour is the average wage for a day labourer. This makes the employees wallow in abstract poverty as they virtually struggle to keep body and souls just above the minimum wage. Because of their status as casual laborers, in several states, their medical expenses are not taken care of.
Nail salon workers: The last 2 decades have seen the number of manicurists tripled in the United States. The minimum wage earned by a manicurist or pedicurist is about $9.24 as of May 2012. Sometimes these workers are denied over time or even lunch breaks. They are also exposed to all sorts of harmful chemicals which may have not been tested for safety.