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Groups > Inside The Lives Of People On Minimum Wage > Discussions > Topic: A Start: Inside the Lives of People Living On Minimum Wage
Topic: A Start: Inside the Lives of People Living On Minimum Wage

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Heidi T.	A Start: Inside the Lives of People Living On Minimum Wage July 28, 2006 2:35 PM http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200604/tows_past_20060414.jhtml Could you live 30 days on just $5 an hour? For millions of people, this is reality. No credit, no savings...life on minimum wage. Minimum Wage Could you live paycheck to paycheck? Morgan Spurlock finds out what it's really like. Paying the Price Families barely scraping by share their daily struggles. What can we do to help? Related Resources 30 Days airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on FX. For more information about Americans living on minimum wage, visit www.lowwagework.org. The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans by Beth Shulman Related Links Inside the lives of America's poor Oprah's Debt Diet Suze Orman's financial advice Original Air Date: April 14, 2006 [ send green star]
Heidi T.	Reality Check: Living In Another Person's Shoes July 28, 2006 2:42 PM Thirty million Americans who work full time are living in poverty. The federal minimum wage in the United States is $5.15 an hour and has not been raised in almost 10 years. Someone working full time at minimum wage earns $10,712 a year—that's $8,000 less than what the government defines as poverty. Why should you care? These are the very people we rely on every day. They are the teachers' aides in your child's classroom. They are caring for your aging parents in the nursing home. They make sure your hotel rooms, your offices and your schools are clean. They are security guards keeping buildings safe. They are paramedics who are there in your most desperate hour. A documentary filmmaker tries to survive on minimum wage. » Morgan Spurlock burst onto the scene with his innovative Oscar®-nominated documentary Super Size Me, in which he chronicled every detail of his monthlong McDonald's diet. He is also the mastermind behind the F/X show 30 Days, in which he challenges people to experience life outside of their comfort zone for a month. In one experiment, Morgan and his fiancée, Alex, left their home in New York and tried to survive for one month in Columbus, Ohio, living on minimum wage. They agreed on three ground rules for their experiment: They had to earn minimum wage, they could start with only one week's pay in cash, and they had to freeze their credit cards. Before they could look for work, they went on the hunt for a place to live. » The first step for Morgan and Alex was to find an apartment within their $400-per-month price range. The only neighborhood they could afford was in "the Bottoms." At one time, the apartment below their unit was a crack house. [Already they were in debt by $1000 from the rent and other deposits.] On day two, Morgan and Alex set out to find their low-wage jobs. Alex found a job bussing tables and washing dishes in a downtown coffee shop, and Morgan registered with a temp agency. For his first assignment the next day he was promised at least $7 an hour—$1.85 more than minimum wage. "Not bad," Morgan said. The next day, however, Morgan and Alex got a big wake-up call. Including his bus commute, Morgan ended up spending 11 hours a day away from home and earned only $45.26. This breaks down to just $4.20 an hour. Adding two kids to the mix » In a very short time, Morgan and Alex came to realize that even on two salaries, there was little chance they could stay on budget. Morgan decided to work a second job, which meant he spent 18 hours a day away from home. During this period he made pizzas, washed dishes, worked as a landscaper, painted and made boxes. The financial stress put a strain on his relationship with Alex. In fact, Morgan explains, "There are twice as many divorces in families that make less than $25,000 than families that make $50,000." Meanwhile, many low-wage households have children. Morgan and Alex got a taste of what raising kids on a shoestring budget is like when Morgan's niece and nephew came to stay for the weekend. Morgan decided to take the weekend off to spend time with them. On one outing, they went to a dollar movie theater…but then bought drinks and candy. Alex was more than a little upset at Morgan for this "spending spree." "We're going and spending 12 bucks at the movie just on drinks. That doesn't seem very smart." What happens when you're sick and have no health insurance? » [ send green star]
Heidi T.	July 28, 2006 2:44 PM Living without medical insurance is like "living right on the edge of a knife every single day," Morgan says. As they found out, it can lead to financial ruin overnight. Morgan says manual labor had aggravated a wrist injury, but he couldn't afford a doctor's visit. When he tried to visit a free clinic, he was told there weren't enough doctors to see him that day. The free clinic was not even an option when Alex woke up in the middle of the night with a urinary tract infection. They went to the emergency room and to a 24-hour pharmacy to fill Alex's prescription. Later that day, the pain in Morgan's wrist forced him to go to the emergency room as well. The bills from the emergency room were enough to significantly harm their budget. "We went to the hospital to get Alex's bill. Just for walking into the emergency room it was $300," Morgan said. "My bill? Just to walk in the door, $551. It's incredible." The final result » After their experiment was over, Morgan and Alex say they were about $1,200 over their budget. "It would have taken us three months to pay it off—as long as nothing happened," Morgan says. Seeing just how difficult living near minimum wage was, Morgan made some changes in his life. "At my own company we didn't have health care, so the minute I got back, I got everybody who worked for me health care immediately." Morgan says he's also more aware of issues facing the millions living near the poverty line. "There are so many people who don't need a handout. They need a hand up." Alex says it made her want the burdens of poverty eased. "It made me realize we need to talk to the people who represent us and say this needs to change on a national level," she says. "This is totally unacceptable for this country." From the show Inside the Lives of People Living on Minimum Wage People living on minimum wage speak out. Talk about this show on our message boards! [ send green star]
Heidi T.	July 28, 2006 2:47 PM With so little money, buying milk and bread isn't even possible. You start to make choices like walking instead of taking the bus just to save on bus fas fare. Bus fare means a loaf of bread or milk! Stopping for a coffee and muffin or slice of pizza if hungry is out of the question, you just do not have the money. This means that you have to be very good at planning ahead and you must be very frugal at all times. [ send green star]
Heidi T.	Paying the Price: One Single Mom's Story July 28, 2006 2:53 PM Even with full-time work, many American families can't make ends meet. Millions end up losing their homes and living on the street after suffering small financial setbacks. Lisa Ling went on special assignment for The Oprah Winfrey Show. She met Betty and her daughter Kelly, who had been living in a homeless shelter for the past three months. Before moving into this California homeless shelter, they were living in their car. Betty says their lives took a turn for the worse when she fell off a bicycle and fractured her wrist. Unable to work, Betty didn't qualify for unemployment or workman's compensation benefits. Within two months of her injury, Betty and her daughter were homeless. Living in the shelter wasn't easy. "It makes you feel like a failure," Betty says. "There's just a sense of hopelessness and helplessness." At one point, she even considered turning Kelly over to Child Protective Services so her daughter would have a chance at a better life. But, Kelly refused to leave her mother. Betty's biggest fear » Kelly's safety is always Betty's biggest concern. Children aren't allowed in the shelter without parental supervision, so every day after school, Kelly would wander the streets until her mom was done with work. Betty says she struggled to stay optimistic. "The thing that hurts the most is [people] thinking that you're lazy…that you don't care," she says. "That's so far from the truth. I'm working. I'm dedicated. I'm a good person. I'm a good mom. Just because I'm in a shelter and I'm homeless doesn't mean that I'm a deadbeat." Four months later, Betty and Kelly have a home of their own. » Recently, Betty accepted a job as a receptionist in a dental office that pays $10 an hour. With her new salary, Betty is able to afford a one-bedroom apartment. Even though they no longer have to share a shower with 20 other people, their new financial standing also poses other problems. Betty says because she makes more than minimum wage, she no longer qualifies for state-administered food stamps or medical aid. Betty is still living paycheck to paycheck. "Even though Kelly and I are comfortable in our new home, it never leaves the front of my mind that I could still lose it all," Betty says. "It causes me to have a lot of sleepless nights, and it keeps me from rejoicing in the triumphs that I have made." Even though Betty still worries about the future, Kelly takes pride in her mother's accomplishments. "She's worked really hard to get us to this point, and she hasn't let me down," Kelly says. "She stayed by my side." Next, a family of six struggles to survive on one salary. » [ send green star]
Heidi T.	July 28, 2006 2:59 PM This is the nature of our system. As soon as you make more than minimum wage, which can barely or doesn't sustain a living, you no longer qualify for any benefits or help services. Without the help services, a person might as well stay on minimum wage. We need to see a substancial increase in minimum wage and to make help services available to those who need it. Single mom's find themselves in this situation all the time. How can a person change their situation if a dollar more in wages means no more benefits? How will they pay for more with less? This is something we need to discuss in depth. [ send green star]
Heidi T.	Paying The Price: Families On Minimum Wage July 28, 2006 3:02 PM Supporting one child on minimum wage is hard enough, but imagine feeding a family of six with only $16,800 a year. Brian and Mary are faced with this reality every day. Brian, who draws blood and does lab work at a local hospital, makes $9.22 an hour. Annually, he makes $9,000 less than the federal poverty level and still manages to provide for his wife and four daughters. His wife Mary had to quit her job after one of their daughters was diagnosed with autism, and that's when their financial situation turned desperate. The Templeton family does not qualify for Medicaid and they have no health insurance. Medical bills keep piling up. The last bill they received was for $5,000. Mary's biggest worry is keeping her family fed. » Each week, the Templetons spend about $250 on groceries. Food costs put the biggest strain on their budget, and some weeks, they have to rely on state assistance. "I've been forced to go to the food pantry, and it makes me want to climb into a hole and cry," Mary says. "I have to keep my tears to myself because I can't let the children see that I'm worried." Financial struggles also weigh on Brian, the family's sole breadwinner. "Sometimes I do feel like a failure," he says. "It makes me want to get in the car and start driving and never go back." With no savings, Brian and Mary know that if they suffer a setback, they could end up on the streets like Betty and Kelly. "Each and every day on minimum wage, you have this sick feeling in the pit of your stomach that you are this close from being on the streets," Mary says. "It's constant stress and constant worry. It never lets up." What can Americans do to help low-wage workers? » [ send green star]
Heidi T.	July 28, 2006 3:05 PM Living on Minimum Wage with a family means a lot of stress and feelings of worthlessness. These types of negative emotions in a family means stress on the couples relationship and also stress on the relationships with the parents and children. We need healthy families in our society! [ send green star]
Heidi T.	What We Can Do For Our People, Our Community July 28, 2006 3:08 PM Beth Shulman is the former vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and author of the book The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans. She says that as a nation, we can start making different choices that ensure the American dream is a reality for everyone. First, citizens should urge Congress and the Senate to approve an increase in the federal minimum wage, Beth says. Some states—such as Illinois, Florida, Hawaii and California—have already passed laws to raise their minimum wage above the federal rate of $5.15. Second, employers should ensure that every American has health insurance, Beth says. She also points out that 75 percent of all low-wage workers do not get any paid vacation or sick days per year. "They have to choose between taking care of a sick child … and losing their job," she says. The biggest misconceptions about minimum wage workers » Most people think low-wage workers are teenagers or high-school dropouts…but that's not the case, Beth says. "They're adults like the rest of us trying to take care of their families," Beth says. "Most have a high school degree—many have college degrees. It's every mom and dad in America." Another misconception is that low-wage workers are "lazy." While Morgan and Alex were living on minimum wage for 30 Days, they experienced just the opposite. "I worked harder bussing tables than at any desk job I ever had," Alex says. James, an administrative assistant who makes $9 an hour, says that because he makes more than minimum wage, people think it is a lot of money…but it's not. He's even considered getting a second job, but he doesn't have any paid days off to go look for additional employment. The future doesn't have to be bleak for James and the 30 million Americans who live paycheck to paycheck, Beth tells Oprah. "We can make choices about what kind of America we want," she says. "We need to ensure people have a living wage and health benefits and time off to be with their families." [ send green star]
Heidi T.	What we can do! July 28, 2006 3:14 PM We need to: Contact Congress and Senate to: Increase minimum wage Make Health Insurance available to All Paid vacation and sick days available to All We need to take responsibility for the health of our communities [ send green star]

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