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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI Raised The Mimimum Wage to $10.80 Today!
Well it was only for one hour and it was only for 3 people, but ya gotta start somewhere
I had to do some running around in town today and thought I'd try this little experiment. I did this both out of personal curiosity and in the hopes that maybe if even just a few people get to talking...
For background, I live in what I think of as TPOT (Tea Party Occupied Territory), a small town in Arizona with a population of around 20,000. These are people that (for the most part) are proud that their representative in the state legislature (Brenda Barton) recently publicly compared President Obama to Hitler.
In every business that I went into today, I asked every worker that I had an interaction with if their pay was something "pretty close to minimum wage". They all answered that their pay was right around minimum wage ($7.80 an hour in Arizona). I then commented:
"You know there are a lot of people in this country that don't even believe your labor is worth even that much. There is a Republican Representative in Texas named Joe Barton (maybe he is Brenda's brother or something!) who has actually said he would support eliminating minimum wage completely and letting your employer pay you whatever they want to. But President Obama and I both believe the minimum wage should be somewhere between $10 and $11."
At which point I handed them $3.
Reactions were varied. Out of 4 people I had this exchange with, 3 of them took the money.
A. Young man in his late teens working in a fast food franchise: "Hey thanks man!"
B. Middle aged woman in a big box home improvement store: "Really I can't take it" I told her it wasn't a tip or a bribe or anything and that it was just my way of trying to do what I thought was fair in my interactions with other people. She took the money and thanked me, but I think it was more because she just wanted to get the weird guy to leave her register!
C. Young woman at a "Dollar" store: "You don't have to do that". I explained that I believed everyone deserves a decent wage and that the current minimum wage isn't even close to that. She thanked me for the money and said that what she really appreciated was knowing that someone out there actually understood how hard it is to make ends meet on minimum wage.
D. Young man in his early 20s at the same big box home improvement store who I had cut some 2x4's for me: He all but ran away as soon as I explained what I was doing and why I was doing it.
I understand that some of these places would probably fire someone for taking money from a customer, so I went to great lengths to make sure there were other employees who could witness that this was entirely my doing and that the employee was in no way responsible for my actions.
The larger point here... I don't know. Like I said, maybe if it just gets people talking. Maybe if it makes someone stop to consider that their labor is worth more than $7.80 an hour. Maybe if it makes someone realize that the we have people in positions of power in this country who actually believe there should be no minimum wage. I'm far from wealthy, more like lower middle class at best, but my inclination is to continue doing this. I can afford the few bucks it would cost me. I figure that here in TPOT this makes me a regular revolutionary - LOL.
And then there is always Alice's Restaurant:
And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said Fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and
Walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement. And that's what it is , the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement
Help me make up my mind here - Is this just misguided "do-gooderism" on my part, or is it practical small (very small!) level local activism?
Butch
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)I might try that.
Fridays Child
(23,998 posts)If you do and if the person helping you is a stocker/bagger and not a manager, give that employee a $3 tip but have the minimum wage conversation, including President Obama's position, with them.
Is there a chart that shows each Congress member's stand on the minimum wage?
niyad
(113,029 posts)ChazII
(6,200 posts)different grocery chains. Neither chain allowed the clerks to accept tips.
Fridays Child
(23,998 posts)...but will, sometimes, accept them when they're offered again. I wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble, though, or put someone in an awkward position.
How ridiculous is it, when your employer won't pay you a decent wage and tell you not to accept tips? That should be the business of the courtesy clerk.
ChazII
(6,200 posts)My son came yesterday with a $5 tip. The customer insisted since my son had helped her out to the car and then helped load the groceries into her car and she had a full cart.
It would be great if they could accept tips.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)MindMover
(5,016 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)Undoubtedly a lot more effective than signing some online petition (which, in case you haven't already noticed, does absolutely nothing).
calimary
(81,085 posts)Incitatus
(5,317 posts)I just got a Christmas tree from Home Depot and tried to tip the guy that helped me pick it, then trim and net it. I tried to give him a few bucks and he said thanks but they were not allowed to accept tips.
LibDemAlways
(15,139 posts)It's a crime that a cheap-o employer like Home Depot won't let seasonal Christmas tree helpers take tips. Scrooge must be in charge,
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)I had a part time gig shuttling actors to and from their residences to the theater for performances and rehearsals. I did about 20-25 trips a week. These were all Equity actors. I not only shuttled them, but I helped with information about restaurants, liquor stores, etc. I asked my boss if I could put a tip jar in the van, the answer was "absolutely" not.
One actor and I had a conversation and it got around to my pay $8 per shuttle run. I thought this info might be enough to elicit a tip, it wasn't. I did see that actors at the end of their run had envelopes for their dresser, hair stylist and company manager. But I wasn't allowed to.
LibDemAlways
(15,139 posts)was selling Christmas trees out in the parking lot. One of the teens working there was especially helpful in getting the tree tied to the top of my car. I tried to tip him but he explained it was against store policy for him to take any money from a customer and that he'd be fired if someone saw him accept it. I felt bad because I knew he was probably making minimum wage to perform a tough job out in the cold. Anyone who provides a personal service for the customer ought to be able to accept a tip.
golfguru
(4,987 posts)My tip is not based on the amount of bill.
I calculate my tip amount based on how much time the server spent for me.
Then I multiply that time by 2 to include the cook's time.
For example if the total time estimate is 15 minutes , my tip will be
$3.75 or 15% of bill whichever is higher.
It does not matter if I just ordered a $6.95 item.
I always appreciate people who are working instead of collecting welfare.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)golfguru
(4,987 posts)typical Wal-Mart employees. Besides I can rarely find anyone to help me
in Wal-Mart stores. My only contact with a live person is at the cashier.
1monster
(11,012 posts)years here because she can't make enough money working retail at a discount store. She IS making more than minimum wage (in fact more per hour than I am working -- in a lowly position -- in education). But it is not just how much per hour people are paid. It is how many hours they are scheduled for.
The woman I talked to is making $13.00 per hour but cannot get enough hours to support herself and her family.
In talking about a living wage and a higher minimum wage, we have to address hours too.
7962
(11,841 posts)1monster
(11,012 posts)of living than all the others around us. Housing and food are more expensive.
But it is a beautiful place to live. Paradise has its price and for most of us, it is a struggle...
7962
(11,841 posts)mountain grammy
(26,598 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)And then I finally got the high five that I was going to become "a member of the team" and the long awaited and promised increase in pay.
A whopping 10¢ an hour raise.
It felt like the boss was tossing a dime at me every hour. Keep in mind that the glowing talk was as if It was going to be double or something.
Iwillnevergiveup
(9,298 posts)That sounds like paying it forward to me, and I applaud your creativity. Maybe shaking hands with someone who shows extra effort on your behalf and then palming off a $5 or $10 spot would work?
Reminds me of dropping into a Carter's outlet store recently. It was my first time there, and a lovely young lady was so helpful in steering me around. She was friendly and courteous and I met her again at the checkout where her boss was ringing up sales. He was a bit short tempered with her about something, and I could tell she was embarrassed. When she left, I told him the young lady was a wonderful help to me, that she was an asset to his business and that he should give her a huge Christmas bonus and a raise. He looked surprised and was at a loss for words. So I added, "You're lucky to have her." Positive words can go a long way, too. I hope in her case, that's true or at least gave him something to think about.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Minimum wage initiative petition drives have been very successful. Does Az do that?
noamnety
(20,234 posts)If they say they can't take it, drop it.
Otherwise you put them in a horribly awkward position of having to choose between appeasing you to get rid of you and seem polite, or risking getting fired or suspended if that's company policy. Even if you mean well, going beyond the one offer can be perceived as pressure, and really uncomfortable.
http://psychcentral.com/ask-the-therapist/2011/04/08/im-scared-ill-get-fired/
Tom Rinaldo
(22,911 posts)Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)FatBuddy
(376 posts)complete strangers asking about what a person (a complete stranger to you) makes per hour and then offering a pittance (3 bucks? come on bro!) for no reason would get a sound "hey, who the fuck are you pal?" or a "fuck off asshole" in response.
in fact, what you are doing is very insulting.
very, very suspect indeed.