Done crying, today she’ll even smile — minimum wage & one mom’s story

[Omaha Steve]

http://transitional.pww.org/article/view/16507/

Author: John Wojcik
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 07/23/09 13:46

MERIDEN, Kan. — Celeste Henderson is a living, breathing mom who is in the news today, but only as a statistic. She’s one of the millions of American low-wage workers directly affected by Friday’s hike in the national minimum wage from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour.

The 26-year-old single parent works as a waitress while raising a 3-year-old in a crowded frame house here with her mother, father and two older brothers.

She says she cried a lot for more than a year after the baby was born, partly because the child’s father wouldn’t “even come around to see his son” and partly because “I have to spend so many of my days and even my nights at the restaurant.”

“But I’m done crying about all that now,” she told the World today, “and the extra money coming tomorrow is already putting a smile on my face.”

Henderson works at a downtown Topeka restaurant.

“I wait tables there, it’s not a big restaurant so there are no busboys and you have to do everything yourself,” she said. “The money isn’t really good except it’s a little better on weekend nights when there are specials like the all-you-can eat crab legs.”

FULL story at link.

[Selatius]

1. As somebody who buses tables at a buffet restaurant, I fully relate.

There is a silverware roller who is 17 where I work. She has a baby, and the baby's biological father is a deadbeat. When she isn't working here, she's working the other days at Applebee's. The world will be a tough one for her and her baby. I thought I had it bad.

[Historic NY]

2. Just imagine how the top 1% spent their Bush tax cuts....kinda makes one angry.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Wish I knew which restaurant

I'd head over to Topeka to leave her a nice tip.