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Just Work: It's Up to Us to Turn Minimum into Livable
My momma used to say, "Anything worth having, you must work hard for." It's the truth. But if you're a janitor or working some other low-paid job in America today, you can't just work hard; you've got to work smart.
You see, I'm one of those workers you read about that busts his butt every day, but still can't afford to pay rent. From 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. every night I clean the 9th and 10th floor of the Cincinnati Textile Building. Just as you are sitting down to eat dinner with your kids, I'm turning your messy office into a sparkling fresh work space. I get paid $6.85 per hour to clean more than 20 bathroom stalls, to take out and scrub over 200 trash cans, and to clean up the office spaces of guys making at least three times my wages. Even when my supervisor gives me overtime, I'm bringing in less than $30 a day. That's less than $600 a month.
My situation used to make me angry and frustrated all the time. Here I am paying my taxes; I'm paying my dues; I'm working my way up. But I'm still broke. At age 29 -- a grown man -- I live with my mom because I can't afford $200 monthly rent for subsidized housing. Working but still broke? It just doesn't make any sense.
A couple years ago, I stopped kicking at doors and turned my anger into power. I began to realize that millions of my fellow janitors, doormen, security guards, dishwashers, and other service workers were living the same struggle. Just in Cincinnati, thousands of building maintenance workers, some of them older than my parents, had been trapped their entire lives. They have been working everyday, trying to budget pennies, some have been in and out of homeless shelters, and none of them have been able to get ahead. For some reason, their stories made me look at my own life from a different perspective. I wasn't going to wallow in my own tough luck anymore.
That's when I heard about workers' unions. See, I always wanted to change things, but my anger and self pity weren't getting me anywhere. I started to learn that workers joining together and standing up for our rights is the only way to get the top dog to listen. It took a lot of meetings and a lot of extra unpaid hours, but last month about 1,200 of us Cincinnati janitors went from low wages with no respect, to growing wages and the knowledge that we've got the tools to change our situation.
You may have read about us -- the Justice for Janitors campaign in Cincinnati made headlines across the state and around the world. For me, the wins meant a lot more than doubling my salary in five years, vacation time, or access to health care for the first time in my life. I learned to respect myself for the work I do. I learned how to get other people to respect me for the contributions I make as a service worker in America. And I learned that I can clear the path so that others coming after me don't have to put up with poverty wages and no respect on the job.
Too many of us -- middle America, corporate America, and those of us struggling at the bottom of America -- have forgotten what it is like to a part of something bigger than ourselves. Not while I'm on this earth. I know that the trials and tribulations of my life are just going to become the stories of opportunity I tell my children someday. It's another full time job -- but we've got to come together in times of turmoil. Right now, low-wage workers in America are in a crisis and unions are our answer. Joining together and standing up for our rights is what we've got to do if we're going to turn minimum wages into livable wages in this country.
Click here to listen to rap song Craig wrote about the Cincinnati Justice for Janitors Campaign.
Craig Jones is a janitor for Professional Maintenance, a cleaning contractor that serves the Cincinnati Textile Building, and a member the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local 3. Craig was a key leader in the Cincinnati Justice for Janitors Campaign, a city-wide property service contract that doubled the income of nearly 1200 janitors. Since joining SEIU, Craig has made community organizing his second full-time job. He's also an accomplished rapper, who hopes to make a career in music someday. Click here to listen to one of Craig's songs.
Just Work is a series presented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to give a voice to working people to discuss their daily struggles to balance work, afford life and participate in a more just society. SEIU welcomes submissions to Just Work! Please send your story (800 words or less) to ali.jost@seiu.org.
About SEIU
The 1.9 million-member SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America. SEIU members are winning better wages, health care, and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers, not just corporations and CEOs, benefit from today's global economy.
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Craig,
If you're reading:
Don't pay attention to those who have OBVIOUSSLY never been where you (or I) have been.
What WOOF didn't elaborate on:
Yeah, companies can't afford to pay decent wages.
That's EXACTLY the reason Wal-Mart was on the record in FAVOR of the recent minimum wage increase.
What Woof neglected to mention is that when poor(est) Americans receive a pay increase, there's a virtual 100% certainty that every cent of it will be returned to circulation immediately.
As long as that's the case, the chance of it harming the economy (as it might if it went to higher income Americans) is minimal.
The higher wages (as well as all related costs) are expensed. The increased cash flow received from better paid shoppers, on the other hand, is 100% into the bank. Cash flow is the name of the game.
Good post.
It's pretty easy to see why Walmart wanted to raise the minimum wage.. They were already paying more than that and they wanted to put the hurt on some of their mom and pop competition. That's not exactly a good thing.
The problem with raising the minimum wage to $10 (as someone mentioned above) or with union gangsters just demanding that much, is this: There are a lot of people who have spent their own time and money to go to a trade school (or something) to learn some kind of skill, and they are making $10 an hour. Why should somebody with no skills beyond being able to sweep floors make the same money as them?
That sure would be a disincentive for people to go to school and learn about something like plumbing, or engine repair, or whatever.
You are correct about Wal Mart--they already pay more than minimum. It will hurt their compettion. The secret--it shouldn't be a secret if you know anything about economics--to raising wages for low skilled workers is to cut the supply by enforcing our border. Kids in Mass and most other places don't want to work at Burger King or McDonals so here in Mass they have to pay $8, $9 or $10 an hour to get them. It's supply and demand. If you care about these workers you should want to limit the competition for these jobs by enforcing our border laws.
Mr. Jones,thanks for the encouraging words! I am also in Cincinnati,and very familiar with their hiring practices. Just a few words of caution...
As for me,I am disabled and refuse to do business with companies that engage in such hiring practices. A little bit of research and shopping around can help .
You're paying your dues by only working 4 hours a day?
Ahh, remember when Clinton was president and we all some money socked away for retirement, that special treat for our family or heck a new pair of jeans? Whatever happened to that savings...
Sigh!
Mr. Jones
Thank you for your mesage. I encourage you and others to look at my profile. I have a plan to bust the Republiklan party and get us a higher minimum wage and have socialized medicine like we have socialized firefighting and policing.
Just click on my user name.
Thank you.
How can we help the working man and woman?
$10/hr. minimum wage would be a good starting point.
Universal health care would help too.
Stop attacking countries that haven't attacked us, that would help us and them.
Invest in infrastructure, instead of occupying Iraq, that would employ millions and make the country stronger and safer.
Don't export manufacturing jobs to countries that allow child labor, have no retirement plans, have no toxic waste laws, and no safety rules for workers.
Remember, wealth flows up from a healthy working force, it does not trickle down from CEOs hiding their money in tax shelters.
Lastly, never, never vote for neo-con liars, but do go to the voting booth, even when the Republicans try to stop you.
My parents took over a janitorial business that payed minimum wage and was failing. The first thing they did was raise wages against the loud protests of the accountant. They also had a meeting to explain to their new (and very first in their lives) employees that the business would not grow or do well without them. Both my parents also worked along with their employees at least 8 hours a day.
Every one of those employees agreed to add a few extras to the service they provided. They began to take a lot of pride in their work and it more than showed. Mom and dad gained more contracts because of the glowing recommendations they were getting. They shared their success with those who worked for them. In 12 years, (until said accountant ran away after lying to his clients about having paid their business taxes and causing my parents and more than 20 other small businesses to fail) only 1 person left their company and he left to open a janitorial business in another city with the help of my parents.
Giving employees respect, dignity and adequate remuneration is a smart business practice. Contrary to the prevailing "wisdom" these days, a loyal, hardworking, competent employee is a company's biggest asset and such an employee IS irreplacable.
I wish you and your organization every success.
"Giving employees respect, dignity and adequate remuneration is a smart business practice"
- cinemaven
Amen to that! My father built a thriving excavation company by paying his employees higher than union wages. He demanded a lot from his men - and they gave it. Because he respected them and rewarded them well for their work, his employees were extremely loyal - many stayed with the company for decades. The high quality of their work guaranteed happy customers and steady business.
Clearly my dad would have been a total failure as a contemporary corporate CEO.
Cinemaven,
You don't say whether your parents were religious, but they answered "What would Jesus do?" with their actions. I can't understand how the religious wing of the Republican party continues to ally itself with the pro-business wing. The latter ignores the Golden Rule in favor of the golden parachute. When will Republican Christians demand that their party members treat all of God's children, workers included, with dignity & decency?
Actually Redstateblue, I was raised by an excommunicated Catholic mom and a dad who taught us that religion was an accident of birth. The bible was more important to both of them than religion was... I think that has a lot to do with how they were able to treat everyone who worked with them as friends and equals.
ShanghaiGuy, I believe that our parents business model should be emulated but in these short sighted times, quick profit is more important than profit sharing.
Suffering & Smiling... If things are tough, you have yourself to blame. Get out of the rat race, make some sacrifice to get better educated, and improve your life. The first step to doing all these is to change your mindset. It's not the government's responsibility to help you, in spite of all the sorry-ass liberal BS you hear.
The guy can't even pay his rent and he's supposed to come up with college money? Right, college costs have been increasing faster than inflation for at least 15 years, blowing past the wages bottom quintile people make.Oh yeah right, the myth we are going to 'degree' our way out of income inequality is starting to be revealed to be a scam. Take a look here....
http://www
Or, if you're really smart-get yourself born into a family with money
Mr. Jones-
Keep up the good work.
Keep organizing and don't stop til every building has union staffers.
The country needs good people like you to help turn the tide and force "them" to properly value work again.
Thanks!
Please check back with us again.
Ah, yes, the elusive American dreamer.
What yourself and a lot of other union folks just don't get is that your wages and benefits are being passed-on to someone else, who, I guarantee you is also passing it on. So, who gets stuck with the bill ?? All of us. It's called inflation. We all pay more for products and services so others can 'make more'. It's a fallacy that somehow the 'corporations' can afford this.. so they seek government relief (and get it) and raise prices. Surely their investors don't pay for your pay raise.
One of two things will be happening soon....
1) laws will come along making union busting easier, thus putting an alien in your job
2) A law such as H-1B will be enacted for a "critical" shortage in the service industry, bringing in millions of "guest workers"
Anyway, good luck to you. Glad you managed to get somewhere.
Maybe you're just in a sour mood, but the "good luck" at the end of your "what you just don't get" lecture rings a bit hollow. Bemoaning that we all must pay a little more so others can afford the necessities of life reads a little greedy.
Check out recent stats on CEO pay and company profits before you claim corporations can't afford decent wages for janitors too.
Oh, I'm definately in a sour mood. Seen unions busted many a time. It's ugly.
I certainly agree that corporations 'could' afford to pay the top guys a lot less, but they won't do that. I know quite well how much those CEO's squander, not to mention trying their very best to keep the stockholders onboard by keeping up dividends.
My point is only that employees will get the short end eventually. May take time, but the greed is unreal out there. If they could figure out how to outsource a janitor job, they would.
In the meantime, us really poor folks (I am one) are having a hard time making ends meet due to raising prices. I am on a government pension, so my 'raises' are entirely abitrary, 'when they feel like it'.
BTW, I am not against the writer, just what he stands for. He found a way to raise up. I don't agree with him, but am glad for him. I just hope he doesn't get his hopes up. I lost a job over H-1B in 2000.... there was a critical shortage in my field, so they (quite legally) replaced me with an Indian who was paid 1/3 of what I was. All legal and tidy and I was instantly on umemployment.
Only point I was after is that people just can't continue to get paid more without something giving. Usually it's prices we all have to pay elsewhere.
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"- Rob't Heinlein
Oh Woofer! Gosh!
And prisons are air-conditioned mansions with color TVs in every corner and all poor people do use their money for drugs and alcohol, RIGHT?
MY GOSH!
To Craig. GO FOR IT!
Keep the music coming. Find ANYTHING that will let you go independent and on your own. Build a sound studio in your garage. Get some computer programs that let you edit and mix your own sound. Learn everything and read everything you can about recording.
Do it nights, weekends, holidays and all your spare time but DO IT! Break the CHAINS!
Oh man! Oh man, I am soooo proud of you Craig!
DO IT!
All the best
Knute
Wonder 58, FIRST inflation is cause by non productive spending some 10 Billion a month killing people in Iraq and destroying real estate. Henry Ford knew the secret of increasing his sales, by increasing the wages of his employees so they could afford to buy cars. Hitler and Roosevelt pulled their nations out of the world's worst depression, by spending borrowed money to build the infrastructures of their countries. When Graig gets a raise he now can buy products that stimulate businesses. the Big inflation is caused by spending billions per month of borrowed bogus Fed green backs in foreign wars paying 170, 000 foreign paramilitary construction workers 3 times the salary of a commissioned US soldier. Some three TRILLION dollars has been borrowed from the Federal Reserve Bank and the Social Security Surplus Fund by the Bush Administration since 2000 that has diluted the American dollar some 33% in the last seven years. Graig's raise stimulated American businesses with his increased spending power. That's the way a sound economy works; it's the throwing of billions on destroying foreign nations that cause inflation. Economics 101.
Finally, someone who understands economics. Bravo to you. Not only have you cited examples, but perhaps it takes the wind out of the "free-market" right wingers, who have tried to perpetrate a system that looks more like Communist China than the Republic we formed centuries ago.
In fact, we have more potential bottled up to unleash greater growth and productivity at the bottom of the ladder than at the top. Witness post WWII.
What stands in the way is the desire of the elitists to control power over peoples lives. Slavery by any other name.
Power to the people is not merely a slogan. It is fundamental to all that is good about America.
UncleJoe, thanks for pointing out that inflation is caused by Government debasing the currency.
Debasing the currency through inflation is the way the Uber Class transfers wealth from the poor and the middle class.
The biggest theft in our history is going on right under our noses and very few people have a clue.
In fact the fools have been going to the polls and voting for the very thieves that are stealing us blind.
The Iraq war is a perfect vehicle for this theft.
The MIC now has a direct pipeline from the Fed. Treaury into their coroporate accounts.
They plan to keep this ME war going for years.
Next stop for them will be tapping the SS funds as there will be about 17 trillion dollars going into SS in the next 20 years.
So far Bush has not managed to get that but never fear, they will NEVER give up on this one!
Tapping that SS money would be an easier deal then Cheney shooting hand raised birdies.
That's right, uncle! If a nation is going to spend money, it's best if it spends money essentially to invest in itself.
Pouring billions of dollars into Iraq (with the intended hope of securing oil) was never a good idea!
Yeeeeeee!!!!!!
Uncle JOE!
Yahooooooo! Another Ford devotee!
I have read every book I can get my hands on about Henry Ford!
You are SOOO right!
You want people to buy your goods, sell them right at the gate leading out of your plant, at quitting time. To people who can afford them, YOUR WORKERS!
Yes, Yes, I know Ford’s goons spread up the assembly line.
But the original dream and logic, WORKED!
Fords one shame?
If you want a guaranteed source of your own rubber, give seedlings to the natives and set up redemption centers. They know rubber and the forest ten times better than you do, and the yield would have been perpetual and sustainable.
Gawd! I love Henry Ford, faults, ego and all.
All the best
Knute
PS
126 thousand strong, over-paid “Private Armies” can cause a lot of mischief.
Woofer... inflation implies that wages and the cost of living go up together. For quite a while now we've had cost of living on the rise but not wages (except for a few fat boys in ivory towers) therefore we don't have inflation. Personally, I'd rather see things getting more expensive and my income rising in tandem than the system we have now. More power to Mr Jones and his union-creating efforts. The eloquence of his writing suggests he is a man of great intelligence and capable of going far.
What you seem to ignore (or are ignorant of) is that inflation won't happen from increasing wages if productivity increases.
And in fact productivity has been increasing, but for the last 25 years most of that increase has been absorbed by those at the top of heap rather than being spread around.
Right on. Good work.
Thank you.
Don't thank the man, pay him.
All these so-called free marketeers are the first to moan about how all the costs are passed on to the consumer. But what they refuse to acknowledge is that any corporation worth their mettle will make the consumer pay whatever they can afford anyway. costs "passed-on" to the consumer is the biggest corporate myth in existence. They'll pass on whatever the consumers will pay, regardless of whether or not the workers are striking. The janitors might as well organize, since the laws of the market insist that the company charge as much as possible anyway.
You hvae never studied basic economics.
Let me ask you this. Is there a difference between a "corporation" and mearly a small business in your mind?
You make it sound as if a company can just charge whatever it wants for its goods or services. What? Give me one example of where this arbitrary pricing you speak of has occurred.
So true!
It's the business of a corporation to be greedy, someone once said. Well, maybe its the turn of the janitors'!
No one ever got rich working for someone else; Start being self employed; get creative! Pick a Hobby or something else you like to do; and figure out a business that can be derived from it. There is so much a person can do even without a colledge education. Plus you get to keep all the money you earn at least until tax time instead of having it confiscated by the government.
Lots of people got rich working for Bill Gates.
Not everyone is cut out to work for themselves, but we should all be able to earn a reasonable living wage.
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