Talking Points
It’s another Fox News talking point. There are “lazy people”, living on unemployment and Covid Relief, who refuse to go back to work. That’s why we have to wait in line in the McDonald’s drive-thru, grocery stores shelves aren’t stocked, and we can’t get “good service” at the restaurant. “Those Democrats” are encouraging them to stay home, not pushing them back into their old underpaid jobs.
As always, there’s just enough “truth” in the Fox story to make it dangerous. I’m sure there are some few who were willing to live on the little unemployment they could get during Covid closure. I hope that the Covid relief measures did help them. But those measures are over, and many of the lower paying jobs in our economy still aren’t filled. But the old (racist) trope of the lazy person living “on the dole” is still what it always has been: a political talking point more than a reality.
Living Wage
So what is reality? The largest employer in the United States is Wal Mart, with over two million workers. Wal Mart paid $11/hour starting wage before Covid. IF you were working full time that means $22,000 a year, hardly a living wage. But half of the workers weren’t full time, which means they didn’t even make the $22,000, or earn benefits like health insurance or retirement savings. Those workers supplemented their incomes with federal poverty programs, and many were forced into finding a second income.
By the way, don’t miss an important point here. Wal Mart wasn’t (isn’t) paying their workers enough, so they qualify for government subsidies. Essentially, the US government, meaning the taxpayers of the United States, are supplementing Wal Mart so their workers can be paid at that low rate.
Essential Workers
So many Wal Mart workers were working two jobs. When Covid struck, many of us switched to working from home. But we still “expected” to go to Wal Mart, and Kroger’s grocery, and the other “essential” stores. Those workers, paid at the lowest rates, were “expected” to show up for work and risk Covid at greater levels than the rest of us in “quarantine”. In fact we expected them to perform even greater service, like gathering our groceries and bringing them out to us as we waited, masked and safe, in our cars. (Kroger’s found that to be such a good business model, that the local store here has dedicated an entire entry and section of the building for their “clicklist” customers. Regular “old fashioned” customers – start walking!!)
But those “essential” workers at Wal Mart and other places, still had the same issues the rest of us had at home. Kids weren’t in school, someone had to take care of them. Grandparents, at even greater risk from Covid, often weren’t available. They were isolated from the children. Childcare is expensive, but during Covid it wasn’t available either. Everyone, but particularly the “essential workers,” had to adapt to the pandemic.
By the way, don’t be fooled thinking that “everyone” was so worried about kids’ education during the pandemic. Online schooling isn’t as good, but kids at home meant parents not going to work – a critical economic issue. Politicians claimed getting schools open was “all about” education, but it was really about getting people back on the job – and taking greater risks of getting sick.
What’s Over?
We declared Covid “over”, though we better not tell the almost 2,000 who are still dying daily (Healthtracker). And we told “everyone” to go back to work – though if you were an “essential” worker, you were always there. For the fortunate, many found that working from home was a “good gig”. They found ways to stay there. And for others the pandemic became a time to regroup and re-invent themselves. They found better paying jobs, jobs that allowed them to move on from Wal Mart and the other low paying positions.
Many re-thought and re-budgeted their lives. Just an easy example: there is a shortage of substitute school teachers. Traditionally there were two main sources of substitutes – younger folks trying to get a fulltime job in education, and retired teachers looking to supplement their incomes. But, as an example, substitute teaching here in the local schools pays less than $13/hour, less than a dollar more than Wal Mart’s new minimum of $12. So those younger folks are finding better paying jobs, even if those jobs don’t provide an entry into teaching. Just down the street, Amazon is paying an average $18/hour.
Choices
And many retired teachers, who are greater risk from Covid, decided to stay home. Being in a school, particularly elementary schools where the children aren’t vaccinated, puts them at higher risk. And $13 an hour isn’t worth it, especially when the average babysitter in Columbus makes over $14 an hour (Nannylane).
Folks are making lifestyle choices. They have found ways to make earning less money work. The new Millennial watchword is “work-life balance”. That doesn’t fit into the pre-Covid world of working multiple jobs to make sure the bills got paid. Now, still in the pandemic, many are finding ways to make ends meet, and spend more time with their families, friends, and doing what makes them happy.
So they aren’t in the McDonald’s drive-thru window, or welcoming you to your local Wal Mart.
