Relating to Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America"

By Hassan Muhammad

Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America was a very good way to portray the living conditions of the working poor. She gave up her good and prosperous lifestyle, although not entirely, just to experience what it would feel like to be a low-wage worker. She was awestruck by how her co-workers cope with such struggle. Many people, such as my friend Mark Burton, can relate to the lifestyle that the book portrayed. The book opened the ears of the people for the unheard voices of the poor and “middle-class.”

Ehrenreich, a journalist and an author, gave up her good and satisfactory lifestyle to feel and experience what it is like to be poor, working at a low-wage job, living in a really small and tight place, and spending money like how a poor person would when trying to save money. I personally know friends and relatives that are struggling in the same situation. My friend’s, Mark Burton, health is at risk because he lives in a small and unsanitary apartment that he pays $300 every month for. He barely has enough money for food and he doesn’t have a car. Ehrenreich did not suffer, however, for her job was simply to write about the life of the low-wage workers and, if needed, she would have used her own money just to keep her good health.

Many of her poor co-workers struggled with low-wage life. They did everything they could just to make ends meet. Many of them worked the living life out of themselves just for very little money, similar to my friend Mark. Despite of all the hardships most of them share a good laugh from time to time and when they do, it does not come unnoticed by Ehrenreich. Mark finds a way to enjoy time with his friends even if it’s just playing basketball or walking at the park. He’s making the best of what he’s got.

            My friend Mark Burton actually read the book before. He really enjoyed and agreed about every single thing that the author talked about. He cried while talking to me and relating to the story, “It’s just sad to get out of the little bubble that you enclosed yourself in to forget about your struggle and realize that the next day you have to chip a nail, get a bruise, get a wound and hurt your back to earn enough money for a single piece of bread.” He felt, oddly enough, happier. Happier because he’s not the only one struggling and that there are a lot of people like him.

            The book opened the ears of the people for the unheard voices of the poor and “middle-class”. She portrayed the low-wage life very well. Her story related to many people that I know. She saw that you could still have a laugh or two while struggling in life. Mark agrees and became really emotional when he tried relating. If it wasn’t for Ehrenreich’s book, we wouldn’t be as informed as we are now and the problem of the working poor would be unheard.

Living in California with low paying jobs

By:Jonathan Valdivia

Aremy Magana a college student, worker, and takes care of her baby she struggles to find a low rent apartment and time to take care of the baby.

Her job is working at Melody’s. I asked her if her job was stressful at times. At times the job here can get stressful because of the customers complaining about their order but it can teach you how to deal with people in any other job.

How do you have time for college? While she goes to college she leaves the baby with her mom until she returns. Her mom is a big help when it comes down to the baby and to her daughter Aremy’s success in going to college and becoming a nurse.

When do things get difficult for you? Things only get difficult when she has homework and the baby. But luckily she has her mom to take the baby while she finishes off her homework. She gets complete concentrated in her work and when she is done she plays with her baby and takes care of it.

If the baby is sick what do you do? She puts all her attention to him and comforts him till he is better. She doesn’t leave his side till she sees him feeling better. With all the time she spends with him she got used to being patient even during the most difficult times.

            How did the baby change your life? The baby changed her life because it brought more responsibilities and she stopped going out with her friends. She still spends time with her friend but not like before, now she takes care of a baby while being with her friends. Although it doesn’t feel the same her friends enjoy him, and sometimes even come over when it’s been a long day just to take care of him so she could get some rest.

            While Aremy works and goes to college she has a baby she loves coming to every day and spending time him. She goes to college and her family supports her and can’t wait till she graduates and finds a better job that will pay her good amount of money to keep surviving. Even though she has school, a baby, and works there are many obstacles in life and some you can’t avoid but just keep going forward and see were life takes you.

The Working Poor

by Hunter Tymich

As of today, the unemployment rate in California alone has reached a stunningly high rate of 10.9 percent.

In today’s economy, it is nearly impossible for many people just to find a job in order to support themselves and their family.  This is especially true with teenagers who are simply looking for a summer job just to make some extra cash. 

“I finally got a job after looking and applying for 3 months”, says high school senior Ariana Rahman.  “It’s very stressful to look for a job while trying to keep up in school at the same time.” 

However, there are many teenagers all throughout the country who are forced to get jobs in order to help support their family.  In California, the teenage unemployment rate currently stands at 34.4 percent for teens between the ages of 6 and 19.  Ethnicity also plays a large role in getting jobs.  Approximately 40.7 percent of all African Americans teenagers are currently unemployed as well.

Many people cannot find jobs at all in today’s economy.  In 2011, the U.S. jobless rate was at 8.9 percent, while the national unemployment rate reached 58.4 percent.  Many of these people have no way to support themselves, and often times turn to living on the streets.  However, many go to live with a family member or friends while they look or a job.  For example, in the book Nickel and Dimed, author Barbara Ehrenreich stays at a friend’s house that was out of town at the time. 

Statistics from 2003 showed an alarming amount of low-income households.  About 55 percent of all American households earned $50,000 or less each year.  Nearly 30 percent of them earned less than $25,000 a year.  When trying to support a family, wages like this make it very difficult to do.  When combined with the low unemployment rates, many people are currently suffering due to the economy.

As of today, the legal minimum wage in the state of California is $8 an hour.  This means that if someone were to work a full time job, they would make about $320 a week.  In Los Angeles (one of the most expensive cities to live in along with San Francisco and New York), the average price for a single bedroom apartment is around $1,200 a month.  This means that a person working full time would be able to afford an apartment in L.A. with only $80 left over each month.  These $80 would have to go to things such as food, gas, and other things such as prescriptions for illnesses one might suffer from.  This would be an impossible task for most. 

So many people are left homeless and hopeless due to the poor economy while the government just sits around and continues to collect money from the people who do not have it.  Former president Ronald Regan best describes the government’s plans: “If it moves, tax it.  If it keeps moving, regulate it.  And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

Naira interviews a college student and full-time worker

My First Job

By Francisco Larios

            Many people don’t know the hardships or the stress people go through to find a job. I had my first my experience of working in a real job a few weeks ago for the purpose of this project. My uncle got me the job as his assistant at his engineering shop in Oxnard. He said he would pay me eight dollars an hour and I would have to make sure not to hurt myself on one of the machines in the shop. For lunch time me and my two uncles would go out and eat at a fast food restaurant.

            I would have to go in at the same time as everybody, which was eight in the morning, which for me was going to be very hard because I’m not a morning person. It was hard for me to wake up at that time and then make the drive with my dad to Oxnard, which was like a forty-minute drive because of the traffic. When I got there I was still half asleep which could be a dangerous thing so I had to get myself a cup of coffee to wake myself up. I didn’t like it very much but it did the job so I couldn’t complain after I was done it was time for me time for me to start my first day at work.

            The first thing I hear when I walk into the shop is the loud machines and the cutting of steel and the radio to lighten the mood in the shop. My uncle stopped everybody so I could introduce myself to them so nobody would get confused. After we got the introduction out of the way it was finally time to start working. I looked around to see how big it was I was really out of breath because I wondered how I was going to do this all by myself. But as I started to work it didn’t feel that bad until it was lunch time because I kept thinking of how much time was left. I even asked my uncle how much I had earned for the time that I worked he told me thirty two dollars. At that moment I felt so proud of myself because there isn’t a better feeling then earning my own money.

            After lunch I got back to work I had to organize all the bolts and screws in the shop. At first I was confused because I didn’t know where they went but after thirty minutes I got the hang of it and finished in two hours. All my time in the shop was spent working in the office which was like answering phone calls or organizing papers. The rest of my time working there I spent it in the shop organizing the tools. Until one of the workers offered to teach me how to use the welding machine I was excited but I had to ask my uncle for permission and he said “you have to be very careful”. When I first go to hold the torch I almost burned the table because the flame was to strong and I had to lower it but I didn’t know that so I left it like that. After that I didn’t use it again because I didn’t want to burn down the whole shop.

            After the long day at work I was so tired that I just wanted to get picked up and go home and sleep. Working is not my thing but it feels good when you get the money that you worked for and dam it is very tiring. That’s how I got my first experience in working and I don’t regret it because it was an eye opener to me.