Posted on 05/17/2014 8:54:15 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
When I woke up to see the news, I could hardly believe it: President Obama is planning a visit to the Mountain View Wal-Mart where I work.
But the excitement quickly passed when I found out the store would be shutting down hours in advance of his visit. I wouldn’t be able to tell the president what it’s like to work at Wal-Mart and what it’s like to struggle on low wages, without the hours I need. I am living at the center of the income inequality that he speaks about so often, and I wanted to talk to him about how to change this problem.
My situation is not unlike that of many of the 825,000 Wal-Mart associates – and many other Americans – who are working hard, but just can’t keep up. Most of us aren’t even paid $25,000 a year even though we work at the largest employer in the country and one that makes $16 billion in profits.
I wanted to tell the president what it’s like working – and living – like this.
Things have always been tight. After four years working at Wal-Mart in Mountain View, I am bringing home about $400 every two weeks (I’d like to get more hours, but I’m lucky if I work 32 hours a week). That’s not enough to pay for bills, gas and food. All I can afford to eat for lunch is a cup of coffee and a bag of potato chips. I’ve always done everything possible to stretch paychecks and scrape by. Sometimes it means not getting enough to eat.
But then I got some bad news that made stretching my budget impossible.
Two months ago, I started feeling ill. My doctor told me I needed to take a week off to have a series of medical tests. Every day for a week I went to the hospital and had to pay $30, $60 or $100 in co-pays for each appointment, test and X-ray.
With these additional expenses and without a paycheck for the week I was out, it pushed me over the edge. I didn’t have enough money to pay the rent.
Right now, I don’t have a place to call home.
I sleep on the floor of my son’s living room because I can’t afford my own place. All of my belongings are in my car. I don’t know where to send my mail.
I used to think, “At least I have my health and my family.” But my doctor thinks I may have colon cancer, and with all of the money I still owe the hospital, I’m not sure how to finish the tests and get treatment. Even though I do have insurance through Wal-Mart, the co-pays are more than I can afford with only $400 every two weeks.
I wanted to tell the president I am scared. I am scared for my health. I am scared for the future for my grandkids. And I am scared and sad about the direction that companies like Wal-Mart are taking our country.
I don’t wish the struggle I’m facing onto anyone. But sadly, my situation isn’t unique. I know that I am one of many living in the Wal-Mart economy who has no financial stability. We expect to work until our deaths because we don’t have any retirement savings and are concerned about the future in front of our children and grandchildren.
There are so many of us who have it so hard – trying to live paycheck to paycheck. While the president is here visiting my store, I want him to look inside at what is really happening at Wal-Mart.
I want the president to help us and tell Wal-Mart to pay us enough to cover the bills and take care of our families. That doesn’t seem like too much to ask from such a profitable company, a company that sets the standard for jobs in this country. And I hope it’s not too much to ask from a president who believes that income inequality is the defining challenge of our time.
Step #1 — Minimum wage: $50/hr!!
Step #2 — Single Payer Healthcare” make it totally free!!
Step #3 ...
Why? Because she's entitled to have her family cared for by Walmart?
I realize that the Obama-created economy is so bad that any job is better than nothing. However, Walmart jobs are NOT a career, and do not pay career-level wages. They are not a job you should expect to be able to live off of.
Absolutely no recognition that Obama created this dismal economy.
Bingo! These are the people who gave us this president.
“I want the president to help us and tell Wal-Mart to pay us enough to cover the bills and take care of our families.” ... The fading plea of a dying Republic, being aborted by little barry bastard boy’s regime working for someone, but not we the people. The republicants and democrips are the codependency enablers of the abortion process. I’m sorry, but this woman’s plea sounds too much like a setup for the bastard from the oval orifice.
“...I am bringing home about $400 every two weeks (I’d like to get more hours, but I’m lucky if I work 32 hours a week).”
I used to work two fulltime jobs while attending graduate school. What’s your excuse, honey?
“All I can afford to eat for lunch is a cup of coffee and a bag of potato chips.”
I used to eat rice with uncooked onion and Korean Korean teriyaki sauce for flavoring. You can get a 50 pound bag of rice and that will feed you for weeks. In other words, SHUT UP!
They are really slow to come around. Have you ever seen the economy this dead?
I wasn’t aware that WalMart had press gangs that roamed the land - kidnapping folks and forcing them to work in the store.
Except for assistant store manager and above. There are not that many of those compared to cashiers, stockers, janitors and the like. A store manager makes rather decent money (average of $137,778 in US) and an assistant is in the mid five figures.
Wal*Mart can only be underpaying you if the going rate for your skills is more than what they’re paying you. If that’s the case, whether because Wal*Mart is “greedy” or because you’re underemployed in your present position, get a job that uses your superior skills and pays the market rate for them. If you’re only capable of doing the same work all the other Wal*Mart people are doing for that wage, then that’s all you’re worth. Sorry to break it to you like this. If Wal*Mart wants a certain batch of tasks done, and there are tons of people capable of doing it, and they’re willing to work for $6/hr, that’s what that job is worth. You can’t expect them to pay you $20 to do the same job they can get 500 other people to do for $6.
My Brother in law has worked for Walmart for a long time, loves his job and makes quiet a bit more than 25,000.
So I gotta call BullChitt on Ms Ramos’ tale of woe.
Well, I think she deserves to fly around on Air Force One with 0, for the remainder of his term. I think she deserves all of the future royalties of all of his current and future books. I think she deserves to vacation with Mooch, for the next two years. How about that? Will that help? Will that make it even?
Not in my lifetime, and I’m 54.
What are you, crazy? Don't you realize that every job that was considered entry level training jobs are now to be considered full time, full pay, full benefit jobs! And that would put the pay for jobs that actually require a skillset born of education and training in the $100,000 per year scale, so that means that a Doctor should be making a minimum $500,000 per year. Anyone without a brain like this whiner could see how that would work. NOT
A lot of immigrants used to have their 2 or 3 kids in a two room apartment and eating wholesome, but bare quality, food and both parents each worked 60 hours a week to create a life for their kids.
It somehow has that special "community organized" tone, n'est ce pas?
.
“I sleep on the floor of my son’s living room because I can’t afford my own place.”
Your son won’t let you sleep on a couch or fold-out bed? You’re old enough to have an adult son, but haven’t managed to get a decent job in decades?
“All of my belongings are in my car.”
You can’t move those items into your son’s home? I could never imagine allowing my mother to live like that. I would work three jobs if necessary to take care of a family member. What is with these people?
“I don’t know where to send my mail.”
How about your son’s place? How about the Wal-Mart store (it might work). I have my mail sent to where I work all the time.
I wonder how you say “Gibs me dat” in Spanish?
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