I must admit that I found the book to be interesting. Not one of my most favorite reads, but interesting!
Barbara Enrenreich is a journalist by trade. She was disturbed when welfare reform claimed that most people receiving welfare could have a comfortable life if they would just get out and get a job. Barbara decided to perform what she calls an 'experiment' by trying to obtain jobs available to the unskilled worker, which is typically what welfare recipients are. She didn't display any of her skills that she obtained through her profession as journalist, and she didn't utilize any of her education (she has a Ph.D. in biology) to acquire the jobs she worked during her summertime experiment.
Barbara's main goal was to try to prove or not prove that unskilled workers can land work that enables them to pay the rent, and put food on the table. Barbara worked menial, hard working jobs such as, waiting on tables, cleaning homes through a maid service, and Wal-mart. She traveled to three major cities (Key West, Florida; Portland, Maine; and Minneapolis, Minnesota) to carry out her experiment.
Enrenreich vowed that she would not use any funds from her 'other life', and she wanted a true picture of what a person with no money (such as a recent welfare recipient) could do to obtain work and survive. Enrenreich did actually utilize funds from her 'other' life's savings account. It was either that or live in the streets at one point. The major conclusion that she came to after her experiment was over is that unskilled workers most likely must work 2 full-time jobs if they desire to live indoors.
She also found that many of her co-workers within the establishments that she was employed by were not living in an apartment, or a duplex (and none of them owned a home). She found that all of them either lived in their car, truck, in a hotel room, or with family members. The biggest hardship for unskilled workers is to put a roof over their heads that is affordable. Unfortunately, due to the first and last month rent rule along with security deposit for most apartments, many of her co-workers were forced to live in non-traditional 'homes.' Many were paying 3 to 4 times the monthly rent of an affordable apartment due to the hardship of saving for those deposits. Daily and even monthly rents for a hotel room are quite steep. Many hotel rooms have no accommodations for preparing food, so another cost that her co-workers and she faced was cheap take-out or fast food.
Enrenreich is a bit rough around the edges for all her education. Remember she has a Ph.D. in biology (which she reminds you of several times throughout her lengthy introduction "Getting Ready.") She doesn't converse with her co-workers other than to share a cigarette on break with them - she was a non-smoker, but she lit up when she wanted to pump one of her co-workers for information, or a soda at the local convenience store. She doesn't utilize any kind of network that most people in their every day life fall back upon for help and support. She admits to being an atheist, but ironically when she does eventually spends a day to interview a person who has come off welfare quite successfully; this fine Christian lady reveals to her that the secret for unskilled workers to overcome their obstacles is the network of support they establish through their church. Ehrenreich also notes that this lovely lady doesn't come near to living among the middle class - yet. She still struggles with living in poverty each and every day.
Enrenreich brings up the point that she's a healthy, muscle-toned 50's woman who visits her local gym regularly in her 'other life.' She finds the physical work of one job grueling, demeaning, and often bone weary. Her observation of the unskilled worker is that they are most likely the people in society who have bad backs, and other physical ailments that wear them down by doing the jobs they are paid to do. She summarizes that the physical work that is supposed to move the unskilled worker to a better life, indeed moves them almost into traction. Unfortunately, almost all unskilled workers don't have any health insurance to fall back upon - so many never visit the doctor for their ailments.
I found it interesting that most of Enrenreich's employers were some of the meanest alive. Many of the incidents that she described sounded almost illegal to me in the world of employment, but she has a lot of footnotes letting you know that most of these practices are not illegal. She felt the drug testing procedures were demeaning, not instilling trust in the potential employee; and she gives a vivid description of one of the two drug testing incidents that she had to endure.
While reading this book, I learned some facts about Wal-mart as an employer, and I honestly feel a bit sheepish for shopping there. I'm not a huge Wal-mart fan to begin with, but I assure you that in the future, I'm making my stops at Wal-mart even fewer.
Barbara Enrenreich finishes her summer working experiment, but her book continues on for one more lengthy dissertation of her 'evaluation' of the whole experiment. Honestly, this part of the book is where my interest started to wain. She goes on and on and on for 39 whole pages telling her view on what her experiment revealed about our government and the passage of employment laws for the last few decades. I wanted to say, "Really, Barbara? Really! You have been living in the twilight zone your whole life." Did you know that the cost of living in areas (mostly cities) has risen to the point where the average minimum wage employee can't put food on their table? Did you know that most of those minimum wage employees have no health insurance? Did you know that the cost of housing has tripled in the last decade?
Really, Barbara, I knew! Where were you?
All in all it's a good read, but it is also very much a bash fest in the end. If you choose to read this book, I'd recommend skipping the 'Evaluation' piece of this book. I mean, it really did nothing other than peeve me off at the author, mainly because Barbara Enrenreich would be perfectly happy to go back to her cushy, elegant life and do nothing; because she feels that the government is the only one who can rectify this situation with more government.
3 comments:
I haven't read the book though I have heard of it. Without having read it, but having lived in a community where all there is is unskilled labor, there are a few insights that are worth sharing:
No one gets along in this life alone--no matter where on the pay scale you arrive. Even skilled laborers have discovered employment is as much about who you know as what you know.
She completely misses the "mindset" of each economic group. There is a poverty mentality that she probably only periferally encountered if she only interviewed and didn't try to actually interact with her co-workers. Middle Class and Upper Class also have pre-conceived mindsets. Many options probably never occurred to her since she came in with her own mindset which was not their mindset.
As for being muscle-toned--there are a lot of muscles that work, play and exercise don't work. You may be in shape but have out of shape muscles. Many unskilled laborers DO have bad backs but after working the jobs for many, many years and with many of them coming from that background and having hefted heavy loads for most of their lives, many of them have the muscles and backs for that kind of work. They may not visit the doctor as often as other workers but they probably have the "street knowledge" that helps them cope without it--relatives, churches, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. They know when to take that pain killer and what shoes to buy whereas she wouldn't.
There is a dishonesty about drug testing by many companies but most instituted drug testing out of a lack of trust in the applicants for the jobs in the first place. She may be honest but after sitting on a jury where the accused had successfully "fluffed" a drug test, there are a lot reasons for their suspicion.
Finally, it just seems as though many people cannot see beyond the nose on their face when it comes to government intervention. For some reason there are people who think that the people who are among the highest paid in this country are the ones who should be deciding how the rest of us should be regulated. In reality, the only thing that comes from government regulations are more jobs in the department of government oversight.
By the way, I stay as far away from Wal-Mart as I can. They not only aren't a great company--they are not even the company that Sam built.
Her claim of not interacting with her co-workers was due to not having the time - she worked all day, then went to her room/apartment to write notes for the book. When she wasn't doing that, she was using her time to try to obtain better living conditions or another job.
But I agree with you that all people of all classes need a network of people to survive; whether it is your church, your family or friends.
Yes, she definitely had her own mindset. I guess I can give her credit for trying to live another kind of life. She did come across as compassionate toward her fellow worker's plights.
The drug testing situation was an interesting piece of her work. She feels that all drug testing is a breech of potential or current employee's rights. In a way I understand what she's getting at, but on the other hand, my husband works in a shop where there is usage of large machinery. If someone doesn't have their head on straight, someone could be killed.
One of the jobs that she worked was a nursing home. She cooked and served the food for the patients. She was having a hard time trying to understand why it was so important to have drug testing in such an institute. Well, I don't think I would want a zoned out employee giving the wrong meds to someone I loved. I wouldn't want someone to feed my diabetic loved one the wrong foods either. So, hence, I'm not totally against drug testing, but then again, I should mention that Barbara was trying to 'cleanse' herself before her pee test as she had smoked marijuana a few weeks before. If one is guilty, I guess their viewing of drug testing would be skewed!
Yes, Enrenreich's socialistic thinking is not my preferred choice!
Great Review Laurie. And Awesome comments girls.
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