Summary of Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich - Essay Example

Nickel and Dimed Nickel and Dimed is a non-fiction story of a writer, Barbara Ehrenreish, who undertook an experiment in Minnesota, Florida and Maine seeking to uncover how unskilled workers in these regions get by. In the performance of the experiment, the writer went undercover for a period of one month in each area, working on a full time basis while seeking ways to make ends meet on the little money earned by low-wage workers. The aim of this experiment is to discern whether one can live on the meager wages of an unskilled worker and at the same time have enough money left to pay off the next month’s rent. Nickel and Dimed is, basically, aimed at showcasing the hardships encountered by unskilled workers trying to survive on their meager wages. The effects of poverty during the era of welfare reform are a stack irony of the perceived and actual reality witnessed by the low-wage workforce. Ehrenreich begins her experiment by pondering on ways how people live on wages earned by unskilled persons. In addition, she is perplexed by how millions of women, who are shoved by welfare reforms into the labor market are able to live on measly $7 per hour. In order to complete the experiment successfully, Ehrenreich implements a set of rules, which guide her through the duration of the experiment. To begin with, Ehrenreich establishes that, in the course of the experiment, she will not go hungry, lack a place to sleep, gain access to a vehicle, both her own or one rented and paid for through her credit card. Moreover, the writer pledges not to use any skills she has acquired through her regular work. Her first destination is Key West, Florida, where she settles on an anticipated net income of $500-a-month to facilitate efficient living. While in Florida, she lands her first job as a waitress at the Heatrhside restaurant, who’s working hours and wages show significant disparities. Here, she has to work from 2.00 to 10.00 on a wage of $2.43. We note that Ehrenreich accepts this job from mere necessity as it is not her best possible choice. The irony of Hearthside restaurant is that, despite its minimalism, it is attached to a rather large chain hotel, which offers better work incentives to skilled workers, making it inaccessible for the poor, unskilled workers such as Ehrenreich and her colleagues such as George. The depiction of George, an immigrant unskilled worker who is falsely accused of stealing from his workplace because he is incapable of defending himself, owing to the lack of comprehension of English and the issues around him. This is evident of the injustices suffered by the low-wage workers whose wages render them incapable of seeking legal redress whenever they are confronted with problems such as George’s (Ehrenreich, p.99). Moreover, hardships faced by low-income earners are compounded by the oppressive nature of those in their surroundings, especially ones who have authority over the former. In the story, Hearthside restaurant’s management employs oppressive tactics in their managerial roles. For instance, Stu is always on the lookout for employees who take time off to relax. At the same time, Stu is always allocating duties to ensure all restaurant employees are working even when there are no customers in the restaurant. In addition, Phillip, the restaurant’s manager humiliates the employees by lecturing them as one would lecture a first grader. He threatens to run impromptu locker searches and condemns employee communication terming it as gossip. Phillip exemplifies a significant problem encountered by unskilled workers trying to survive on a meager salary as he paints the grim picture of what low-wage workers contend with in order to secure their daily bread. The wanton disregard for workers’ rights to communication, as well as their right to privacy, is constantly impeded by those in authority. Furthermore, the lauded labor welfare is hardly accessible to those who need it the most; low-income earners. These unskilled persons are forced to seek additional employment in order to make ends meet. Ehenreich is compelled to get another job to supplement her wages and settles on yet another waitressing job despite wishing for a housekeeping job. She works at Jerry’s, which is more crowded than Hearthside ((Ehrenreich, p.113). However, before long Ehrenreich’s biggest problem becomes exhaustion as she overworks herself in the two jobs. After a short while, it all becomes too much for her that she quits her job at Heathside and begins taking drugs to relieve a stress pain in her back. We note that low-income earners fall prey to vices such as drug addiction in their endeavor to find a solution to counter their daily stress issues. Seeing it like a golden opportunity, Ehrenrein shifts to a housekeeping job, but then discovers it worse than waitressing. She moves to Maine, Portland, hoping to obtain a better paying job only to discover that the wages there are just as meager as those on Key West. She gets a dietary aide job at the Woodcrest Residential facility as well as a housecleaning job at The Maids. Contrary to her earlier bosses, Ehrenreich’s superior at the nursing home is a kind woman, willing to teach and train Ehrenreinch on the job. In order to make work more bearable, Ehrenreich befriends and tries to seduce her superior. This depicts unskilled women undergoing pressure, in the workplace, as willing to sleep with men in power in order to guarantee their safety from harassment and stress. Employer oppression towards low-wage workers is further depicted through Ted, the tyrant owner of The Maids franchise who is both oppressive and inhumane as he forced sick maids, such as Holly, to work through the sickness. Despite the various problems they face on a regular basis, low-income earners have a profound sense of solidarity towards each other. They regard each other as a family; when Holly becomes too sick, Ehrenreich takes over some of her tasks. When Holly’s condition worsens, Ehrenreich becomes too outraged that she rebukes Ted and punts at her colleagues before she discloses her identity and quits (Ehrenreich, p.163). Ehrenreich’s final destination is Minnesota where her hopes of affording a comfortable position are shattered. While in Minnesota, Ehrenreich encounters a number of problems faced by common low-wage workers. For instance, she is unable to find good, affordable accommodation and ends up at a small motel, where she feels too insecure and exposed that she has to leave. To further compound the problem, the inn’s management hikes the rent as soon as she moves in. With this in mind, Ehrenreich is forced to seek alternative housing at the Comfort Inn, which is too expensive for her, but she has no choice other stay there until her money runs out. Acquiring proper housing has always been a considerable problem faced by unskilled workers as the cost of accommodation does not tally with their income (Piven, F. F. and Cloward, p. 196). Job searching in Minnesota yields fruits as Ehrenreich is able to secure jobs at the Wal-Mart and Menards stores. However, she is forced to quit her job at Menards before she even starts it because of her exhaustion after a lengthy and tiresome orientation session at Wal-Mart. According to Ehrenreich, Wal-Mart’s debasing philosophy and an unctuous work ethic compounded with the announcement of an anticipated hotel workers’ strike drive Ehrenreich to her breaking point; she secretly incites Wal-Mart workers before living Minneapolis. In conclusion, Nickel and Dimed is a portrayal of the grim information on the lives of low-wage workers and their constant battle for survival. These workers are forced, by circumstance, to accept duties and work conditions they consider demeaning and inhumane, to enable them cater for their basic needs. As a result of their inadequate education and problems accessing timely transportation, low-wage workers are often left with extremely few choices and may thus be unable to get jobs that pay well even when they know these jobs exist. This makes it extremely difficult for low-wage workers to change their living situations. Tactics employed by employers maintain low wages by reinforce emphasizing low self-esteem, which as we saw earlier, is intrinsic to most low-wage jobs. Such tactics include bosses yelling at their employees, accusing their employees of infraction of rules and demeaning lectures towards employees (Ehrenreich, p.261). Works Cited Ehrenreich, B. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. USA: Holt Paperbacks. 2002. Print.   Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2001, pp. 221. Piven, F. F. and Cloward, R. Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare. NY: Vintage. 1993. Print.   Read More