Serving in Florida

Barbara Ehrenreich begins her low-wage experiment near where she lives in Key, West Florida. One of her major fears is that she will be recognized by one of the locals, and she will have to explain her investigation of the working poor. She starts out with an allotment of $1,300 that she uses to pay for the first two month’s rent on an efficiency apartment. As her job search begins, she realizes that there is no relationship between the number of ads and the number of jobs available. In the low-wage job market, the turnover is so high that major hotel and restaurant chains always keep the help wanted ads running.
One of the author’s first experiences with a job search was when she applied to the Winn-Dixie, and had to take a computerized interview. The test asked what dollar amount of stolen goods had the prospective employee purchased in the last year, or would he or she turn in a fellow employee for stealing. The final question in the computer interview was, “Are you an honest person?”
Most application procedures involve drug testing. Marijuana is the one drug that is most likely to be picked up because it stays in the body for weeks after it has been ingested. Heroine and cocaine are also tested for. Strangely, alcohol is not. Barbara Ehrenreich passes the computerized part of the interview and is asked to take a drug test. At that point, she is humiliated enough that for $6 and change per hour, she declines.

The job that Barbara does accept is at the Hearthside restaurant. She will be making $2.15 per hour plus tips. Gail is the waitress who trains Barbara. She is a woman in her 40’s who has been homeless and has had to sleep in her truck. Recently, Gail’s boyfriend was killed in prison. Joan is another waitress at the Hearthside that Barbara admires. She is raising three children in a mobile home by herself. There is a tremendous generosity that these women have that goes unnoticed. It consists of the extra croutons in the salad when management only... [continues]

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