09/06/2021
Before the COVID Delta Variant got into its stride, for a brief moment we thought things were getting back to normal. We were going out for meals or to other venues and we were discovering something: many restaurants and stores were seriously understaffed. I experienced of this was while I was travelling through East Central USA, visiting friends and family in June. I stopped at a highway oasis for lunch at the one fast food chain there. There was one elderly woman running the counter, and maybe one person in the kitchen. I waited for 40-plus minutes to get my order of a simple burger and fries. The line kept growing and you could feel the frustration in the air. I felt it myself.
At that time, you could find people everywhere complaining about people not wanting to work, or restaurants asking for patience and kindness for the staff who “decided to show up today.”
The fact is that people want to work. According to Catholic Social Teaching, Work is integral for our human dignity. People want to support their families and take part in society. During the pandemic they realized they weren’t being paid sufficiently. They weren’t receiving a just wage. On top of that, fear of bringing disease home to their families also gives them pause as paying for medical care on minimum wage often plunges people into crippling debt.
“A Just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice. In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. ‘Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural, and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good.’ Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount to be received in wages.” -Catechism, No. 2434
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. The 202 Federal Census Bureau report found that for a family of 4, the poverty threshold is $26,495. A person working fulltime at minimum wage only makes $15,080 a year… not quite 57% of that.
Standing, waiting for my food, I had to remind myself of these things. When I finally received my meal, even though I was frustrated and hungry, I thanked the woman with a smile. It felt like the Franciscan thing to do. I still remind myself about that experience and use it to remind me to be in solidarity with those who are fighting for their just wage.
