Issues for Workers in the Food Industry
I am writing this argument to support food industry workers and the unfair problems they face in their line of work. They face problems such as low wages and income, no paid time off, and lack of health benefits. These are problems that most food industry workers deal with all over the U.S and it is not addressed as much as they should be.
Food industry workers work long hours and barely or don’t even make a living wage. Food industry worker's wages are low. If a restaurant isn’t bringing in enough money in tips for workers they end up barely making a living wage or not making one and having to work 2 jobs. Especially right now in this current day with rapid inflation its now getting harder and harder to even afford being able to come to work. Food is getting more expensive and workers are struggling to be able to put food on the table for themselves and maybe even their families.
Along with the small wage and almost required long hours the workers are not given paid time off. You are limited on how many days you can take off in a year. With the low pay and no paid time off, you lose a lot of money taking a vacation for more than 3 days. That also is bad for workers with children cause if the child gets sick then the parent ends up losing money. The time off that they want/need can’t always be available because of the bills and necessities for that month as well as the policy in most restaurants that you must make a request to schedule time off. It’s never guaranteed.
Circling back to the illness and losing money part of the last paragraph. Most restaurants in the U.S don’t offer any health benefits. Food service workers work some of the most hours out of anyone in the country and they are not given any health benefits. So due to these long amounts of work to make a living amount of money. What could be one or 2 sick days with insurance could turn into 3-5 which could lead to even more labor which would be even worse for their body. Including that some workers might need those hours and money to get by so they might work with an illness and end up being a bigger risk to the staff and customers in the restaurant.
In conclusion, the food service industry is a harsh environment right now. It’s hard to find workers for it because of its conditions and lack of care. I think that if these issues are addressed then the search would be a lot easier for employers. The workers want these problems resolved because they fear for their health. The pandemic hasn’t helped either side but it’s up to both sides to try and compromise and find a median.
Food industry workers work long hours and barely or don’t even make a living wage. Food industry worker's wages are low. If a restaurant isn’t bringing in enough money in tips for workers they end up barely making a living wage or not making one and having to work 2 jobs. Especially right now in this current day with rapid inflation its now getting harder and harder to even afford being able to come to work. Food is getting more expensive and workers are struggling to be able to put food on the table for themselves and maybe even their families.
Along with the small wage and almost required long hours the workers are not given paid time off. You are limited on how many days you can take off in a year. With the low pay and no paid time off, you lose a lot of money taking a vacation for more than 3 days. That also is bad for workers with children cause if the child gets sick then the parent ends up losing money. The time off that they want/need can’t always be available because of the bills and necessities for that month as well as the policy in most restaurants that you must make a request to schedule time off. It’s never guaranteed.
Circling back to the illness and losing money part of the last paragraph. Most restaurants in the U.S don’t offer any health benefits. Food service workers work some of the most hours out of anyone in the country and they are not given any health benefits. So due to these long amounts of work to make a living amount of money. What could be one or 2 sick days with insurance could turn into 3-5 which could lead to even more labor which would be even worse for their body. Including that some workers might need those hours and money to get by so they might work with an illness and end up being a bigger risk to the staff and customers in the restaurant.
In conclusion, the food service industry is a harsh environment right now. It’s hard to find workers for it because of its conditions and lack of care. I think that if these issues are addressed then the search would be a lot easier for employers. The workers want these problems resolved because they fear for their health. The pandemic hasn’t helped either side but it’s up to both sides to try and compromise and find a median.
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