We rely heavily on essential workers for our modern day lives. Whether it is getting food from the grocery store, filing our cars with gas, fast food or restaurants, or even retail stores, our immediate needs would not be met if it wasn’t for these important jobs. Due to COVID-19, everyone is having to rely heavily on these roles to survive. Luckily, many essential workers have stepped up putting in the extra overtime hours to assist where needed.
THANK YOU TO OUR ESSENTIAL WORKERS FOR STEPPING UP AND KEEPING US THRIVING AND SURVIVING 👏🏽
However why is it that they are highly underpaid? Why is it that it took a whole pandemic for people to realize how important they are to society? Before this virus took over the US, corporate jobs were known for the highest paid positions that everyone wanted. The higher up you are on the corporate ladder, the more money there was available. Sure we also rely on Corporate America to keep us thriving, however should they be the ones getting paid the highest for sitting at a computer all day and working a 9-5?
Take teachers for instance. They educate our youth on how to be successful in life, along with inspiring students to follow their dreams. While teaching children the basics of how to read, write, math, science, creative activities and health, teachers are the reason we are educated and keeping the world going for many generations to come. The problem is that with budget cuts and other reasons, teachers are highly underpaid. In 2016, for instance, the average starting salary was $38,617—20% lower than that of other professions requiring a college degree.
Grocery, fast food, janitors and retail workers are also on the list of being underpaid. After being on their feet for 8-12 hours a day, manual labor, and dealing with customers all day, they should at least be paid a lot higher than the average minimum wage. With the stress on their bodies mentally and physically, they are definitely worth more than just 8.00’s-12.00’s and hour. However they were looked at as being on the bottom of the corporate ladder.
We of course cannot forget our nurses! Without them, who would sick people and or children have to take care of them? The main concern is that nurses are underpaid but also overworked as well due to staff shortages. Nurses are always in high demand which calls for so many hours needing to be worked. A lot of nurses feel undervalued and treated unfairly.
Hopefully this Pandemic has opened the eyes of many. Many corporate jobs have been laid off leaving us to rely on the positions mentioned above and more that are deemed essential. Is this the society we live in? To think… this is just 10 percent of the problem I want to discuss. Be on the lookout for the next article “This Is Society.”
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