THE SITUATION:
This group represented a single man with a 13-year-old son. His son went to middle school and an after school program. The father also had a 5-year-old daughter who lived with her mother in another state. He didn't see her much, but he did pay child support for her diligently. Child support cost him $115 per month.
The man had no car because he couldn't afford the payment, insurance, and gas on his monthly income, so he had to take public transportation to and from work. His son’s school bus picked him up at 6:30 AM, but his after school program did not offer bus service, and he had to be picked up by 6:30 PM. His school wwould not allow him to board a city bus without a parent, and his father really wanted him in this after school program because the son had been getting into trouble. If the son was picked up late more than 3 times, he would lose his space in the program. Luckily, his middle school was located only a 15-minute walk from his father's new place of employment. They both had to take the bus home everyday.
The man had a high school diploma and one year of college where he was a work-study student in a position that allowed him to gain the skills necessary to do the work required of the new job. He dropped out of college when his son’s mother dropped him off one day and left him in his father's care with no explanation. He did not know where the boy's mother was, and she offered no support of any kind.
He left his previous city rather abruptly due to a disagreement with some friends, so he brought with him only the barest of essentials (some clothes, some toiletries, and a few personal items). He had only $1000 to get himself set up before he got paid for his first month’s work.
He had to begin work within 2 weeks of arriving in town, so time was essential. He had to figure things out pretty quickly.
The man had no car because he couldn't afford the payment, insurance, and gas on his monthly income, so he had to take public transportation to and from work. His son’s school bus picked him up at 6:30 AM, but his after school program did not offer bus service, and he had to be picked up by 6:30 PM. His school wwould not allow him to board a city bus without a parent, and his father really wanted him in this after school program because the son had been getting into trouble. If the son was picked up late more than 3 times, he would lose his space in the program. Luckily, his middle school was located only a 15-minute walk from his father's new place of employment. They both had to take the bus home everyday.
The man had a high school diploma and one year of college where he was a work-study student in a position that allowed him to gain the skills necessary to do the work required of the new job. He dropped out of college when his son’s mother dropped him off one day and left him in his father's care with no explanation. He did not know where the boy's mother was, and she offered no support of any kind.
He left his previous city rather abruptly due to a disagreement with some friends, so he brought with him only the barest of essentials (some clothes, some toiletries, and a few personal items). He had only $1000 to get himself set up before he got paid for his first month’s work.
He had to begin work within 2 weeks of arriving in town, so time was essential. He had to figure things out pretty quickly.
THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET & NOTES:
- RENT
- UTILITIES
- GROCERIES
- PHONE
- TRANSPORTATION
- CHILD SUPPORT
- TOTAL
- $431.00
- $INCLUDED IN RENT
- $150.00
- $30.00
- $68.00
- $125.00
- $804.00
| Group 3 Preliminary Buget & Notes |
LIFE'S CURVEBALL:
This single dad has been doing a great job at work, so his boss has decided to give him a pay raise. Instead of earning $7.50/hour, the boss is offering him $8.50/hour. It’s an honor to be recognized for the hard work, so he accepts the raise.
Once the raise kicks in, however, he finds that his child support payment has gone up, too. The child support payment is now $250 a month.
Here is the revised income:
Working 39 hours per week at $8.50 per hour brings in roughly $331.50.50 per week, which is roughly $1325 per month before taxes. Based on average tax deductions for any North Carolina worker, approximately $265 taken out of the monthly pay for taxes. The NET pay, therefore, is roughly $1060 per month.
He must revise his budget to accommodate the additional $135 expense.
Once the raise kicks in, however, he finds that his child support payment has gone up, too. The child support payment is now $250 a month.
Here is the revised income:
Working 39 hours per week at $8.50 per hour brings in roughly $331.50.50 per week, which is roughly $1325 per month before taxes. Based on average tax deductions for any North Carolina worker, approximately $265 taken out of the monthly pay for taxes. The NET pay, therefore, is roughly $1060 per month.
He must revise his budget to accommodate the additional $135 expense.
THE REVISED BUDGET & NOTES:
- RENT
- UTILITIES
- GROCERIES
- PHONE
- TRANSPORTATION
- CHILD SUPPORT
- TOTAL
- $431.00
- $INCLUDED IN RENT0
- $150.00
- $30.00
- $64.00
- $250.00
- $925.00 (Leaving $135.00 after all bills are paid)
| Group 3 Revised Budget & Notes |
FINAL EVALUATIONS:
It is fairly safe to assume that no one wants to live in poverty; therefore, it is also safe to assume that those who do live in poverty are looking for a way out. As Ehrenreich states in the “Evaluation” chapter of Nickel and Dimed, low-skilled workers are not lazy and unmotivated, willing to “live off government handouts,” as is often assumed. In her field research, she found her co-workers to be hard-working individuals who took pride in their work and who viewed management more of a hindrance to getting the work done properly rather than a help.
As demonstrated by this hypothetical situation, the motivation to be better and take pride in the work led to a raise; however, that raise led to an increase in child support, resulting ultimately in the loss of $135 from the NET pay.
In this group’s evaluation, the students had to address this issue by commenting on the following questions:
With poor managers hindering hard work and monetary hits from Uncle Sam, what drives the low-skilled worker to better his lot in life? Why bother if doing so would only result in further financial losses? If making more money on a job means losing more money to (or because of) the government, what is the incentive to strive for monetary gain?
Their comments follow:
As demonstrated by this hypothetical situation, the motivation to be better and take pride in the work led to a raise; however, that raise led to an increase in child support, resulting ultimately in the loss of $135 from the NET pay.
In this group’s evaluation, the students had to address this issue by commenting on the following questions:
With poor managers hindering hard work and monetary hits from Uncle Sam, what drives the low-skilled worker to better his lot in life? Why bother if doing so would only result in further financial losses? If making more money on a job means losing more money to (or because of) the government, what is the incentive to strive for monetary gain?
Their comments follow:
The government takes lots of money from its low-wage workers, even though they work as hard, if not harder, than anyone else. Hard work is supposed to pay off, so low-wage workers can’t stop working hard. Hard work can sometimes get people more respect from bosses, customers, and co-workers and gaining respect is sometimes more important than money. Low-wage workers should always strive to do their best because they never know who is looking at them. Low-wage workers who work hard are teaching their children that hard work is important and respect is more important than wealth.
