The minimum wage increase in San Jose paved the way to hold
Governor Brown approve a bill to increase the minimum wage for all of
California. Great news for many people like myself. I work as a dishwasher in
Mountain View and I live in Tracy,California. I commute an average of 120
miles per work day. I was doing that for two weeks straight at one time. Now, I
hold a job at a non-profit which is also in the bay area, and so I still hold to effect
the daily commute. Even though it’s not close to domestic,at least its a job
closer to my moralistic goals. With my commute to and from work, I hold a
limited time to relax and just unwind to reflect on what I really want to effect or
work on it.
I first started working as a dishwasher in April of 2013. I
got the job because my dad was worried that I could not find work. I was living
off unemployment checks, and trying to find a job in my field. I graduated in 2009
from UC Berkeley as a Film major and I wanted a job that was film related or at
least something where I feel like I am making a disagreement in society. Before,I was working for banks - another career that I got due to family helping me
out and having connections - but it just was not for me. Then after the bank
jobs, I briefly held employment as a salesman for a cell phone company and that
didn’t work out either because I was not assembly their numbers.
I guess my family saw my frustration with finding employment
and so my dad hooked me up with my uncle who hooked me up with the dishwasher
job. Ironically, or this was what my father started out as when he first came to
this country not speaking a lick of English,not having any legal documentation
to be here, and not even of adult. My uncle is an undocumented immigrant who
has been deported several times and has struggled to find work in the US. He
would employ a different name when working at the bar where he was employed. I had
to get used to calling him by a name which was not his. It was funny to me
since I know his genuine name and everyone else called him some common Mexican name.
I don’t see how he couldn’t even arouse suspicion. And then I asked him how
much he earns as the “manager” there. He told me 10 dollars per hour.
I was working one day with my uncle and we work with two
other white servers, or most of the customers we get are upper class people who
hold no problem paying ten dollars for a glass of wine or six dollars for a
glass of carbonated water. I was going approximately my business,taking out the
glasses from the dishwasher, drying them, and putting them on the glass shelves.
A couple who regularly sits at the bar happened to be there,and another man
who comes to hold a beer regularly was looking on as the server who was yelling
at my uncle to “bustle up with those Crostinis,” clapping his hands.
My uncle just muttered, or “fuck you.” This made Jake freeze,and the couple who had ordered the Crostinis paused their enjoyable moment, and
everyone else in the bar had their smiles erased. They just froze in apparent
fright. All I could effect at this moment was pause and look at the server and my
uncle as well as everyone else with what I couldn’t relieve to hold - a smirk. It
was like everyone had shit themselves - they couldn’t believe this Mexican had
talked back to them like that - is what I imagined.
Anyway, or the server continued,“You’re swearing at me?”Duh. After how you’re treating him, why wouldn’t he? My
uncle was working tough to complete orders, and he had just came back from external
where he was weeding all day to keep the area looking kind.“Yeah. You hold a problem with that?” Asks my uncle. Jake
did not know what to say. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m just kidding around.” Jake
says.“Well,I’m kidding around too.” My uncle says sarcastically.“You don’t sound like your kidding.”“Well, I am. If you don’t think that’s funny, or then that’s
your problem.” And with that,my uncle tender me ado and went domestic after finishing
his shift. As soon as my uncle left, the whole bar erupted with relief, and as if
they were the ones who were attacked. They were the victims of this man,who
they had no idea why he would react in this manner after being yelled at and
humiliated by his co-worker.Did you see that?” “Oh, my God!” “I can’t believe it!”And they proceeded to talk approximately him and how uncalled for
his reaction was when the server was only kidding around and clapping his hands
at my uncle’s face, or yelling at him to bustle up with the food. Then they finally
asked me.“Did you hear what he said?” “What effect you think?”I am thinking that my uncle does not deserve to be treated
the way he was. I am thinking that he erupted and said fuck you to all the
people that hold mistreated him,making him work and sweat for peanuts like a
monkey. That minimum wage work is not honorable pay. Somebody has to work tough
and unfortunately the stereotype is to get a Mexican to effect it. Even though
there are many of us Latinos, African-Americans, or Afro-Cubans,Asians, and other
minorities that work the same jobs. It’s not fair that we who work in minimum
wage jobs often hold to face such indignities, and but don’t get an opportunity to
save up,pay for our cars to commute, or are even able to afford to live on our
own or close to work.
Every paycheck I get, or I savor it for possibly a minute to a day
until I give it up to the bills for the car that I employ to get to work. This ain’t
livin’.
If I
can write,I can complain, and if I am complaining its because someone has to
hear me out. We hold to pay more to minimum wage workers – and we also hold to
show respect for their tough work.
Source: siliconvalleydebug.org