Research Paper about Blue-Collar Workers

A blue-collar worker refers to workers who engage in difficult manual labor, typically agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining, or maintenance. Restaurant workers are typically associated with this term. Blue-collar workers may be skilled and educated or not. These workers normally do not earn a salary however they work for an hourly wage or earn payment for every item they assemble or produce. Despite the term “blue-collar” may have created a vision of lower social class compared to other working classes around the late 1800s, this view of blue-collared workers is fading away more in the present day. 

Waitresses and other blue-collar workers are treated unfairly in the workforce and frowned upon. Various people believe that obtaining a college degree is a successful start to a lifelong career. Along with better pay that is assumed to come with a college degree is also the thought of security when looking for a job fresh out of college. Although some would disagree that blue-collar workers deserve better in the workforce, these workers often overwork because they do not earn enough to feed their families, are working for unfair wages, and provide a lot of skill and problem solving to do their work.

In the majority, restaurant workers often overwork because they do not earn enough money to feed their families. Looking at Maddie Oatman’s article The Racist, Twisted History of Tipping, gives insight into the unknown truths of tipping in the restaurant industry. “The restaurant association’s website claims the national median take-home pay for tipped servers is $16 to $22 an hour. But those same workers, according to the BLS, made just $9.01 an hour in 2014—poverty wages for a family of four and nowhere near enough to cover the rent on the average two-bedroom apartment. (The association says this figure is low because some restaurants report tips improperly)”(Oatman). When reported, the national median take-home pay seems to be enough for a server to support a family, yet when calculated correctly a server receives about half the median pay. No one is actually aware of the unfair wages when the tips are being reported incorrectly. Along with the previous quote, another follows revealing another statistic to the truth behind restaurants paying to their servers. She states, “And while federal law requires employers to make sure their tipped workers earn at least minimum wage after tips, that rarely happens—from 2010 to 2012, according to the Department of Labor, 84 percent of restaurants were in violation of federal wage law, ‘which means the women who put food on the tables in America can’t actually afford to feed themselves,’ Jayaraman says”(Oatman). Restaurant owners are even violating federal laws to not support their servers and there is not enough attention to this situation even today. Imagine getting paid 3 dollars an hour because you will receive tips except you don’t earn tips the whole night because that is out of your control. That isn’t minimum wage and tipping is not a requirement for customers and should not be seen as part of a paycheck for workers

In addition to the unfair wages among all servers, Oatman’s essay also gives insight into the deeper unfair wages to nonwhite workers. Of course, wages will not be the same everywhere you work depending on the business and the state you live in, however, several nonwhite workers are working for unfair wages. “The racist origins of tipping persist, meanwhile, in the take-home wages of nonwhite restaurant workers, who earn 56 percent less than their white colleagues”(Oatman). These restaurant workers are making about less than their white colleagues because of something they have no control over; racism. Racism is something that still happens to this day and it is not fair that workers should have to worry about not making enough money because they had a racist customer. In addition to the racist statistic she follows with another saying, “In one study, researchers at Cornell University and Mississippi College found that customers at an unnamed national chain restaurant—even the black customers—tipped white servers better than black servers”(Oatman). Racism toward nonwhite servers is not only coming from customers of opposite races but also from nonwhite customers. This isn’t just a trend with a certain group of people, instead, it is everyone. 

For the little wages these workers earn, blue-collar jobs require a lot of skill and problem solving to do the work. As Rose watches his mother work as a waitress he gives insight into what is truly required for these jobs. “Waiting on seven to nine tables, each with two to six customers, Rosie devised memory strategies so that she could remember who ordered what”(Rose). Whether these skills are acquired over time instead of being taught in school, they are essential to being a favorable server. Besides the skills of a server, Mike shows how the remaining blue-collar jobs also require some problem solving and skill as well. “Carpenters have an eye for length, line, and angle; mechanics troubleshoot by listening; hairstylists are attuned to shape, texture, and motion. Sensory data merge with concept, as when an auto mechanic relies on sound, vibration, and even smell to understand what cannot be observed”(Rose). Without these basic yet essential skills and thinking, these workers could not effectively perform their tasks in their job. These workers put a lot of careful thought and consideration into the work they do to fulfill the needs of their customers.

Countless people argue that pursuing a job with a college degree is more beneficial. Earning a college degree and finding a job with it can earn you more money. In an article by Becton Loveless on Education corner he states, “According to a national report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (sheeo.org), high school graduates earn an average of almost $30,000 per year. Bachelor's graduates earn an average of just over $50,000 a year. And those with a higher-level degree (master's, doctorate or professional) average nearly $70,000 per year”(Loveless). Typically everyone focuses on making the most money when it comes to finding a job that will be your career for life. Along with greater money comes job security when having a college degree. “Data shows that in an economic recession, college graduates are less vulnerable to layoffs. The people who suffer the most from job cuts are lower-level employees who only have high school diplomas”(Loveless). It is important that your career is secure. If you owned a carpentry business and are choosing to hire between a carpenter with no degree versus one with an associate in carpentry, you most likely would consider the candidate with the degree because you know they have been taught well with a satisfactory experience. 

Recently these blue-collar workers and restaurant workers are getting the treatment they deserve. Although some of these workers may still be competing for fair wages, improvement is coming as time goes on. For instance, CBS states, “Shilling says “labor share” — the amount of GDP paid out in wages, salaries, and benefits — which has been in decline for decades is trending higher”(Cohen).  That is, showing that the labor share has been in decline for years, these wages and salaries are increasing which benefits blue-collar and restaurant workers. Along with the insight on “labor share” that CBS shares, they also provide the rise in wages for blue-collar workers. “The June nonfarm payroll report showcased a rise in average hourly wages across all industries, with a 343,000 employment increase in leisure and hospitality jobs, with over half being food service workers. But employment in areas like construction, transportation, and manufacturing remained low”(Cohen). As I have demonstrated, pay increases are now being focused on the workers that deserve it. Increasing these hourly wages will soon increase employment rates in these careers.

Overall, blue-collar workers often overwork because they do not make enough money to feed their families, are working for unfair wages, and provide a lot of skill and problem solving to do their work although numerous people would disagree that blue-collar workers deserve better in the workforce. Although a great number of people are that a college degree is a path to success and job security, blue-collar workers are finding their successful path without a degree and obtaining these benefits. Blue-collar workers and restaurant workers are here to provide for us and our community. Why can’t we treat them all fairly and equally? It is important that people are aware of these working-class “blue-collar workers” and how unfairly they are treated and how long this has been going on so we can do better alongside them. Our workers should be treated fairly with the knowledge brought to the attention of their unfair working conditions. So next time your out to eat or judge that worker doing service for you, remember all the effortful work they have to go through.