Working Poor & Life Chances
Land of the Free, Home of the Working Poor
By Audrey Akins
Jan 10, 2002, 17:40

America: The land of the free, the home of the brave and a country with a class known as the working poor.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the working poor are individuals who spend at least 27 weeks in the labor forcer per year, but whose incomes fall below the official poverty line. In a report by the Center for Public Priorities, the number of people in poverty in Texas is above the national average.

Debra Jarmon, 42, a frontline server at a café, said she works eight hours a day and sometimes seven days a week. She said it’s not the first time she has had to work 50 or more hours in one week.

"Being part of the working poor means an employer will get more labor for less pay, so you have to be physically able to bare it,” Jarmon said.

Jarmon said she is not married and does not have any children but lives with her mother paying $50 every two weeks because the cost of paying rent would take most of her paycheck. After rent, she would also be left with utility bills, food and other costs of living, she said.

The Center for Public Policy Priorities in 2000 reported that 650,000 Texans paid more than half their income to rent or live in substandard housing.

When it comes to health care, Jarmon said instead of going to the doctor, she goes to the local pharmacy. She also uses household remedies to solve medical ailments. One of her remedies is using black pepper in her ear to stop an earache.

“Right now I’m on the way to get something for my hands. They’re irritated from working with the Ajax, bleach and Clorox at work,” Jarmon said.

A report from the U.S. Department of Labor stated last year 5.6 percent of U.S. workers had more than one job. The report stated the main reason people had an extra job was in order to meet their regular expenses. Other reasons were to pay debts, save money, help relatives and buy something special.

Roy Smith, 66, is retired but works odd jobs for extra money. He said he considers himself self-employed. He paints, lays concrete, does construction and cuts grass to earn money. His home is paid for and his children are grown so he is able to get by. Smith said his income is about $20,000 a year, which includes $1,000 that comes from his pension.

Smith said he does not struggle as much as others because he can earn money at a variety of jobs and because his only financial responsibility is himself.

For Servinia Popeh and her husband, being a part of the working poor is not easy since they could only afford to bring one of their six children with them when they left Africa almost a year ago. Popeh said she works as a machine operator and her husband has been working in housekeeping at M.D. Anderson Hospital for the past three months. Before that, her husband worked at the local Fiesta grocery store for almost 10 months for only $5.50 an hour. She said he left because of the low pay.

Popeh said they had to leave behind five of their six children because it cost $400 per person to come. They could only bring the youngest, who is four. As for the other children, Popeh said it might be two years before she sees them.

“Right now most of the money we make goes to pay the bills and the rest we send home to the family,” Popeh said. “There is not a penny left after that.”

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