nickelanddimed

Nickel and Dimed

__Summary:__ So far Barbra has been asked to go "under cover" and work for minimum wage. For her first job she is in Key West Florida, working as a maid and waitress. She lives in a small cabin in a swampy area behind her landlords trailer. Then, she decided to move to Maine. While she was there, she applied for many jobs, and decided to a weekend job at a nursing home and a job as a maid during the week. She talks about how hard it is being a maid, telling us about the rules and what she has to do. She cannot use the facilities, consume any food or water there, and she must clean each and every inch of the entire house. In addition, the house owner often watches them which makes things more awkward. These jobs still have a $6 to $7 wage.

__Quotes:__ According to the fair labor standards act, employers are not required to pay "tipped employees", such as restaurant servers. pg 16

__Questions:__ How would you feel if you had to work on minimum wage? What would you be willing to cut back on if you only had a certain amount of cash? could you live off of 7 dollars? what is the total of everything your wearing?

__Facts for the fact sheet:__ - she learns its hard to find a job - she also learns that its difficult to find a place to live - she has to live in a small, shack like place - she works a minimum paid job which leaves her little money for food