A Tragic Paradox: The Hungry Food Worker
Yawning and exhausted, Phil clocks out at the restaurant he works at, but he is not done for the day as he is headed to his second job at a nearby hotel. Behind him at the time clock is Annie, a full time student, whose hours were just cut from 30 to 20 hours per week leaving her wondering how she will have enough money for groceries for the week. John passes them sniffling; he knows he shouldn’t be serving food, but he does not receive sick days and cannot afford to take a day off. He greets Paul, a long-time employee, who has been with the company for five years. The restaurant has failed to keep their promise of raises and room for advancement, but Paul cannot find a better job so he sticks around.
This is the state of our food service workers. The same people that work hard to bring food to our tables are hungry due to underemployment, low wages, wage theft and a multitude of other reasons. One sixth of the US workforce works in the food industry and many of them face universally poor wages with an estimated 86% earning low or poverty wages. Rampant racial and gender segregation keep women and people of color in the lowest paying positions putting them and their families at even greater risk of hunger.
Food workers are at greater risk for food insecurity than the rest of the US workforce with nearly 1 in 3 being food insecure. Food security is when people have enough food at all times to live an active and healthy life and it is when they have a readily available source of nutritionally adequate and safe food as well as the means to acquire such foods in a socially acceptable way. Food insecurity occurs when these conditions are not met and this food insecurity increases the risk for chronic disease, depression and anxiety among adults and it increases the risk for cognitive problems, anxiety and aggression among children.
The increased risk of food insecurity contributes to food workers using food stamps at double the rate of the rest of the US workforce. Also, many rely on restaurant food during their shifts because they don’t have the time or resources to cook, but the employee’s food options may be of reduced quality and may be less nutritious than the usual restaurant offerings.
To make matters worse, many employees do not receive health benefits and few receive sick days and as a result, many report working when sick. The employees face poor, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions with many working long hours with few breaks and many are improperly trained and not given the necessary equipment to perform their job resulting in unsafe practices and injury. There is limited room for career advancement and mobility and many face discrimination and segregation keeping them in lower positions and in poor financial situations. Many work overtime, some work multiple jobs in an attempt to make ends meet and many experience wage theft violations. These concerns keep them impoverished, hungry and food insecure.
Clearly, this tragic paradox has widespread implications on the individuals, their families, the community and on public health, but it can be solved by engaging all key players and demanding change. You, as a consumer, can make a difference by only supporting restaurants who support their employees and pay them livable, adequate wages and you can be sure to tip them enough as many rely on these tips. Employees can empower themselves and ask for raises where possible and they can unionize where appropriate.
Employers can pay their employees fair and livable wages and pay adequately for overtime. Studies suggest that restaurant owners who pay higher wages and provide benefits see turnover rates decline by nearly 50% which results in increased productivity and cost savings from reduced new hire trainings allowing this to be a sustainable and feasible path. Further, employers can provide a safe and healthy workplace with proper breaks and lunches and they can implement proper trainings and provide the necessary job equipment so that employees can safely and effectively do their jobs.
Legislators can create policies to protect workers, increase the minimum wage and eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. They can guarantee the workers the rights to employee benefits and the right to unionize and they can increase penalties and enforcement for employers who engage in wage theft violations and other illegal practices.
Businesses should choose to only partner with ethical restaurants, while communities and community nonprofits should meet to discuss viable solutions for their specific community that supports the employees. While not a long-term solution to the problem, nutrition assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) and other agencies like food banks can reach out to the food workers and offer their services in an effort to reduce food insecurity and hunger.
Ultimately, we must all come together to help feed those who feed us and to put an end to this tragic paradox.
Hungry for more information? To learn more about this paradox and other paradoxes within the food system (your farmer may also be going to bed hungry at night), I encourage you to read No Piece of the Pie: US Food Workers in 2016.
