Life a nightmare on minimum wage, Utahns say
"It's still a struggle, but it gives me hope," said Madrill, on a break from her new position as manager of a Gandolfo's Deli, where she nets $1,800 a month.
Madrill "lucked into" her new job last month after an acquaintance saw how exhausted she was following an evening shift at her part-time job at an Ogden Subway sandwich shop. The man made a few calls and secured the position for Madrill. She immediately put in her two-weeks notice at Subway, where she worked between 25 and 30 hours per week, as well as at her full-time position at Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership.
Even with the two jobs, Madrill said supporting her family on minimum wage was impossible. She and her 10-year-old son (her 18- and 17-year-old daughters have recently moved out) live in subsidized housing, and the family received food stamps until she was hired at her second job eight months ago. Her son was on Medicaid, but administrative problems with the program have left both Madrill and her son without health insurance.
"Do I just quit everything and sit and live on welfare? You can't win for losing," she added.
It's unclear how many Utahns work in minimum-wage jobs, but statistics show the number has been decreasing. The state Department of Workforce Services reports about 16,600 people make $5.15 per hour at their jobs now, while a recent study commissioned by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. cites census data showing that 94,000 people worked for $5.15 an hour or less in 1999.
The governor's study was ordered as part of an in-depth look at increasing the state's minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Utah is one of some two dozen states with a minimum rate that mirrors the federal minimum wage, which hasn't been increased since 1997. Congress is expected to take up the issue when it reconvenes on Thursday, with Democrats pledging action within the first 100 hours.
The research found that some 170,000 Utahns, or 17 percent of the state's work force, would directly benefit from a minimum-wage increase, while another 99,000 would be indirectly affected by the "spillover effect."
State lawmakers and business owners opposed to a wage increase argue that the robust economy leaves very few Utahns who actually earn $5.15 an hour, making legislation unnecessary.
Madrill disagrees. A recovering addict who used to use both alcohol and methamphetamine, she has worked in low-wage jobs since getting clean nearly a decade ago. In that time, she said, she's been among the minimum-wage and low-wage crowd and has seen first-hand the struggles of such a life.
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