Surviving on Minimum Wage | Hard Earned | ENDEVR Documentary

sure of a house today was another terrible day at Walgreens just happy to get home and get to my little ones always wanted to be a midwife but I just can't be a full-time student worker and Mom go sit down almost [Music] [Music] tell me what I gotta do to me standing on a piggy line still away [Music] [Applause] [Music] but I know there's hope for me praying for a change to come one day saying God can you please give me something [Applause] to believe oh I'm tired of waking up early that I could tell you so I'm on the hunt I decided this week I'm gonna look for a rich guy so I don't have to I don't mind if I still have to work I just don't want to work early Amelia stancati has applied for jobs all over the city yesterday She interviewed at a new sports bar the interview went really well and then the guy says in the uniform is shorts and a t-shirt I said I'm not doing it and they said you could wear shorts you got a figure for shorts I said I'm not wearing shorts I'm 50 years old you know what I mean I'm not gonna pretend like I'm trying to compete with 20 and 30 year olds so I left you said I don't wear shorts it's not myself maybe we should have told you hey Todd thanks for getting coffee it's about time you did something I know anything else okay enjoy your meal please do Emilia has been a waitress for most of her life she worked for a few years in construction but the 2008 recession put an end to that motorcycle insurance my car payment Sprinkler Fitters I still pay dues even though I don't work with construction company but you know I live off my credit cards when I don't make enough money so the last couple months it's been minimum balances the longer Emilia goes without finding a better job the further she slips into credit card debt and the more she risks losing her house I'm underwater on this mortgage that's my fear not making enough to be able to keep you know the things that I have she works full-time at the breakfast place including all weekends and holidays like today Thanksgiving I went into work at 6 15 manager didn't show up till four to seven there was no business we had four Cooks 10 servers three Busboys you know if you cut some of your staff you would be already saving money if you trusted your staff enough to cut the floor I'm going to leave this here for you have a great day and have a Happy Thanksgiving thank you and then he started cutting the floor right around 11 30 quarter to 12. and they sent me home early and I went home with was it 38 that I wrote in there I think it was 38 or 35 for what the owner said to me last week the guy that owns eight restaurants that he hopes that this new law doesn't go into effect and I saw what no lie says the minimum wage and he says it would destroy businesses and I said really my take on that is completely different because if you give your average worker a little more money they're probably going to be able to pay bills maybe an extra bill or two or maybe they'll spend a little bit more you know that's what keeps the economy going I under the impression that it would help businesses if everybody made a little bit more or maybe they'll go out to eat at the restaurant [Applause] the battle over the minimum wage heated up across the country today the workers are demanding minimum pay of 15 an hour thousands of fast food workers walked off the job at a time when 44 of the jobs created in the last four years are low-wage jobs there has been a call to double the wage in at least 30 cities it is expected to be the largest strike [Music] foreign I'm at 10 50 right now 1050 can't pay no bills DJ Jackson's concern about wages and working conditions has led him to get more involved in the fight for 15 campaign even as he tries to hang on to his job at Walgreens when I went back to work it was exactly what I expected attention a lot of people not talking to you I hate walking into the job because I know there's something going to be said I know there's something going to be done [Music] I know that I'm watched I know they're looking for anything I know I have to show up on time can't be a minute late I know all that good stuff but it's tiring because I can't be perfect [Applause] [Music] territory [Music] DJ he believes in a fight for 15. but I'm nervous you know we cannot afford for one of us to lose a job they're going to make you miserable so you want to quit you don't want to go to work every day like my boss is going to mess with me or I can't see my family because now they have me closing all these nights he comes home with a headache or you know he just don't want to talk like this week I came up to I was like babe I made an employee of the month you know and he was happy and then at the same time I was like what's wrong and his boss had made a mess so it kind of brought me down because I'm an employee of the month but then you had a bad day at work so you're not happy like I'm happy DJ and takita both have Wednesdays off from Walgreens I just feel so exhausted yeah it's my off day it don't feel like all day though it's like my second job I know you better not be playing Tetris you sick but you're still addicted to that Tetris hey look I just told you I'm trying to just win this tournament one time we should have got something to eat you ain't eat nothing this morning I ain't really good yeah appetite though until you cook dinner cooking no money I have enough energy to do that you know we work our abilities you know our strengths and weaknesses yeah throw me under the bus I ain't said that see if I cook for you again I ain't saying that I'm just saying I'm just saying what what you saying I'm just saying what I'm saying what you're saying nothing are they doomed to be broken-hearted please welcome William to the show it's beautiful when you have a snow day when you work in school the kids think that they're the ones that get excited it's really the staff members who get excited at his old school we get paid and we want to go to school Anna look at come here kiss on birds its own seagull no secrets are in Florida thank you Daddy Jose Elizabeth and Aiden live with Jose's mom in her spare room for part of the week the other part they live with Elizabeth's parents six days ago Jose and I found out that we had not gotten the house that we wanted I was on my way home he calls me and I'm stuck in traffic I was like what do you want don't cry I was like leave me alone I say let me you know grieve in peace and he told me let's just get married I said what he said yeah marry me I said that's to I was like in tears I said shut up Jose I was like this is not the time to be playing and he told me if we're gonna make the purchase of our lives with two different last names I would like for you to carry mine and that was it I said yeah I said heck yeah I didn't think about it twice it was on the phone yes on the phone in the middle of the in the middle of Montgomery Montgomery Mall while my mom was at the Sprint kiosk I didn't do it the right way like I wanted wanted to like have the ring and then get down to one knee or even getting put on a Jumbotron or something but then it just felt like that was a moment to do it money bro on the phone how much should I move them okay okay done a little bit 1500 from you Jose asks Elizabeth to move money from his savings account to pay for the Rings they're trying to cover wedding expenses without using up what they've saved for a house is so happy [Music] very nice yeah yeah all females look at is the size of the thing you like it I do I love it a lot thank you [Music] um so how much would our total be we're at uh three thousand hundred thirty one dollars program Jose we didn't transfer enough I'm kind of happy but I'm nervous the wedding [Applause] yeah I know if you turn that off it doesn't say yes no no man all right yeah you're still mad at me frustrated with me over there I'm sorry if I came off like that I'm sure it should be a happy for us you know you can do that okay I only have enough money honey I know that we're cutting back on a lot of things I want okay I mean I'm paying I'm paying for my own dress I'm paying for my own things should feel happier but I'm not a big purchase I guess when anybody would have to drop that much money if you don't have that much money to just to spend it kind of it dampers the mood a little bit [Music] the price was more than we expected I said well I want that ring I earned more money than Jose so I came up and paid the other half of the ring at my own personal account foreign [Music] foreign to me you say yes why not but I have a problem and I speak English sorry that was to go that was to go you can't yeah if you won yeah Hilton Kennedy was born in the U.S but raised in Mexico as a U.S citizen he returned a year and a half ago for better opportunities they ask about coupons all the time as he was trying to study what a coupon looked like or what he was supposed to do in certain situations he was really afraid of like coupons I looked at him and I told him I said when I see Hilton working I know that I can rely on YouTube I can't teach work ethic and I can't teach someone to be loyal English is something that anyone can learn tonight make sure you check the cash thank you man Hilton still works as a dishwasher at Google along with this new job at Sweet Tomatoes he now works more than 80 hours a week hey my friends for you guys he's getting paid ten dollars he will get a two dollar raise it's going to make it easier from a little bit but I mean the Silicon Valley it's just very expensive I mean I myself I'm a GM and I live in a one-bedroom apartment with my wife um so I can't imagine for someone like Hilton friend Diana Gonzalez live in a garage in a trailer park with communal bathrooms everybody Diana is in her second trimester expecting twins [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign bye [Music] we're going to stalk a restaurant on my days off I go to restaurants that I might be interested in and I have a cup of coffee and I get friendly with the waitress and ask questions coming up empty on her job search Emilia continues to pound the pavement I have never been in here [Music] you know places I've worked I've never Savannah shrimp omelets you know there's a lot black bean cakes fresh carrot beet celery Apple ginger juice red eggs what's a red egg I don't know how long have you worked here I've been here for about a month what do you think makes this place so busy on the weekends and during the mornings this is more of a southern menu so we have a lot of people from the South who who are raised on like corn muffins grits but the people are pretty nice to work for yes okay I'm just being nosy I know it's okay I'm being nosy it's outside Chicago okay now this is what you wear even on the weekends yes that's awesome place to do your job but this would be like right up my alley you know where it's laid back but you're still making money I mean you're still usually you can tell if it's a decent place to work by how the servers are acting a lot of time to service are talking to the guests but not a lot of conversation amongst the employees that always signals that it's a stressful place to work if the staff was friendly and they talk to each other you can tell there's not a lot of tension I bet by 6 30 7 o'clock this place gets pretty happened I'm actually just going to Snoop at your menu is that all right you don't mind do you I can't get you a snack or anything no what do you get for snacks you're making chocolate well honey I'm too much chocolate for you I love it you can't handle this truck no I can't you're right I just ate a big lunch so I definitely can't handle that chocolate foreign wage for all the other Industries is eight dollars and I think 65 cents or whatever it is but in the restaurant industry it's 4.85 that is my minimum wage [Music] foreign it's not much I mean I don't know how anybody can live on 20 000 a year but that's your you know anywhere between 20 and 30 000 is what a restaurant worker is making I'm always trying to make more money I'm not afraid to try anything my girlfriend owns an insurance company and she's going to teach me to make phone calls and see how I do in sales because she thinks I have the perfect personality not sure about that Hi how are you Emilia comes here a few evenings a week hoping it will pay off in commissions someday I have absolutely no experience in insurance quotes I mean she has to teach me how to open up the computer oh she's got the comfortable seat hi what's going on is this the same it's the same setup as the other one she's willing to give me a chance and that's more than most people have done for me and then you can put in your your login see how fast I forgot no it's all right she's just starting I'm going from bartending and construction and restaurants to an office job I'm sitting in some desk and I'm looking around and thinking wow it can get pretty boring but if it's going to pay my bills and it'll be easier on my body I'd be willing to do it you know I always impress me those chicks that can go like this and these but they can't ride motorcycles so I'd like to think that I'm ready for something new but I don't know I don't know if it's my thing insurance but I need a new job [Music] at Walgreens I'm the SBA which is the senior beauty advisor when I first started my job I was a cashier and then I was immediately moved to the Cosmetics Department and I'm like are you kidding me you know I was raised by a male I don't know what I'm doing I don't know how to do hair I don't know how to do makeup everyone used to tease me when I was younger because I never wore fingernail polish and I never did the eye shadow because I was raised by my dad I was like Dad what am I gonna do he was like you're gonna take this job and you're gonna do it and I'm like okay all right your son's gonna tell you he already started on his one my dad is my best friend and when I say that I mean it from my soul I'm the baby he worked hard to get me and my brother where we needed to be in life most gracious and Heavenly Father we just want to thank you today thank you thank you for the family gathering DJ and takita's family gather at her father Calvin's apartment for Sunday dinner Calvin has cooked for everyone [Music] thank you thank you Lord we get together at church oh God but to be away from church and just being able to enjoy each other's company thank you you keep us every day and I just want to say thank you I'm in Jesus name amen amen amen all right Calvin fought for custody of takita and her brother after a court ordered them removed from the home of their mother and her abusive boyfriend I've had a rough life my mom has been through domestic violence [Music] and the day that I got taken away my dad was on his way to my house and he didn't leave us he went to every court date he made sure he got his house in order he went in debt just to get an apartment big enough yeah you ain't got no seat yeah go ahead you know how to go come to your house and eat and you don't get to sit down [Music] I had my son when I was a senior in high school and I just didn't expect it because it was my first time and and I had got pregnant and I was just I felt like I disappointed my dad I feel like I let him down I felt like um that I wouldn't be able to accomplish nothing but my dad is my backbone and um he told me that no matter what goes on I always have you back like when I had my son I went to a community college I didn't have a job but my dad took care of my son until the John came into the picture design started taking care of the party in 10 months you know Dijon is not his biological father but he's never walked out on him anything that he does for the Maya he does for damari yep yeah feed down be there you go there we go good job come on come on for me you work for me thank you DJ takita and the kids have settled into their new apartment [Music] [Music] I'm putting applications every single day to get a better job but I've decided to give myself a time limit my daughter's birthday is May 26th if I haven't gotten a better position from a different company then I'm going to go to the military because the military insurers meet benefits for the rest of my life they're ensures my kids benefits for the rest of their life he would go to the Army I understand why he's saying that because it's so hard to get a good paying job 626 what career should you have but I don't want him to go just for the money you said flexibility sure she asks me all the time are you sure this is what you want to do the Army is my last resort I don't want to have to leave them but I will do anything necessary for them to have a great life I'm not happy about it no I'm not at all that's the only son I have and I don't want anything to happen to him I'm gonna get some tissues we have military in our family that's not an issue for me if that's something that he had chose because he really just wanted to go to the military but go to the military because I can't find something better when you go to the military you leave everything and everybody and my granddaughter is a daddy's girl that's going to be a problem John what time is it 640 hey I love you the neighborhood it's not the safest like my girlfriend walking up the street let me be there just so I can watch you all right keep going schedule is crazy it starts off with Elizabeth wakes up to be out the house around 6 30. foreign as soon as she's leaving at the house I wake up I get Aiden ready for school [Music] I guess if you have to bus stop at 8 16 and then I'm in class have to make it back to the bus stop around 3 15 when Aiden gets off the bus around four o'clock I make my way up to Elizabeth's mom's house leave Aiden there into Elizabeth's kids here hello I'm five I gotta get into work [Music] out at one [Music] great lunch for Aiden for the next day so normally I get four hours and then wake up and do it all over again have a nice day thank you no problem unfortunately where I work it's very far I spend a lot of money on gas foreign this is my favorite part of my commute this View you see The Monuments um I'm about to be close to the exit from my house okay so I get to see you yay I only see him when I wake up and he's asleep and when I'm you know he comes home I'm asleep older couples they're like that's all you need it Elizabeth and Jose live part of the week with her parents they needed my help my dad right now is receiving chemo and so he's unable to work so I had to move back home and I paid twelve hundred dollars each month for their mortgage support persona Elizabeth and Jose's wedding is in a week after spending more money than anticipated on the engagement ring they're not sure if they can afford a reception well you didn't I don't know the numbers in my head 980 That's not including drinks and stuff soda disorder they have cash bar sometimes they they reveal the first thing free that's not free it's three dollars and 25 cents that's okay it's too expensive photos don't be cheap yeah well I'm not the only one who has to think about that it's also Jose you know I don't make decisions on my own anymore Jose says no then the answer is no I don't say anything I know you didn't say anything but I'm just saying you know I'm pretty sure you agree with me that it's too expensive to what to add a drink yeah I don't I don't mind it it's too expensive I don't have the money oh foreign knowing it could lead to higher pay Emilia attends a course in fine dining despite her misgivings I've worked at places where people look down on you when they order you know the expectation is very servant like like I should be your servant I'm not you want to make sure that you grab it so that your finger is not in this the surface of the plate it's deadly fingerprints on the plate if there's a bone on it make sure the bone is facing away from the gas and make sure that the protein is in front at six o'clock it's all about perception anything that you do out there whether it's touching your face or leaning or anything negative connotations other than this or this you know or you know having your hands some none of this you know once you step out there you're stepping out on stage that's my biggest obstacle I go to the table already in a panic it's just a bottle of wine I know and the more relaxed you are the more relaxed they are you know I looked at Chicago Cut menu uh last week they have a five thousand dollar bottle of wine okay I don't want to be the one that breaks the cork 34 years 34 years 34 years I've been a server and I I've always stayed where I'm comfortable you know even at the Union League club I felt totally out of place even though I was there for two and a half years and they liked me I always felt like I didn't quite fit but that's another thing too is kind of reevaluate what you really want some core beliefs about your business model okay talk about it too I mean not the whole story but you say okay this is the grace and sellers Cabernet Sauvignon 2011. yeah exactly a little too far in is it yeah because now your Corkscrew would have gone through the cork there is areas in my life where I don't have a lot of confidence I do have low self-esteem always uh thinking that people are better but when it comes to my job I know I'm good at it Diana has her first doctor's appointment in the U.S at a community clinic hola foreign as an uninsured pregnant woman she qualifies for temporary Medicaid in California um okay Romero um [Music] Hilton failed his first attempt at the California food safety exam a requirement for promotion to Junior manager Hilton's co-workers also failed the test today they study with their manager for the makeup exam it is a ServSafe practice test I mean this is something you can understand physical contaminants physical contaminants common objects that get into food Metals shavings from cans wood fingernails Staples Bandits glass Beverly the ongoing thing is English for him he needs to accept that he has whether he speak English and he'll feel better about himself everybody knows the thermometer that we use is the bi-metallic stem thermometer but I don't know I want to know that in Spanish who would that be called sexual is foreign teach she teaches an art class it's like t-e-a-c-h-s yes yes exactly that's also one of the changes yep Hilton Studies English once a week with his friend Ricardo they met at Hilton's first job in the U.S he was just arrived from Tijuana I kind of saw myself in him I I told him I know some English maybe I can teach you some of the English I know we have four categories of jobs our website designer yes office work okay tell me another example of office work I imagine you are the boss yeah manager yeah we would like become very good friends and he was surprised that in such a short time I had a good Savings bank account and three credit cards he told me hey I want to learn how to deal with my money how to take care of my money in the way you do it I think he needs like a father figure there are certain things he lived that would get him down kind of depressed [Music] in Los Angeles [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] sometimes wow [Music] [Applause] Junior was so nervous and scared this morning at about 10 30. it's in jeans and he's in the bathroom I said like where are you going to the store I need a shirt I said what I'll be okay I need some shoes too oh so anyway he made it look good you think so my family 36 dollars we are gathered here to join Jose Mourinho and Elizabeth Bond giant hands please and they're gonna repeat hi Jose hi Jose thank you Elizabeth thank you Elizabeth for my lovely wife for my lawful wife to having to hold to having to host from this day forward from the state forward for better and for worse for better for worse for richer for poorer for richer for poor in sickness and in health in sickness and in health for as long as we both should leave for as long as we both shall live the wedding ring is a symbol of unity a circle unbroken without beginning or end by the power and authority best telling me I Now pronounce you husband and wife you may kiss the bride I'm very lucky to have Elizabeth to be my wife she's a very strong individual strong woman strong-willed can do attitude will do it or if you let her do it by herself actually you know so I just thank you that you guys are here sharing it with us and no I'm not pregnant so I love this man and I love him so much and I love Aiden for just bringing so much joy to my life especially with all you guys here [Applause] you know we tried saving money every which way we can I did my invitations at work I just bought a template off of the internet for five bucks it was a 45 dress at David's Bridal because it was on the clearance rack we went to the Dollar Store for centerpieces for all 12 tables we had a dashboard it was a three thousand dollar wedding which was unheard of the Rings were the most expensive item yeah I could have just gone online on Amazon or I could have been really Frugal about it [Music] this is really though I mean you're talking about restaurants we're not talking about a psychology field we're not talking about health care I should be able to just tell you where I've worked let the references speak for themselves there's so many people but it's a different field than it used to be in the past two months Emilia has applied for more than four dozen jobs and her financial picture looks more desperate than ever maybe I should become a nun do you think they need resumes to become a nun am I do none smoke or did you put on your face makeup this is why you need to go to college so you don't end up in this spot so this is where you get a really quick opportunity to kind of sell yourself see I don't get it I mean I have to if I tell you up here why I qualify why do I have to write that down there [Music] foreign [Music] you got an iPad I financially no she probably should not have bought the iPad but when it comes to him that's what she does you're such a good kid it's 587 dollars Christmas money have now been lowered and we meet Percy and Beverly Evans to see their retirement dreams fade after losing their middle class jobs not look for charity or nothing like that I want to sell cans before I go ask somebody else here give me something [Music]

Channel: ENDEVR

Views: 722,838

Keywords: Free documentary, documentaries, full documentary, hd documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), Business Documentary, working class, poverty documentary, social inequality, income inequality, income inequality in america 2022, income inequality in america, working class documentary, low income, low income documentary, hard earned series, minimum wage

Id: WH4C-bfjz5k

Length: 47min 3sec (2823 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 22 2023