Publisher’s Note: The publisher has had no role in editing this column, which is published as the writer submitted it with the intention of publication in BEACONS.
By Johanna Weeks
Kathleen Kingsbury, Pulitzer Prize winner, joined the editorial board for the Boston Globe in 2013. She published a series of editorials in 2014 about income inequality bringing readers attention to wage gap, wage theft and human rights violations within the food industry. Kingsbury argues for the fair treatment of food workers and laws to protect their rights. Kingsbury article’s effectively expose the terrible treatment that food industry workers endure and explain to readers the importance of demanding better treatment.
The editorial “For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not the menu” engages the reader’s attention by using hard-hitting imagery. “It's easy to recognize a former restaurant dishwasher. Long, deep scars often line their forearms — the result of nights when, as the lowest on the chain of kitchen workers, they must plunge their hands into boiling hot water to unclog industrial-size dish-washing machines,” Kingsbury states in her lead. Jonny Arévalo, a dishwasher, is quoted as saying “paying your dues is how to move up in a kitchen, then some poor guy takes your place.” Sourcing Arévalo and mentioning facts and statistics adds to Kingsbury’s credibility. “2.13$ per hour for wait staff in exchange for tips is unacceptable and an unlivable wage. Fast food workers rely on state aid (food stamps) which the american taxpayers provide- subsidize 7 billion per year in the restaurant industry,” Kingsbury states. Kingbury’s language is effective as she uses a serious tone and an expository writing style. Kingbury explains how the franchise system and powerful lobby blocks workers from unionizing by making it impractical and difficult. In addition, she explains that the wage gap between the rich and poor is soaring to levels not seen since the stock market crash of 1929. On top of unlivable wages, wage gaps and long grueling hours Kingbury points out that food industry workers have to endure wage theft. Filiberto Lopez, an immigrant, is cited in this article. Lopez found work at a Boston Puervian restaurant and worked more than 80 hours a week. Lopez was paid $5 an hour with no overtime and suffered verbal abuse. Kingsbury’s sourcing creates a feeling of empathy for these workers and helps the reader understand how the food industry takes full advantage for money. Kingsbury offers three solutions to her readers: hourly wages at or above a living wage for individuals, payment for all the time they work, including overtime and opportunities to organize if they choose to do so.
Kingsbury is passionate about this topic and that is made clear in her extensive research and reporting on this topic. The editorial “Tipping system exacerbates unfair pay at restaurants” cites facts and statistics that persuade and compel readers to take action. In 2015 Massachusetts tipped workers' minimum wage was $3.00. Four out of five states — Arizona, Colorado, North Dakota, and Florida — where the National Restaurant Association projects the fastest growth in the restaurant industry for 2014 have a tipped minimum wage of at least $4.86, or nearly twice Massachusetts’ current law. Her writing style is informative,“In fact, in California and the six other states without a separate tipped wage — Alaska, Nevada, Montana, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington state — job growth in the industry is expected to exceed Massachusetts’ over the next 10 years, in some cases by more than double,” she states. Kingsbury persuades her readers to tip well because tipped minimum wage workers rarely meet the untipped workers minimum wage. She suggests to uproot the tipping system or return to its roots of being a voluntary reward. Her argument is compelling because of the sources she uses to support them. Rakel Papke is cited as a food industry worker who suffered from wage theft and was owed $4,000 in backpay.
Kingsbury’s voice is motivational and authoritative. She created feelings of sympathy in her readers which is an effective persuasive technique. In the editorial, “For $1 per Big Mac, a truly liveable salary for millions” Kingsbury sources Hope Shaw. Shaw lives paycheck to paycheck, works nine hours a day and is still below the poverty line. Kingsbury states that employees have been proven to be encouraged to apply for state aid. 7 billion dollars in taxpayers money on average goes to supplementing food industry worker’s pay. Kingsbury’s use of McDonalds is a solid example that displays the issue within the food industry. “CEO Donald Thompson earned a salary of nearly $14 million — or about $7,000 per hour. In fact, industry-wide research by the Economic Policy Institute finds that restaurant CEO pay was 788 times higher than average employee earnings last year — a stark example of the way executives can reward themselves for keeping the wages of others low,” Kinsgbury explains. Economists at UC Berkeley have estimated a $15 wage would cost consumers about 10 percent more. The use of wage increase studies are concrete evidence to persuade readers to advocate for a raise in minimum wage. “Powerless fat-food workers need organizers, advocates” highlights the work done by Restaurant Opportunities Center United. The ROC-United has hosted workplace justice campaigns, offered free training and affordable health plans. Kingsbury mentions that only 2% of restaurant workers are unionized. Kyle King is used as a primary example of the influence that corporations have over workers. King worked for Burger King for 10 years and went on a strike. King’s hours were then cut from 20 to nine and he was unable to afford rent. The sympathy created for King persuades fast-food works to educate themselves and not to be silenced.
“A welcome victory for fast-food workers” is a noteworthy article. Kingsbury highlights human rights violations that occurred within the Grand China Buffet. The owners and managers — Xue Ying You, Zhi Hao Zhang, Casidy Lu, Ai Yi Lu, and Ming Kuai Lu — Locked 4-5 people in a room six days a week. The workers recorded more than 12 hours per day, doing food prep, cleaning the dining room and fixing the HVAC system. The owners and managers were eventually charged with failure to pay employees minimum wage and failure to pay them in a timely manner, among other charges. The Grand China Buffet was also cited for breaking child labor laws. They were ordered to pay $181,000 in fines, at least some still unpaid. Citing grueling conditions and exploitation of foregin workers persuades readers to support the enforcement of more proactive labor laws.
The article “City Hall must join battle against restaurant wage theft” explains how the restaurant industry steals wages from it’s employees and escapes the consequences. Kingsbury explains the unfair treatment of workers which creates feelings of sympathy as well as anger. “Stealing from workers — by, for example, withholding tips, failing to pay overtime, or doctoring timecards — has devastating consequences for employees whose financial lives are disrupted; even if back wages are eventually paid, workers may miss rent payments or struggle to feed their families in the meantime,” Kingsbury writes. Taking advantage of the hard work that restaurant workers complete is explained in a straightforward and serious tone. Kingsbury provides statistics to back her opinions, “A separate study previously suggested 43 percent of restaurant workers report not being paid overtime that they were owed under the law.” She persuades her readers to support the idea that the city and majors need to enforce and fund laws that back restaurant workers.
Kingsbury’s last editorial in this series is persuasive as it relates to her readers. Her call-to-action remains consistent throughout these articles: the dining public needs to support and encourage better treatment for workers. Kingsbury mentions the sense of community that the food industry brings, “Having that local eatery on the corner, or a perhaps short drive away, has become an intrinsic part of what makes a community feel liveable.” Her solution is to encourage her readers to join campaigns and to tip in cash.
Kingsbury’s editorials thoroughly explain the importance of demanding better for those in the food industry. Without these workers our sense of community would be lost, income inequality will persist and people will continue to be taken advantage of and treated poorly. This topic is extremely important and Kingsbury’s articles were effective, persuasive, informative and overall there were many noteworthy details within them. Kingsbury’s work enhances the understanding of the human costs of income inequality and it is worth the readers time.
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