Discussion 1

Discuss each question in 1-2 paragraphs. Answer the questions in “answer and question format”, that is, when you are posting, include both the questions and your answers. Be sure to reply to at least one student’s post.

1. How does your work history and lived experience relate to the conditions experienced by low wage workers described in the service economy readings?
2. What are some of the challenges workers face in the new economy (the 24-hour service economy)?
3. In the wake of recent welfare reform measures, millions of women entering the workforce can expect to face struggles like the ones Ehrenreich confronted in Nickel and Dimed. Have you ever been homeless, unemployed, without health insurance, or held down two jobs? What is the lowest-paying job you ever held and what kind of help—if any—did you need to improve your situation?
4. How do booming national and international chains—restaurants, hotels, retail outlets, cleaning services, and elder-care facilities—affect the treatment and aspirations of low-wage workers? Consider how market competition and the push for profits drive the nickel-and-diming of America's lowest-paid.