by Renee Chandel — Maine
A woman today shared with me the story of herself and her friend. They were both working for a store in Maine for two years. In that time the woman I spoke to earned a .25 cent raise, she was making $7.75 an hour. Each of the ladies were offered a job at a competing store in Massachusetts for $12.00 an hour to start in one month. They each gave their current employers a month’s notice and were fired on the spot. The woman I spoke to said that with her husband’s salary she was able to go without a few weeks of pay. Her friend, however, being a single mother was evicted from her home because she was unable to pay rent.
Tags: good jobs, wages
by Renee Chandel — Maine
A woman I talked to was preoccupied with preparing to bring home a new cat, however, she gave me her whole attention when I told her I was fighting to keep good jobs from leaving Maine. She nodded as she looked over the issues we fight for, telling me that she’s “in education.” I asked her if she’s a teacher, she told me she’s been looking for work for over a year now. “I’ll take anything,” she said, “Secretary, retail, anything. I’m certified to teach Special Education.” “That must be frustrating,” I said, “To spend all that time and money studying in college and then not to have work available.” She told me that her doctor told her she would never get through college, needing to have surgery every other week, but she did it, earned her degree in five years. She still has surgery every other week and she pays $400 per month for regular health care, which doesn’t include dental, optical, etc.
Tags: Education, good jobs, Health Care
