Chopped Liver

If the public health provider that is my employer opened a delicatessen they would quickly go out of business:  Why?  Because there is only so much that can be done with chopped liver.  I am not going to name them here.  They are notoriously thin-skinned, vindictive and punitive and I would surely lose my job were they to see their name mentioned here.

I am grateful to have a job.  I am not grateful about being a chronic low-wage earner with no opportunity for advancement.  Even when they gave us a raise of one whopping dollar more than six years ago we were still not being paid a living wage.  To finance the raise they cut our client budget in half making our job more difficult than ever, but I really think it was their way of telling us that this was a very grudging raise on their part and that we should not even think of expecting more.  It was still better than nothing and we were earning four dollars more than minimum wage. Now that minimum wage has gone up a bit we are earning one dollar and fifty-five cents above minimum.  Should they raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour then perhaps they will give us a raise of three dollars making us minimum wage workers.

There is nothing that can be done.  I have to remind myself from time to time that it is giving my clients good care and support that matters and to continue to work as a member of a team even if I am by far among the most underpaid workers in our industry.  Even if housing and food costs keep rising and escalating.  I am fortunate to live in subsidized housing and I still seem to eat well without straining my budget.  I am also still managing annual vacations for a month in Latin America.  I don't know how much longer I am going to be able to do this. 

I have to work hard and juggle seven contracts in four worksites in order to keep afloat.  I have five years remaining before I can retire but I don't expect that my pension will be enough to live on.  I will likely have to go on working till the day I die.  I feel very fortunate that I actually enjoy my job despite the misers who employ me.