For the last three years the Pittsburgh Wage Study research team has been documenting the experiences of low-wage workers in our city, specifically hospital workers and security guards. Our research corroborates the well-documented fact that Black people, particularly Black women, predominate in the low-wage jobs we research. Our research, though early in its analysis as a longitudinal study, shows that despite the significant gains won through unionization, increasing wages (especially when those wages still fall below what is needed to make ends meet) and improving workplace conditions are not enough. They are not enough when workers we speak with still experience racism and other forms of devaluation in their workplaces. They are not enough when the social welfare safety net is so limited that people experiencing serious hardship cannot access aid they need. And they are not enough when workers and their families experience racialized violence and the threat of such violence daily.
Although deemed “essential” during the current pandemic, these workers lack food security and struggle to pay the increasing costs of housing. Ironically though working in hospitals, many of these workers cannot afford needed medical care – skipping doctor’s appointments and avoiding buying needed prescriptions. Our research is documenting the poverty and hardships born of intersectional oppression and the reality that our society is not doing enough to care for these essential members of our community. Some of these lessons – though much more analyses need to be completed and written up – are shared in our upcoming special issue of Families in Society. We hope this will be the first of many opportunities to amplify workers’ stories and use these as a tool to advocate for change in our region.
We stand with workers and their families. We will continue to work toward being effective allies, embodying social work values through our research, dissemination, and advocacy. We know the workers who share their stories with us care deeply about their families, their communities, and the people they care for and protect. As members of the Pittsburgh community, we are humbled by their commitment (especially during a pandemic) to care for and protect our community. As social work researchers, we are proud to use our privilege and platform to contribute to the work being done to dismantle oppressive systems and to ensure dignity and safety to every person.
In Solidarity,
The Pittsburgh Wage Study Research Team