America Deserves A Raise

Tammie is a hard worker when it comes to everything. She started as a full-time mother, caring for three sons and a daughter. Tammie and her husband, Roy, understood the importance of family, always putting their children first. They started by building a home from the ground up. They dreamed of this house lasting through many generations. Roy would earn the money , and Tammie would provide care and education, cornerstones of every child’s raising.

Where this dedication came from is a tough story to tell. Tammie’s mother passed away in a car accident, when she was a toddler. Tammie then lost her father to cancer, as a teenager. A teenager, left with almost nothing. Tammie never wanted this for her family.

Soon, Tammie was a waitress by night, college student by day, no matter how much she ached. She aspired to be a nurse, driven by her motherly-nature. Then fate struck. Tammie and Roy had a car accident. Tammie found her life changed again. Both Tammie and Roy sustained back injuries. Roy’s injuries left him disabled. Tammie had to work even harder, trying to ignore the pain, her dream left behind. Roy would take jobs he could handle, helping his best. Then, more bad news. His sister was struck with cancer. They made a difficult decision, selling the house they built, moving to take care of her. After she passed away in a hard-fought battle, they found themselves in financial turmoil.

Tammie, not wanting her children want for anything, sought a better job. She worked her hardest, and her boss wanted to promote her immediately, despite a policy mandating a waiting period! As soon as possible, she received her promotion. Despite higher wages, more problems. Roy had a heart attack last year, his fourth. Although he survived, he found himself more restrained, more worried. Tammie found herself overworked. 42 hours a week became 60. But salary doesn’t pay by the hour. No matter how much more she had to work, just for being the most reliable and hardest working, she never saw her due. When her boss submitted Tammie’s annual evaluation with a perfect score, it was rejected. Their reason was that while Tammie was definitely the best, a perfect worker doesn‘t exist.

What has a workplace come to when they can’t even afford to give their employee a raise of morale? And even worse, the back injury from the car accident requires a surgery that will put her out of work for months, which she can not afford. As she finds herself faced with the continued responsibility of maintaining the family, it hurts that Tammie and her family has yet to get the break they deserve. It is my hope that all of you can give her hope, and show her that America does appreciate a woman willing to go through such lengths to achieve the American dream. Only you can put it within her reach.