America Deserves A Raise

My brother, Taylor, is so deserving of a raise.  Taylor has been employed by a screen printing company in Alabama for over two years.  He gets paid $7.00 an hour with no benefits/insurance (which is frightening for him because he has had kidney problems).  Even though he doesn’t earn a large wage, he takes such pride in the job he does.  Taylor works on the production line, he is also in charge of setting up the art on all of the machines, he does printing, he lifts the 50 pound boxes of T-shirts, and he reclaims the art work screens for reuse. 

My Mother and I are so proud of him for all of the hard work he does but also for the type of person Taylor is.  Here are just a few examples of the character of my brother: There is a woman Taylor works with that was being spoken to by the production manager so badly that Taylor considered it verbal abuse.  Taylor was a new employee at this time; however, he came to her defense and with just a few words told the manager to stop with the verbally abusive treatment and to respect her.  Taylor said this woman was a shy and kind individual and she couldn’t stand up for herself due to being afraid she would lose her job, so he stood up for her and put his own job at risk.  We’ve never been more proud of him as we were that day.  About a year ago there was a fire that broke out in a machine that dries the T-shirts.  The insulation caught on fire and Taylor wouldn’t leave the building, but stayed inside trying to put the fire out until the fire department arrived.  This is a young man who earns only $7.00 an hour and yet he performs beyond his job description. 

This company closes down for one week every July and gives its employees their one week paid vacations.  Last July, after Taylor had been with the company for more than a year, he had the week off and came to visit us.  The following week when he was to receive his pay check, he received nothing.  When Taylor asked about the mistake, he was told he wouldn’t be getting vacation pay because he was the newest employee with the company.  He was told by the owner that the economy was starting to affect her pocketbook and the accountants encouraged her not to give him his vacation pay.  He was the only employee not to receive their vacation pay for the week. At $7 an hour every paycheck counts.  He was hurt, we were angry and wanted him to resign, but there weren’t any other jobs available…so he stayed. 

My brother Taylor is most deserving of a raise.  He has gone beyond his duty for this company and doesn’t get the respect he deserves.  However, he has the respect and love of his family.