Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be line cooks. The food industry is a pretty terrible one to work in, a new study from the Food Chain Workers Alliance argues, with nearly nine out of every 10 workers earning less than a “livable wage.” The report looked at people across the food industry, surveying employees at such disparate places as farms, slaughterhouses, grocery stores, and restaurants. Together, such workers comprise a fifth of America’s private sector workforce, the LA Timesreports.
The common denominator for all of those jobs: They kinda suck. Among the report’s findings:
- The median wage is $9.65 an hour.
- Some 13.8% depend on food stamps.
- The vast majority—83%—don’t get health insurance through their employers, and 79% either don’t get sick days or don’t know if they do.
- Most (81%) have never received a promotion, and that’s especially true of minorities and immigrants, who typically languish in low-level jobs.
- A majority (57%) have gotten hurt or sick on the job.
