How much money do you make?
It’s generally a taboo question. Yet the answer determines so much about our everyday lives and the opportunities available to ourselves and our children.
One conclusion of our Times Opinion series “The America We Need” is perhaps an obvious one: Higher wages — and better benefits — would go a long way to reducing economic inequality. To further that discussion in a less abstract way, we asked Times readers to tell us what they earned in 2019 and whether they thought they were fairly compensated.
Over 1,100 people responded, volunteering to share details of their compensation. They included banking executives in the “one percent,” workers at nonprofits who say they are compensated in nonmonetary personal “fulfillment” and a cashier who longs for a $15 minimum wage. An Uber driver reported that a majority of his earnings were swallowed up by Uber’s commissions and by car upkeep. Dozens of medical residents wrote in telling us they were undercompensated for 80-hour weeks of specialized work.
Many people felt they were paid too little, and a smaller number felt they were paid too much. But, across sectors, locations, age and income, respondents overwhelmingly said it was hard for them to know whether their compensation was normal or fair. They said that having transparency around pay with their peers could change that. Particularly for female and minority workers, who are too often subject to pay discrimination, not knowing what other people earn makes it harder to feel confident that they’re being treated fairly.
We spoke with dozens of the respondents, whose pay last year ranged from $24,000 to $415,000. In their own words, here are 17 of the readers who shared their salaries and how they felt about them.
All photos were taken by the subjects or people close to them. These accounts, drawn from interviews and submissions, have been edited and condensed. All salaries are self-reported.
Kristel Clayville, 42
Hospital chaplain in Chicago
$54,500
I get a lot of meaning out of my work, and I think the general economy sometimes thinks that being paid in meaning is sufficient to complement actual salary in ways that don’t help you pay your rent or your mortgage. I think care work is often undervalued and desperately needed.
Danny Gillane, 55
Librarian in Lafayette, La.
$71,000
I have a relatively low-stress job. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I can afford cheese. My wife and I joke that if I can afford going to a grocery store to buy a wedge of cheese, I’m happy.
Carol Canode, 64
School custodian in Columbus, Ohio
$47,311
I've been with the school district for almost 24 years. I started around $10 an hour back in 1996. I earn a very fair salary. There are other school districts that pay more, but I own my own home and I can take care of myself. Unions are so important for employees to have power and work with employers for fair compensation. We fought very hard to get those unions.
Mark Schettler, 34
Bar manager in New Orleans
$67,000
Coronavirus has changed everything for the nightlife industry. I think I was fairly compensated before. But I don't know if it's necessarily possible to have fair compensation within our industry right now.
Ronald Gizzi, 63
Senior counsel at an energy company
$300,000
I would like my compensation to reflect the value I bring to the organization. It’s hard to know whether I’m compensated fairly for my work because of the lack of transparency with respect to compensation. It’s not talked about. I do not know what my colleagues earn.
Amanda Hanzlik, 30
Cook in Minneapolis
$24,000
I’m paid much better than many people who work in food service. I receive tips, which is not common for many who work in kitchens. I’m going back to work next week, but I’ve been getting federal unemployment during the pandemic. I’m making more money now than I ever have.
Fernando Javier Rodriguez, 40
I.T. manager in Manhattan
$179,000
I moved here from Argentina. There was a learning curve. One thing I learned is that the same position in different cities is completely different, because the cost of living is so different. I was working for some time in Ohio. When I got the notification that it was going to be moved to New York, they gave me a $30,000 increase.
Jo Anne Fordham, 66
Writer and writing coordinator
$50,000
Compensation has two sides to it: One is recognition for the work you do, and the other is actual money. I live in the Deep South, and it’s impossible to fix my broken central air-conditioning on my salary.
Richard Falzone, 25
Line leader at plastics company in Boston
$42,000
I’d like to see collective ownership. I am generally in favor of lower-level people getting stocks and things. I think that’s a really good way to incentivize good work and treat people fairly.
Gaby Mlynarczyk, 52
Bartender and restaurant manager in Los Angeles
$75,000
In general men get paid more than women in my industry. It’s humiliating to get backlash when you ask your boss for an extra 50 cents or dollar per hour for the job that you do. I think sharing the profits with workers would make workers feel valued and give them a certain amount of ownership.
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July 02, 2020 at 08:00PM
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