Author Barbara Ehrenreich is a journalist who decided to write an article about what it means to live on minimum wage. She shut down her life and began a series of cross-country trips to obtain information for her article, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Barbara Ehrenreich began her socio-economic experiment in Key West, Florida. His first effort is to find housing and a job that will allow him to support himself. At first, Ehrenreich finds that applying for low-wage jobs can be a daunting task. Eventually, she found work as a waitress at a local restaurant. The author discovers that the work is physically and mentally challenging. Ehrenreich develops a distaste for management while working at the establishment. She watches management sit back and treat employees poorly. Management does not value its workforce and regularly demonstrates a lack of compassion towards its employees. Additionally, Ehrenreich uncovers an economic situation faced by the working poor. The dilemma is that if the working poor cannot earn enough money to pay a security deposit for an apartment, then they are forced to live in crummy hotels. This highlights another socio-economic problem, that of nutritious food. Most hotel rooms do not have a kitchenette in which food can be prepared. This perpetuates many working poor who go to eat at fast food establishments. Without health insurance, this can lead to more health problems for low-wage workers. Ehrenreich understands that his current job will not provide him with a sufficient salary to live on. She interviews and is hired at another restaurant called Jerry's. Unfortunately, Jerry's is a train wreck. In this restaurant, Ehrenreich finds the layout of the restaurant deplorable. Cooking...... middle of paper ......degree to make things better for my family now that I'm a mom. With the high cost of living, gas and basic necessities, low-wage jobs are no longer able to support families. Many cities are beginning to wake up to the problems plaguing the working poor in their urban areas. Several large cities have passed ordinances that create living wages above the federal minimum wage. The aim is to help poor workers earn a better living and thus contribute to the local economy. I think it's a good idea, but it may pose problems in convincing local and national employers to stay in the area. The last thing cities want to do is lose businesses to other areas that don't have a local living wage ordinance. Cities that have passed a living wage ordinance give businesses certain tax breaks to help them provide a wage that helps the working poor..