Living wage essential to dignity

Some people refer to what so-called "unskilled laborers" do, such as preparing fast food, cleaning, stocking shelves and doing yardwork, as menial tasks. However, we depend on these "unskilled laborers" to serve food properly prepared to avoid food poisoning. We depend on them to clean thoroughly to prevent infectious disease transmission. We depend on these "unskilled laborers" to stock shelves with products busy people rush into stores to buy, and we depend on them to cut and trim our lawns to avoid having to pretty up our homes ourselves because we are too busy.

When restrooms are dirty, food is cold, shelves are not stocked, and lawns are overgrown, we are upset and disgusted. When these jobs are done properly, we are happy. Therefore, these "unskilled laborers" on whom we depend greatly to do some of the hardest and grimiest jobs deserve respect reflected in a good living wage.

Most of these workers take their minimum wage jobs seriously and take pride in their work. Circumstance can leave any of us, including those with the highest educations, in a position to take a minimum paying job. We see such people everywhere in our stores: the elderly at checkouts and behind counters where they can barely stand up but must work to live, and those in middle age who have lost their jobs or have never had the opportunity to obtain a good education. People, who could someday be any of us, cannot support themselves adequately on minimum wages as the vicious cycle of poverty gets in the way.

When all people in societies are treated justly and with dignity, those societies thrive in many areas including lower unemployment, so I support Mayor Rahm Emanuel's effort to raise the minimum wage and hope others do the same for their people.

Mary E. Keenan

Schaumburg