THE GREASE
TRAP
discipline disgruntled workers by
threatening to cut their hours, so
at one point Barrera sent home an
uncooperative friend without pay.
“I felt myself turning into one
of them,” he said.
He didn’t like that feeling, but
he still believed that if he followed
the path his boss had laid out for
him, he’d work his way up to a
salaried position as a manager.
HUFFINGTON
05.12.13
Companies that pay low wages
often try to entice workers by encouraging them to look past the
immediate moment and toward
the possibility of advancement.
Walmart’s website declares that
a job at the company “opens the
door to a better life” and “the
chance to grow and build a career.” McDonald’s courts online
job seekers with tales of “superstars” who climbed the company
ladder. Many companies explicitly invoke the American dream in
One of
Barrera’s KFC
supervisor
shirts hangs
over a bed
frame at
his uncle’s
house.