Many low-wage workers struggle to make ends meet despite working full-time. Surveys find that they confront material, financial, and medical hardships. This article presents hospital workers’ descriptions of living on low wages, giving voice to their fears and challenges. These workers (N = 156) testified to a city council-created Wage Review Committee, which posted the testimonies online. We qualitatively content-analyzed the testimonies to identify and describe their struggles. Hospital workers’ testimonies brought depth and new understanding to arguments for raising wages. Low-wage workers can be effective advocates for their own interests.

中文翻译：

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“生存真的很艰难”：低工资生活的艰辛

尽管全职工作，许多低薪工人仍难以维持生计。调查发现，他们面临物质、经济和医疗方面的困难。本文介绍了医院工作人员对靠低工资生活的描述，表达了他们的恐惧和挑战。这些工人（N = 156）向市议会设立的工资审查委员会作证，该委员会将证词发布到网上。我们对证词进行了定性内容分析，以识别和描述他们的挣扎。医院工作人员的证词为提高工资的争论带来了深度和新的理解。低薪工人可以成为他们自身利益的有效倡导者。