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AFL-CIO Now

$8 Is NOT Enough: Stories from Minimum Wage Workers

Photo by Organization United for Respect

Meet Shenita Simon. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with her husband and three young daughters. She earns $8 an hour as a shift supervisor at a Brooklyn KFC.

“It’s not enough to support us,” says  Simon, whose husband also works. “I work hard to provide for my family. In 2012, my overtime hours were routinely paid in the following week’s check as regular hours.”

Like Simon, millions of full-time and part-time low-wage workers around the country can’t make ends meet despite working multiple part-time jobs and long hours.

The story of Simon, a member of New York City’s Fast Food Forward campaign , is the first to be featured on MSNBC’s news analysis and opinion show “All In with Chris Hayes” as part of a new effort to bring the stories of low-wage workers to light.

“Numbers alone won’t help anyone to truly understand what it feels like to live on the economic brink, much less give them a full portrait of who lives there,” a blog post on the show’s website  reads . “That’s why we’re asking for your help. If you work and you’re still fighting to keep your head above the water, then we want to hear your story.”

The show is accepting story submissions in the form of writing, video (YouTube) or an Instagram post. Submissions will be accepted via Twitter (using the #MaximumWage hashtag) or e-mail (at allinwithchris@msnbc.com ). Selected stories will be featured on the show’s w ebsite . For the full terms of submission, click here

“All In with Chris Hayes” airs every weekday at 8 p.m. EDT. The show has been covering minimum wage issues and the recent fast-food worker strikes extensively. 

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