Everyone deserves meaningful work at a meaningful wage

    Dear Editor,
    Over the years there have been millions of GIs who served and came home. Some were gone for more than four years. My brother was one of them. My next-door neighbor, Tommy, didn’t make it back. Neither did Tony up the street. George made it but Normandy left him disabled for life. It wasn’t easy for those who made it home.
    They didn’t want to be called heroes with parades of flags. They just wanted to kiss the ground they left, for peace and the hope of finding employment with security and a meaningful wage. It was like starting over again at the bottom of the ladder. A lot of their jobs were taken by Rosie the Riveters. Today they make up nearly 40 percent of all workers.
    Over the years, millions of young men and women have fallen into the same cracks. Yes, at this time of year there are millions of jobs, but we cannot brag about them as they are temporary and low-wage.
    Over the years we have created a wage gap within our labor wage structure wider than the Grand Canyon. We have minimum wage and prevailing wage, both set by people in Washington. 
    Because of the way we determine the cost of living, one wage group increases and the other groups decrease. The gap grows, lowering the standard of living of those in the gap.
    Yes, this is Veterans Day, but I can’t celebrate it until we give our graduating young men and women meaningful work at a meaningful wage.
    James Saffel Sr.
    Mascoutah, Illinois