Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video.

Some people work grueling jobs and get very little in return. The mother in this story only wants to earn enough money for her and her kid to live, but thanks to the system, she finds it difficult to make ends meet.

No matter your politics, you have to believe that hard-working people should get paid.

That’s a basic part of any modern society. Yet in 2020 in America, some people are working 70 hours in two weeks and are taking home less than $10 in wages.

If you think that the above statement is a lie, then just read Aaliyah Cortez’s story. She’s a mother who lives in Texas. She currently works as a bartender and server.

Most people in America are supposed to earn at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. However, thanks to the fact that bartending is considered a tipped profession, her employer can get away with paying her just $2.13 per hour.

But the cruel thing about this law is that some people don’t tip bartenders. (Just think, this can be especially bad for tipped workers who live in tourist hotspots, as many people are visiting from countries with fair wage laws and don’t know that waiters are underpaid.) And the tip money depends entirely on how busy the bar or restaurant is. So if the establishments have a slow night or two, then that can really have a devastating impact on people like Aaliyah’s wages.

To prove just how little she was earning, Aaliyah took to the social media platform TikTok. She showed her paycheck, and it’s shocking.

At the beginning of her video, Aaliyah shows that she has worked 70 hours in the past two weeks. Then Aaliyah highlights that for this time, she should have earned $150.81. But then she shows how various taxes have taken most of that money. In the end, she is left with an income of just $9.28.

Aaliyah has mentioned that she did also get tipped. But of course, she can’t rely on this inconsistent form of income.

In an interview with Bored Panda, Aaliyah revealed what anyone in her position would be thinking: “It’s tough to think that if an emergency comes up it could really hurt me financially. I just wish we all had stable and consistent paychecks.”

Lots of people say that young workers complain too much and are lazy. But Aaliyah’s only complaint is that she doesn’t have a consistent paycheck. That’s something that anyone should get when they have a job.

She also stresses just how important it is for people to tip bartenders and servers, “because we literally rely solely on those tips.”

Some people have complained about Aaliyah’s post. They have stated that the paycheck shows that she made $708 in tips. However, Aaliyah has always been upfront that she has made tips. Her point is that she has to rely on this unstable form of income.

At the end of the day, all that Aaliyah is saying is that she wishes that she could have the job security that most of us take for granted.

After all, she works hard and wants to provide for her child. But right now, her ability to do so is solely at the discretion of her customers.

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Source: Bored Panda, Bronte