Essential -- A Documentary about America's Working Class and the Challenge of Income Inequality 

When the pandemic hit I was deemed an "Essential worker" and handed a letter saying I was needed onsite at my job. I thought it meant I was important. What I learned was it meant I was a low-level laborer, and the administrative elites were the people working from home, enforcing attendance rules on me that they were not subject to. They got to hang out with their pets and kids, getting paid more than us, while we did the actual work.

The wages we received is not enough to settle our expenses, we keep killing our self on salary putting hope on pension to take care of our self at old age it's not fair.

I always hear… people don’t want to work anymore.. No sir, no one wants to work for $10 an hour… a months worth of work and can’t afford a simple 1 bedroom apt.

Best documentary I've seen all year! The working class is seriously undervalued. Without them, this country would come to a screeching halt. The elites need to realize that shared prosperity benefits everyone.

As a Diesel mechanic. I loved still going in to work when Covid hit hard. I got lots of overtime and was able to go places. Leaving home to go to work was good for my mental health. There was no traffic on the roads. Covid made things better for my field. I was recruited to my current shop 2 years ago. They offered a 7k tax free bonus and they paid for my kids college. That’s a win win for me. My wife got a job working from home. Makes having 10 year olds much easier. I have made the most money in my life and get unlimited overtime on my terms.

My stepson got lost after high school when he was unable to join the military as he dreamed of people of a medical issue. He was finally able to join an apprenticeship, and now he feels great about his future.

This documentary is right on the button. My first boss only made about twice as i did back in the mid 80's . The mew boss makes multiple times higher than I do now. If you ask for a raise he says he can't afford it yet he buys new trucks ,boats, snow mobiles.....any toy you can think of plus has a 8000 sq ft house he likes to talk about but his employees can barely get by. In the last 15 years we have received 2 wage increases and it was like pulling teeth from management. I have been serving this company for 40 years so I am close to retirement however the future for the new employees is grim.

I was deemed essential and I was proud to be part of the workforce keeping the blood flowing through the country but when it was all over they threw us away like trash. We were expendable. We were fooled into thinking we were heroes. Not even a pat on the back

Take an example of Belgium which has the best and largest middle class in the world and makes us the richest nation worldwide. We never took the US as an example and i'm proud of it. We're smart spenders of money and don't let consumerism rule our lives.

I don't know when this documentary was made, but I hate to inform you that the American Dream has slipped away. You said it was slipping away. I am 80 years old and I can tell you that my children an grandchildren have it way worse trying to make a living now. Living was good in my day.

Private companies are beholding to their shareholders, not their employees. Employees are expense line items on spreadsheets and when companies keep expenses low, they are compensated with huge bonuses. So few benefit from the masses' suffering.

The huge corporations and government may have all the money but the people are strong in numbers. I believe if the people stop allowing so much division between us and work together, we could turn things around but we can’t allow differences to divide us. We all need to stand together.

We don’t need to build cheap housing, we’ve already got that (show me a house that will stand 50 years without massive investment). What we need is to get investors OUT of Housing, Healthcare, Education, Energy, and Food. Government can enact policies to protect consumers from exploitation and price gouging. When you have enough people who MUST have access to rental properties and you put a big chunk of the control of rents in the hands of investors, you end with a level of exploitation that shouldn’t exist.

starting in the 1970s the "must go to college" mentality started why nobody is mentioning the fact that universities and colleges are contributing to income inequality and the rising poverty rates?

When the pandemic hit I was in a weird position. I was deemed an essential worker. Working for the department of energy, but we weren't allowed to physically go in to work and most of my work could only be done in a classified secure environment. So I just got paid to stay home and do absolutely nothing. Maybe they would have an hour or so worth of work a week I could do from home. Continuing to get a huge paycheck from the US government to stay at home and do absolutely nothing while others were struggling with no paycheck or getting paid very little to put their lives at risk shows what was wrong with the US.

This is an accurate and comprehensive documentary. The demise of organized labor over the last 40 years combined with the "trickle down" economy has created a large sector of disenfranchised, low wage "drone workers" who are expendable, and interchangeable. At the beginning of the 21st Century, Walmart replaced General Motors as the nation's largest employer. Low paid service jobs with no benefits replaced living wage industrial jobs with benefits and pensions. The middle class continues to shrink, while the ranks of the working poor swells. Upward mobility is non existent for many Americans. This is a situation that is unsustainable. And has been America's "dirty little secret."

Sounds like a 1 hour commercial to join a union

I work as a Data Analyst out of college at a major Bank making $95k. One of my task is to automate the manual processes that our hourly paid $22 Data Entry Operators do. Basically I'm efficiency leaning the system so they can slowly lay off these workers and can rake in more profit with less people.

Higher wages. Corporate greed will raise prices on goods and they call it inflation.

"the powers that be want to keep people unorganized and broke". nailed it. We need to mobilize, organize and stand up for ourselves.

I appreciate this documentary spending so much time reiterating that people can't simply get better jobs because there's just not that many better jobs. The vast majority of jobs on the market are service jobs which means the vast majority of people need to work them.

I lived in the back of a pick up truck in a flea infested garage for years. Nobody said life was supposed to be easy. I never once felt sorry for myself.

I’m extremely proud to be my airline crew base’s local union vice president since 2017. I’m airline cabin crew in Canada. The pandemic has been horrific for us in the airline sector - it feels like Managements green light to gamble even more and trifle with workers (and travellers) alike.

I live in Europe, Italy, and honestly with all my respect to America I never believed in the American dream. Only the white and rich stay well in the USA. If I lived in the States I would be one of these poor people working 40 hours a week and could not afford the basics of life, my son would not be able to study at the University which here in Italy is payed by the government and families pay a yearly amount based on the family income(up to 2.500 Euros every year), also Healthcare is affordable I am so thankful to live in Europe.

Psychopaths billionaires are treated as gods, giving graduation speeches in top universities. Insanity

im an american woman, I have a full time job and an online store (Etsy/Ebay) I cannot afford my car...My parents pay for it I also cannot afford to go on any vacations... I try to save but its hard. We are fine but more money would be amazing. Food is something I try to spend the less on, Grocery Outlet is awesome!

Awesome documentary. Its 100% on point. Im going to encourage my 7 year old son to learn a trade. College is not for everyone.

I moved to St Thomas in 2013 to be a bar tender after getting my bachelor in engineering and working at a $85k job. I was scared at 1st the I suffered a mental breakdown. I couldn't take it so I left America. THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE! I no longer have anxiety nor depression. I have real friends whom I call family, we play soccer every weekend plus Tuesday evenings, video games every Thursday and Friday nights, plus party Saturday nights at nightclubs where folks dont flex. I'm really Happy. I wish I've done this earlier. 😊

I remember many times asking my guys to work overtime. Most had to say no because they had other jobs to go to after work. Are company didn't pay a living wage. Sad. The owner told me to fire those guys because when we have overtime they need to work. I told him to do it. He never did.

I eat one meal a day, work 6 days a week (construction). All my money goes to rent, gas, insurances, phone. My weekend fun is anything free

We both retired at 55. The only way we did it was because we realized early on was that we could never afford kids. It's all about choices. I never went to college. I could never afford to go. I was just an average working guy. It's all about choices. Please stop having kids you can't afford.

The US capitalists moved jobs overseas to take advantage of lower wages in Asia, but the trouble is those capitalists did not reinvest their greater profits back into the US and create high-pay jobs for their workers, jobs that the US workers are good at, not jobs to compete with those low-wages jobs in Asia.

Too bad that we can only like this video once. Ten times thumbs up, what a great video.

I'm surprised the man who went to prison, didn't mention how difficult it is to find a job after you get out because of constant background checks. And many of the warehouse jobs are using temp agencies that rely on constant flow of the unemployed....

The trade workers built this country. It's nothing short of disrespect to continue like this.

I left my 10 year career in the service industry, where I had been stuck at the same salary for 3 years, for an entry level corporate job in 2022. I took a $5k paycut going into the new job. After my first year at my new corporate job I got a raise and was officially making more than I ever would have in my service industry job. I now get paid more to send emails 9-5 with weekends off than I ever would have running a retail store, getting yelled at by customers, and working nights, weekends and holidays. America hates service workers and you can’t convince me otherwise.

The elephant in the room for construction jobs, is the ability to read and do math in English. Math is a huge part of constructing anything. So if a carpenter can't understand the measurements of the building plan, there's a problem. It's ironic that California considers math racist and plans to eliminate it from the schools, when math is a fundamental requirement for many jobs, entry-level and skilled.

1 in 3 Americans making over 100,000 per year are living paycheck to paycheck. The problem is not how much we make, it's how much we spend. If you spend less than you make, you have something left over. If you spend everything you make, you have nothing. Simple math.

I didn't become financially independent until my late 40s....after the financial choas caused by covid i was a wreck but Thank God for making me see through with my financial investment plans that helped me in acquiring my 2nd house now and aside from that i still earn monthly income from my financial strategic investment s...truly investments are key to financial freedom, no matter your age you just need to take that important step.

Im so glad that this documentary focuses on that this has been a problem for decades and not just a consequence of the pandemic. I never had kids because ive always had 2 jobs. I worked 6 days a week, 1 full day off and 2 half days off. When you work this much and still struggling to keep your head above water all you learn to do is work, eat, sleep, wake up and do it all over again. Sad way to live. Luckily now i havd only 1 job but still always volunteer for overtime, but so much better off than i used to be. Side note: i worked at 1 retail place and 1 restaurant so i could eat for free and get discounts on basic necessities between the 2 jobs.

This documentary tells everything that is exactly wrong today. Noone is paid a proper wage. All profits goto the top company executives and stockholders (i.e. the rich). People need to stand up and start fighting for their livelihood.

I grew up in a middle class family, i did not qualify for grants for college because my family made too much yet they couldn't afford to pay for my college. I refused to take out loans so instead i enrolled in Job Corps which is a federally funded program for ages 16-24, i did not need my parents income to qualify as long as i was 18 i was good. So i completed my LPN/LVN (Licensed Practical Nurse) for free and they paid me to graduate about 1k cash. I started working right away after Licensure, and i started at 70k as a New grad working in case management then i switched over to working remotely from home. I continued to take classes at the local community college, and decided to Bridge to RN in a year, became an RN and made 110k first year. It was worth it for me, i graduated without zero debt, my employer paid for my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) what i am trying to say theres opportunities you just need to look elsewhere. theres Job Corps and the local worksource center in your employment office offers the WIAO program which is a federal grant for funding to obtain training and skills they will pay for your CDL, LPN, etc

Excellent documentary. If the politicians would do the things mentioned here this country would be a great place to live and strive.

Absolutely awesome documentary! When will we wake up and realize everyone deserves a living wage! No business should be allowed to take advantage of the working class! They ARE the backbone of this country! Offshoring of tax havens MUST STOP! There is NO excuse for CEO’s earning what they earn today. Oligarchs should not be able to use lobbyists in Government to pad their pockets!

Excellent documentary. As a union shop steward for firefighters in Ireland who are in dispute for better terms and conditions, I can wholeheartedly testify to the power of unions for working people. ✊

Absolutely right. $15/hr is not a living wage.

I love how this is one of the few videos without ads and I'm thankful

People grappling with the difficulty of meeting essential expenses often encounter this situation due to inadequate savings during their working years. The decisions taken in readiness for retirement carry extensive consequences, as demonstrated within my own family dynamics. Differing investment approaches yielded disparate results. Guided by a financial advisor, I'm currently retired.

There is never enough for the rich. But it is wrong not to pay your workers a decent wage. After all the workers are keeping them wealthy.

I have a lot of concerns about this documentary. While it does point out a lot of issues, I am not convinced that its recommendations are correct. I have an accounting background. I am a "numbers person." I cannot fathom why a gallon of milk at my local Walmart costs nearly $7. Why does an order of hot cakes at McDonald's cost $5.99 when it used to be on the dollar menu? Why do we accept that everything gets more expensive every single year? There's no way to keep up with skyrocketing price hikes. During the pandemic, the government handed out money like candy. While that did help some people at the time, businesses jacked up their prices because of increased demand for their products, and because they could get away with it. The prices never came back down. Government doesn't look out for the people, no matter what party is in power. Even if we keep raising the minimum wage, businesses will keep raising their prices. How do we reverse this endless cycle? Even when my husband gets raises, we still have less in the bank account because we pay more for food and gas every week. Our nation is drowning in debt. American families have more debt now than they've ever had, over $1 trillion. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck. How are we supposed to improve our financial status when things just keep getting more expensive? I know the documentary is all about unions and higher wages. But some other significant changes also need to happen. For example, manufacturing jobs need to come back to America. Also, we need a much bigger say in how we are taxed and what those taxes are used for. In addition, we need to ALL adopt the concept that we are broke as a nation. Every level of this country, from the workers to the businesses to the government must learn to spend less and do more with less. We've spent money at an alarming rate for decades. It must stop. This documentary says we need a big national infrastructure project to put people to work. That sounds nice, but we literally don't have the money to pay for it. We need to come up with better ideas, ones that don't incur more debt but yet also help people to survive. I am at a loss when I look at my budget. I am sad when I look around at our society. We need to bring back the idea of community. If a bridge in an area needs repaired, the people of that community need to find skilled people to fix it, and that person should be paid a FAIR wage, not charging a high price because he can. Everyone is out to make all the money they can, but that isn't helping this country. Finally, a few years ago, our family adopted minimalism. While we are still working on achieving the proper balance in our home, we are happier to have left consumerism behind. We only buy what we NEED now. Even with cutting out spending on frivolous things, we still have to watch our spending because costs keep rising on everyday needs. I would encourage others to leave consumerism behind if you can. I think our financial future is not bright, so do what you can to prepare for worse times. Good luck, everyone.

Talking about working multiple jobs, many people can’t even find one job. WTF!?!?

Nobody wants to pay the costs to do decent business anymore. I'm only 37, but even I know what's going on today has not always been the norm. This owner class wants as much for as little as they can get. If they thought they could get you to outright work for free they'd be lobbying the government left and right over it. Employers used to share the wealth. There's no excuse for how much these employers are abusing and neglecting the peopke that made their lifestyle possible. Voting, protesting, etc... none of that is working. You have to make a tangible difference. Cut their profits, don't provide them with labor and passed that... violence. These people do not fear us and that's a problem.

I am never moving to America. I live in Tijuana and working San Diego minimum wage is $16 and thirty-six to San Diego and I get $350 per month in rent in Tijuana there is no way in hell I'm crossing the border to pay thousands of dollars in rent

The only thing is when corporations are forced to pay higher wages they always 100% of the time increase the cost of product. That leaves us in the same damn situation.

Damn. Pete's a badass. I'd be proud to work with guys like him.

Very good documentary, I know the hardships of American workers, I live in a border city a place where big American corporations have relocated their industries because of cheap labor, and how the oligarchy of those cities has became richer offering corporations a docile working force with no unions, and they don't care about the sufferings of American workers nor of the Mexican workers, they are just making money, something has to be done.

Impressive video. I started a bit late (graduated from my doctorate program at age 30 in 2014 with 170k in school loan debt). Managed to pay off my debt by 2019 and currently have a house and 250k total in investments (combo of profit share, 401k and a brokerage account). I'm not very knowledgeable in investing, so I just have my investing currently in index funds mainly Too but have been putting a lot into Schd the past few months. I don’t know if that's the optimal strategy, but psychologically it is very set it and forget it, and prevents me from obsessing over individual stock performance.

I work with all men, I have worked here longer than all of them (7 years) and I get paid LESS than every single person at this company. Mind you, I plan on quitting one day when Im done with college which wont be for a couple more years. Im almost 30. I am good at what I do, yet I get paid less than everyone even the new guys. (Tool engineering) I just try not to let it get to me.

People are living without hope

The fact that so many people were able to work from home and continue to do so after the cv19 was already over and still make more than anyone with boots on ground it's sickening in a reason why I hate this economy

But send more money to Ukraine and Israel.😂😂😂😂😂😂

Love this content. That sounds weird to say with how pessimistic and hopeless the entire topic is. But at least you guys are out here educating the masses one YT vid a time.

After reading half these comments, it confirms the worldwide education systems excels at churning out ignorance

The past is long gone..its not coming back..prices will never come back down to the good old days..its survival of the riches. One day in the future people will be forcefully force to work.Rights will be non existing but the rich.

That ibuprofen line hits hard

I make 72k in CT in engineering and cant afford a house. I no longer give a fuck

We're living in the post-prosperity era.

I was born in 61. My dad dropped out of high school and got married when he was 18. He ended up working for the railroad and was in a Union. My mom was a stat at home mom and we had medical , dental and vision. Our house was $17000 and my dad paid it off in 10 years!

I am a single guy NO wife. . . NO kids & . . . NO criminal record . . . and I have to work a Full-time job and a Part-time job approximately 70 hours a week just to take care of . . . MYSELF ! ! 😡

The biggest mistake is to say anyone is nonessential.

It's tragic that we middle class workers have gotten screwed over the last 40 years. Productivity has gone up significantly but our pay has been in decline. The rich getting richer off our backs. We need government intervention.

Unions for all working people, it is essential!!!!!!🎉❤

The documentary is all about how corporations will do anything for profit, but then it says that women are getting paid less to do the same job, so why would those corporations ever hire Maine if they can hire women to do the same job for less and increase profits?

What big unemployment benefits???? For such a along time the poorer people have been ignored because employers were allowed to do whatever they want

Inflation and certain other economic conditions are a real hardship, but the real reason our middle class, and especially working class, suffers is because of a carefully constructed structure that advances income inequality. Tax breaks, opportunities for investments that poorer folk do not have, and on and on. Black communities in particular have suffered immensely from familes not being able to pass on generational wealth. Sadly, our U.S. economy works best for the wealthy. 😢

I've literally been trying to get a state job my entire working career. In my state, its the only option for even pseudo-union protections. I finally found my unicorn. I feel blessed.

When the pandemic hit I was told I was essential cause I built boats and that was a form of transportation that people could use to get to work at that moment I woke up and said they don't give a f*ck about us period.

Everyone needs to watch this documentary. Please share it with everyone that you can-including our politicians.

Really excellent explanation from the female economist.

We need to start promoting and protecting trade jobs. They get paid well if they are union jobs. These have not been considered desirable jobs in the past but they literally keep our lights on, water running and our roads functioning. I always tell my son to look into a trade job - they still allow you to pursue successful careers in engineering and construction. Some of the richest people I know started out in construction.

It is relavant to say that after Reagan came to power....he basically started trashing the economy - cutting taxes and cutting unions from compnaies and the US today is going downhill very fast !! Service economy doesn't work !!

As some say, "Living the dream one nightmare at a time."

3rd generation union member and proud of it. Yes it’s a double edge sword. In good times non union workers can potentially be better compensated vs union. BUT in general across a career span, union members typically end up in a better position. The people who are anti union are almost all non union workers (jealousy) and business owners.

The baskin robins ice cream mascot was considered essential during this time. They had a guy dressed as ice cream deemed essential.

Working for yourself is the way to go, guys work for yourself and cut down 11 expenses live a memory list of lifestyle downsides live simple Olive alternatively much better and you don't have to burn yourself. I can walk walk, walk, walk workwhile workout all day.

I disagree with you TRUMP HATERS....I like TRUMP .....TRUMP 2024!! MAGA!! 💪🏽

Although this documentary reinforces what most of us already know, nothing has gotten better since the so-called “end” to the pandemic, working people are divided by design by two corporate controlled political parties insuring that any collective action on large scale will not occur. This is the ONLY way to right the economic disparities in America.

I remember being able to take my family out to eat and movies. Now entertainment and savings have taken a back burner to food, utilities (both water and electricity have increased nearly 20%), fuel, etc. I don't have a car payment and my mortgage is under $1,000/mo. but everything else is eating away at my income!

WOW!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing this Documentary.

my uncle was a union man ,( he told us if your work has a union you join it.)

Its the same here in the UK. Millions are struggling,, children are going to school hungry, many are not entitled to free school meals if their parents earns a meagre £7,000 a year. I've been a supply teacher since 2009 and have been on the same rate of pay since then - no pay rise, no job security, no holiday pay, no pension, no sick pay - nothing. I've struggled to get help as the local government expects me to have a crystal ball and tell them how much I earn so I get no reduction in my council tax (local housing tax). I've even had agencies ring me up and offer work for £20 per day less than the 2009 rate. The so called "gig economy" is nothing but slavery - I feel like its the Victorian times again here.

Pretty sure there are only like 6 people in the US who aren’t working class. Unless I just completely missed something.

Can we talk about capitalism now?

Apprenticeship programs in middle schools are desperately needed

I look at the U.S. as just wealth tranfer. And its open every single day. Every day wealth gets tranfered from one person to another, usually a poor one to a very wealthy one.

Im not feeling middle class at all anymore. Im 28, earn $115k, no debt. First gen American who grew up poor. I worked my tail off to get educated with no financial support, i sacrificed a lot just to start a savings account and not fall into the poverty trap. Today, everything is too expensive. Cant afford a tiny ugly 1 bed home, rents keep going up, all essentials went up. With this income and that i live below my means, i should have way more options. Im basically lower middle class now. God help those making less and eith families!

During the Great Depression people didn't pull up in cars to get food. The problem is there's no public transportation in some areas. So these are lifestyle issues.

As A Third Generation Union Worker, I Approve Of This Message!🌺🌺🌺🙏🙏🙏🇨🇦🇮🇱♾️🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🦅🗽‼️

The great US intellectual Michael Parenti spring's to mind ! Why? because Parenti is one of those rare individuals that's understood the processes at work in our world has clear vision & follows the money. This documentry exposes class struggle and it's not running in favour of the working non owning class.

Outstanding documentary 🍻💫.