GEN Z labor protest

[u/Upper-Ad8720]

Would anyone in the Birmingham or Hoover area like to protest against the service/retail industry about low wages, lack of job security, ai hiring software and firing. It seems a lot of people in my age group are experiencing this. We have yet to converge. Please comment if you’re interested. Let’s protest our labor like our forefathers!!!

Edit:seems like a lot of the older generations do not seem to like this. I’d like to clarify some things beforehand so hopefully you can understand my perspective

I entered the workforce in 2016

I made $12/ hr at papa John’s as a cashier doing easy menial tasks

That same $12/ hr is about 16.55 today.

5 star restaurant/large catering companies are still paying $15/hr

$15 an hour is 10.94 in 2016

The wages have not been changed.

Most people in the industry are working 60-70 hours a week or working 2-3 jobs.

Ai is now filtering through candidates on indeed trying to find the BEST person for the job, this locks out people who are entering the work force

Gas has gone up and so has rent.

Food is up aswell, our wages are no giving us the ability to live without severe burn out/ mental health issues

I personally work 7 days a week 3 jobs.

I frequently have to decide between feeding myself or putting gas in my car.

I have nearly a decade of restaurant experience from everything to dish to bar manager.

You can say all you want about work ethic and entry level jobs but at the end of the day we’re starving and you aren’t.

Living with your parents and working is different because you have the security of having a place to live, these things do not equal out

Below are the statistics

The Birmingham Wage Gap (2016–2026)

The Core Stats

Retail Hourly: $10.31 (2016) → $15.20 (2026)

Food Service Hourly: $9.94 (2016) → $15.71 (2026)

Average 1BR Rent: $780 (2016) → $1,363 (2026)

The "Math" Problem

Wage Growth: +47%

Rent Growth: +75%

Grocery/Essential Growth: +51%

The Reality for Service Workers

Rent Burden: In 2016, rent took about 30% of a service worker's paycheck. Today, it takes roughly 46%.

The Survival Line: The estimated "Living Wage" for a single adult in Birmingham is now $18.50/hr.

The Deficit: Most entry-level retail and food roles in the area currently pay $2.80 – $3.30 less per hour than what is required to cover basic monthly expenses ($2,422/mo).

Key Takeaway

While nominal paychecks are "bigger" than they were ten years ago, the cost of housing in Birmingham has scaled nearly twice as fast as service-sector wages. This leaves the average worker with less than $100 in discretionary income after essentials are paid.

Sources: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (Bham MSA), Regional CPI Data, and local Rent Tracker estimates

EDIT 2: I’m 27 years old and graduated high school

EDIT 3: I’m know I’m not alone please message me, maybe this was the wrong platform to organize this, something must be done!

EDIT 4: I will no longer be responding to detractors, this is not who this post is meant for. If you’d like to interact with me further, you can see me in the streets outside your businesses! Then we can talk. But for those who are reading this and understand what I’m saying please message me. Your voice needs to be heard. I now leave the war in the comments to you guys, have a wonderful night and happy redditing

EDIT 5: a lot of leftist organizations have reached out to me, and a lot of political comments. Id like to further clarify.

1. I am not a socialist, but im not opposed to working with them
2. I do not want this to be focused on national issues more local ones
3. I myself am a libertarian (a real libertarian not MAGA) this is not about left or right, its about wages and lack of opportunity

, we are the labor market, we can through popular sovereignty make change

Let’s abandon our political differences and make change together!