scotjimland
LIFE MEMBER
- Jul 25, 2007
- 2,292
- 9,942
- Funster No
- 15
- MH
- A Woosh bang
Nothing to do with South America or the Amazon .. but a new breed of fulltimers in the USA .. many of whom are not doing it by choice ..
Hard-up retirees and unemployed workers with children have converged on this rural town in RVs and campers to spend a few months earning $10 per hour filling orders at an Amazon warehouse.
Amazon offers a free place to park and plug in. When work ends Christmas Eve, the campers pull out.
Many have lost their homes and live on the road, home schooling their children along the way. Others are retirees who had planned to see the country but now work along the way to supplement depleted investments. Those not old enough for Medicare typically lack insurance.
Modern migrants
“We are among the economic refugees. We are lucky to earn enough to get our laundry done and eat macaroni and cheese,” said April McFail, 52. “I think it says America needs something different. This is supposed to be freedom and a good life. Now it is a sad note.”
McFail's husband, Terry, lost his job last year at Dow Chemical earning $18 hourly in southern Michigan. They lost their home to foreclosure in May. Pooling $8,000 in savings, they purchased a 1987 Winnebago and hit the road. They worked as campground hosts in South Dakota for the summer, arriving in September to begin work at Amazon.
A short time later, April McFail's diabetes forced her to quit the Amazon job. She could not manage 10-hour shifts four days a week lifting packages up to 30 pounds each. Health-care benefits left over from her husband's job at Dow expire Tuesday.
Read more Link Removed
Hard-up retirees and unemployed workers with children have converged on this rural town in RVs and campers to spend a few months earning $10 per hour filling orders at an Amazon warehouse.
Amazon offers a free place to park and plug in. When work ends Christmas Eve, the campers pull out.
Many have lost their homes and live on the road, home schooling their children along the way. Others are retirees who had planned to see the country but now work along the way to supplement depleted investments. Those not old enough for Medicare typically lack insurance.
Modern migrants
“We are among the economic refugees. We are lucky to earn enough to get our laundry done and eat macaroni and cheese,” said April McFail, 52. “I think it says America needs something different. This is supposed to be freedom and a good life. Now it is a sad note.”
McFail's husband, Terry, lost his job last year at Dow Chemical earning $18 hourly in southern Michigan. They lost their home to foreclosure in May. Pooling $8,000 in savings, they purchased a 1987 Winnebago and hit the road. They worked as campground hosts in South Dakota for the summer, arriving in September to begin work at Amazon.
A short time later, April McFail's diabetes forced her to quit the Amazon job. She could not manage 10-hour shifts four days a week lifting packages up to 30 pounds each. Health-care benefits left over from her husband's job at Dow expire Tuesday.
Read more Link Removed
