Hourly workers still have leverage as hiring booms

Chelsie Church was working as a manager at a Colorado Taco Bell when she found out workers at a nearby Pizza Hut were earning more than $1 an hour more than she was. Her attempts to negotiate a raise were unsuccessful, so she kept hunting for another job, eventually finding one at Laredo’s Tacos, a chain connected to 7-Eleven. “Even my Taco Bell manager said, ‘If they’re gonna offer you $20 an hour — take it,’” Church said. As inflation skyrockets, hourly workers like Church have been seeking different positions with better pay. More than 4 million Americans have quit their jobs every month since June 2021, a level never seen before last year.