Part 2/6:
One speaker reminisces about their early days in construction, earning a modest wage of seven dollars an hour. Despite working long hours—sometimes 50 or 60 hours per week—they were subjected to taxes that eroded their take-home pay. For instance, earning around $7 an hour would translate into approximately $214 after taxes for a standard work week. This realization left many feeling that their efforts and extra hours were not sufficiently rewarded, especially since the taxed amount seemed disproportionately high compared to their gross earnings.