And they were immediately defensive. The rest of the interview, it was all we talked about. I said repeatedly that I wasn't expecting to be paid the living wage immediately (which is ~$23/hr where we are), and that I understood it can be unachievable for a small business to pay all their employees fairly. I just wanted to know what opportunities for upward mobility they can offer, and whether they are working towards paying their employees a living wage in the future.
These are direct quotes, as accurately as I can remember:
“This is the strangest interview I've ever done, I feel like I'm being interrogated for an inside scoop” (why? What are they afraid is going to be found out?)
“Here's a tip: don't go into your next interview acting like you're going to unionize their employes” (are they afraid of people who are willing to advocate for themselves and others?)
“I'm just trying to tell you what the real world is like” (they were middle aged white folks and I'm 20s, Asian, female. Patronizing mansplaining in an INTERVIEW)
“$16 an hour is fair for the work they are doing” ($16 an hour will not house or feed me in this city)
“When I was your age, “living wage” didn't exist. Now it's a buzzword and everyone thinks they deserve it.” (Because! Everyone! Deserves! Housing! And! Food!)
“All you young kids are looking for the perfect landing spot, and it doesn't exist” (no, I want employers who actually give a shit about their employees)
“I find it very strange that you're asking questions about and advocating for positions besides the one you're applying for”
“If you want to be able to afford rent, you should move out of this city”
So bring up the living wage in your interview. Bring audacity to the table. Advocate for yourself and others. How they react tells you everything about them, the work culture, how much they actually care about their employees. They still told me to shoot them an email if I'm still interested in the position, so I didn't lose anything at all by asking questions.
I honestly might have been fine with $16/hour if they had been able to say with a straight face, “we understand that it's not fair, but it's all we can offer at the moment and we are working on doing better.” But no.