Everyone already knows the problem with “Act your wage.” (aka, why we can’t end the low-wage suffering yet)

I learn the hard way, I guess… I have been a freeloader, freelancer, hourly employee, and salaried employee, each of which several times in the last decade. The problem with standing up for anything is that there is always someone who is a little more desperate who will do what you want on the employers terms. And the problem with quitting if you don't like your situation is that the vast (and I mean, vast!) majority of the alternatives are all the same! It will definitely take some time, and it is already happening, but until everyone knows their worth, and the wells of the willing-oppressed run dry for the employers, there will be a danger to confronting, standing ground, or quitting to find an alternative. I say this as I have learned the hard way a few times… Just be careful. and Good luck!