25 years and $10 an hour
Roberto Torres deserves a raise. That sums up most of the reader reaction to an article meant to convey the cross-cultural harmony on display at an Orange County restaurant where Torres, an immigrant from Mexico, worked his way up over 25 years from dishwasher to head waiter. Along the way he learned to speak enough Vietnamese to mingle with his Little Saigon customers.
Most of the dozen or so readers who wrote about the article zeroed in on this single sentence, similar to another writer whose letter was published Friday: “Torres makes $10 an hour, and though he’s grateful for the steady work, he said he still feels he ‘needs to advance.’ ” You can’t say our readers don’t have an eye for injustice.
— Paul Thornton, letters editor
Venice Beach resident Dorothy Mountain writes of her delight reading the article turning to sadness:
I read with pleasure the article regarding Torres, a 25-year employee at a Vietnamese restaurant in Westminster. That pleasure soon turned to sadness when I read what Torres gets paid for working seven days a week, learning to speak Vietnamese so he can communicate
with the customers and, most importantly, being “crucial” to the owner’s success: a lousy $10 an hour.
How shameful. Sure, Torres is happy. But wouldn’t it be nice if he was paid what he’s worth?
Lenore Navarro Dowling of Los Angeles wonders if other employees are paid below minimum wage:
The fusion of Latino and Vietnamese cultures, epitomized in the Westminster Song Long restaurant, features the “humble rise” of Torres from behind the scenes to head waiter. Clearly he merits the position, fluent in Spanish and conversant in Vietnamese, and having acquired social skills and an understanding of Vietnamese culture and customs.
However, why does he not merit wages higher than the state minimum of $10 an hour? This raises the question about other employees and whether they are paid below minimum wage.
While there is cause to celebrate the success of both immigrant populations in Little Saigon, there is still cause for concern that wage inequality exists.
Corona resident Delfina Armengol says the article highlights the different struggles of two immigrant groups:
I feel saddened and offended after reading that a trusted and loyal employee who, after many years of being instrumental in the growth and success of a restaurant owned by Vietnamese immigrants, is being paid $10 an hour for working seven days a week.
This is lauded as a badge of honor and fairness?
It must be understood that the success of more recent immigrants from Vietnam, though commendable, usually involves people with backgrounds that yield faster mobility. They have an education, money, and established contacts (similar to the Cubans who fled the Fidel Castro regime), as opposed to the poor and uneducated masses who venture the horrific trail to “El Norte,” where the constant fear of deportation keeps them humble and silent.