Gas station attendant jobs have always carried a certain stigma. In our minds, the job title is strongly linked to rural poverty. I can recall hearing many times in films and on TV, a character lamenting spending the rest of his (men make up the vast majority of attendants) life “pumping gas.” Perhaps this is the reason for the increase in immigrant laborers in this field, more so in New York City because it has such an abundance of immigrants. Immigrants are notoriously known for taking jobs that have less than desirable attributes because less people are willing to work them and so there is a greater demand for labor and so it is easier to get a job.

 

According to one manager at a Bronx gas station, an Indian immigrant himself, who has been in the business for fifteen years, this is the reason why so many Indian people have found jobs in this industry: “Indian people, especially people from Punjab are hard-working people. They are used to working outdoors in the fields in the extreme heat and are more able to work outdoors here in the rain or snow. From the beginning, they proved to be good workers at the gas station.” The work is difficult: most attendants are required to stay on their feet for most of their 12 hour shifts. Those who work full service are at the mercy of the elements. Especially during New England winters, these attendants have to contend with freezing temperatures and work their shifts regardless of snow, rain, or fierce wind. In spite of this fact, says the manager, the employees compete fiercely for the chance to work full service “because of the tips. With the tips they can make enough money to live so we rotate their schedules.” Unfortunately, most gas stations in New York City are being converted to self-service stations, which rarely receive tips. According to one attendant, it is more likely attendants at self-service stations receive tips if the station is accompanied by a convenience store, but that’s hardly a guarantee, only if it is located in a better neighborhood.

Most attendants earn the minimum wage, but that has often been shown to be insubstantial when regarded in conjunction with inflation and the cost of living in New York City. Most attendants have families to support, either with them or back in their native countries. In recent times, the wages have gone up above minimum wage “between $7 and $9 an hour.” This just happened gradually according to the Bronx manager. There is still a high demand for attendants who are willing to work hard but “there are no more illegal immigrants from India. The immigration rules are stricter. When there were more illegal immigrants, the wages were lower.” However, even then they were never lower than the minimum wage because the demand for workers was always relatively high compared to the amount of immigrants available. He says, “The owners have no choice. They have to pay the higher wages if they want to stay in business.”

 

Their working conditions are good, meaning they face no exploitation at work. This is mostly because gas stations that are part of big franchise companies send representatives in disguise to check up on how the employees are treating the customers. In one franchise, if the gas station gets written up three times for noncompliance, the dealer loses his lease and goes out of business. So if the managers and/or dealers want the employees to be on their best behavior at all times, they have to treat them fairly. One drawback is that workers receive no benefits beyond Workers’ Compensation, which is required by law. They receive no health benefits, sick leave, retirement, etc.

 

Perhaps a model such as the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union would be effective here. Throughout its existence this union was viewed by most of it members as nothing more than a glorified health insurance company. This was problematic for the garment workers of course, as they faced great abuses at the hands of their employers and often were paid unfair wages and found little support from their union. In this instance, however, where the wages among the attendants in the city are fairly uniform and stable, it could be just what the attendants are looking for. I learned from a dealer that the rise in gas prices has largely been fabricated by these gas companies. There is no reason other than supply and demand that gas prices should’ve remained so high so long. He said that the price of oil barrels has remained fairly stable recently. Expenses have increased due to several recent laws requiring the use of ethanol in gas to clean up gas emissions, but still not enough to require such high prices. This is supported by recent news reports telling of these companies’ CEOs taking home record salaries and bonuses from record profits. Perhaps instead of using these extra profits to line their own wallets, the franchises could share the wealth with their employees by contributing to a health insurance fund on their behalf. This would help the attendants save more money for their own retirement as that is another benefit they do not enjoy.