Source: Michael Sainato, THE GUARDIAN, 3/14/20


Back in the 1990s, Rudy Howell, then in his mid-50s, took over his father-in-law’s poultry contract business in North Carolina. He and his wife hoped it would provide a decent income they could combine with their small pensions to fund a comfortable retirement. Instead, Howell, now 70, finds himself working long hours, deep in debt and earning less than $40,000 (£30,654) in 2019 – well below the average US wage. He spoke to the Guardian about his situation. “It doesn’t matter what I do, I can’t get above water.”

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