Lew and Burley: I recall a similar incident from law practice back in the 1960s. I had a client who needed the services of someone to do janitorial work at his warehouse. His building was located a half-block away from a city mission. He went there to see if anyone would be willing to work for what was just slightly above the minimum wage. One man became very indignant in responding that he received $X per week in unemployment compensation, and if he were to work for just above the minimum wage, he would end up receiving less than the minimum wage if he had to forego unemployment compensation payments as a consequence. He accused my client of asking him to work for less than the minimum wage.

The Best of Butler Shaffer