It isn't just slave wages.  I worked in factories for a good portion of my career, and i would see people who are pretty well paid, still living paycheck to paycheck.  Instead of buying a modestly sized TV, they had to get the biggest one available, instead of maybe buying a fairly recent used car, lots of these guys would have a new car every 2 years, and most of them complained that they lived paycheck to paycheck.  They would brag about how much they spent on Christmas, then complain that they couldn't afford rent in January.  It was insane.