RE: employers claiming "we're family" while underpaying you

It's true that your own family's businesses will tend to underpay you, but there's an implied benefit: either you're still living at home and the profits from the business are subsidizing that ... or you're expecting to possibly inherit some share of ownership.

It isn't always the case, sure. When my mom's store was operating, she freely used the unpaid labor of any of her children and grandchildren who were near enough to be pressed into service. But as one of my sisters put it, there was never a month when the store broke even. It was a relief when it finally closed.

On the other hand, when $BIG_CORP tells you "you're family", the money they aren't paying you is going to pay the CEO more, and you get zero benefit from it.