Fast-food workers in walkout to protest low wages

[Hum]

Don?t expect to have it your way today at some fast-food restaurants across the country.

Workers at the nation?s best known fast-food restaurants in seven cities across America are planning to walk off the job Monday to protest what they say are wages that are too low to live on. In a move orchestrated with the help of powerful labor unions and clergy groups, the workers plan to strike for a day to demand their wages be doubled.

The Washington Post reports that the protests will take place in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Flint, Mich., involving workers at McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and KFC. Some employees at stores including Dollar Tree, Macy's and Victoria's Secret are also expected to join the protesters in several cities.

The workers are calling for wages of $15 per hour, more than double New York's current minimum wage of $7.25.

A network of local community groups, clergy and unions, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), are backing the strike.

?SEIU members, like all service-sector workers, are worse off when large fast-food and retail companies are able to hold down wages and push benefit standards for working people,? Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, told the Washington Post.

In New York City, the protests were organized by a group called Fast Food Forward, which states its Twitter account: "No one can survive on $7.25."

"A lot of the workers are living in poverty, you know, not being able to afford to put food on the table or take the train to work," Fast Food Forward director Jonathan Westin told CBS New York. "The workers are striking over the fact that they can?t continue to maintain their families on the wages they?re being paid in the fast-food industry."

Fast-food workers in New York City earn an average salary of $11,000 annually. That?s less than half of the average daily salary ? $25,000 ? for most fast-food restaurant CEOs. Employees in the $200 billion industry make 25 percent of the money they need to survive in New York City while working at fast-food restaurants, according to the group?s website.

As of early Monday, more than 120,000 people have signed Fast Food Forward's online petition calling for higher wages in the industry.

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[techbeck]

Ahh America. A country where people used to work hard, did their part, and busted their asses to get a head.  Very little was handed to them, if anything at all.  Now it is a country where people want something for not working for it.  Want better wages?  Do what everyone else has done...go to school and earn them.  And don't buy that expensive smart phone/gadgets or expensive car when you cannot afford it.  And if you cannot afford to support yourself, then keep your legs closed and dont have kids.

 

Sorry, but if you are flipping burgers, frying fries, or ringing someone out on a cash register...you get what you are educated for.

[Hum]

Sure -- I'll gladly pay $3 for a cheeseburger, so some pinheads can buy a better cell phone. :laugh:

[techbeck]

Sure -- I'll gladly pay $3 for a cheeseburger, so some pinheads can buy a better cell phone. :laugh:

 

It is ridiculous the priorities of people.  My dad rents out 4 duplexes.  He let a lady slide one month on rent because her car broke down and she needed a new one.  She went and bought a new 300c.

[chrisj1968]

or do as I did, work for the government as I did. I was a cook in the military and then was earning $21/hr cooking burgers and such until my medical issues stopped me.

 

The cost of living is a serious thing. The fast food industry isn't hurting as I recently seen carl's Jr's prices. freaking insane! at the prices they are asking, that industry could pay more.

 

The fast food industry is an industry that Americans oft times eat from. so someone has to cook. bah.. but that's just me.. :shifty:

[techbeck]

or do as I did, work for the government as I did. I was a cook in the military and then was earning $21/hr cooking burgers and such until my medical issues stopped me.

 

The cost of living is a serious thing. The fast food industry isn't hurting as I recently seen carl's Jr's prices. freaking insane! at the prices they are asking, that industry could pay more.

 

The fast food industry is an industry that Americans oft times eat from. so someone has to cook. bah.. but that's just me.. :shifty:

 

 I agree, they should probably be paid more...but not double.  That is more than a lot of people who have education and jobs they went to school for make.

[Ghost5525]

Why do they need to make more an hour...they can barely make my food correctly 50% of the time... 

[techbeck]

Why do they need to make more an hour...they can barely make my food correctly 50% of the time... 

 

And with the recent pics of the guy putting his dick on food and eating from the ice cream dispenser....they should be paying me for pain and suffering.  That is gross.

[Lord Method Man]

So these idiots took a job in fast food and expected to make a career out of it?

[Bryan R.]

The only thing I can agree with is cost of living is indeed going up while much of everyone's pay is staying the same. It's a problem that hardly gets talked about anymore. The economy still really sucks for people in the middle class and below. But yeah, doubling pay for these people is ridiculous and they're after more than what's fair.

[Tigurinn]

Ahh America. A country where people used to work hard, did their part, and busted their asses to get a head.

 

Darn it, so now I have to bust my ass (hummm... how does one bust ass?  :)) to get a head ...man, those rules change quickly (sorry, just had to make fun of that space which alters the sentence and thus the meaning  :D )

 

[Lord Method Man]

Lets just make minimum wage $100/hour, then we can all be rich, right?

[_dandy_]

These people better watch out, or they'll easily higher teenagers to replace them for the same pay.

 

I don't know anyone that ever got a job at mcdonalds or some fast food place, and expected to make a living there. These jobs have always been sort of temp jobs for teenagers and collage students to help pay to get through school and such (so they could get a real job)

 

Seems people are getting lazier and more feeling entitled. Fastfood hasn't just recently went low pay, its always been low pay, and everyone knows that.

 

Exactly...nobody should be expecting to be able to make a career out of flipping burgers at a fast-food restaurant.

 

Thing is, if they double the employee salaries as being suggested, the prices are just going to be passed along to the consumers, and there's a lot more people relying on fast-food who can't afford any better and suddenly will no longer be able to afford to eat there.

[chrisj1968]

some economies of SOME states, are service oriented. Reno Nevada is truly a service oriented economy. An article I just read in the Reno Gazette Journal discussed how federal,state and local government employees are making less vs the private sector. the private sector makes up about 84.5%. 

 

Services dealing with mostly I'm sure the casinos. Fast food and other service industries make up a huge chuck of this area

[jerzdawg]

or do as I did, work for the government as I did. I was a cook in the military and then was earning $21/hr cooking burgers and such until my medical issues stopped me.

 

The cost of living is a serious thing. The fast food industry isn't hurting as I recently seen carl's Jr's prices. freaking insane! at the prices they are asking, that industry could pay more.

 

The fast food industry is an industry that Americans oft times eat from. so someone has to cook. bah.. but that's just me.. :shifty:

just because the industry does well shouldnt mean the company should pay the employees more.  Is the company really doing well because of the highly skilled burger flippers?  no, its the corp entity (marketing, pricing, etc) that is making the money.  If low skill jobs start requiring pay increases.. whichever skill level is next.. they will want their increase as well (and so on and so fourth).  More skills should equal more money.

[AJerman]

That's why fast food jobs are for children who are still in school. The problem is with the higher unemployment, more people are taking these jobs that aren't really for a person trying to support a family, and then these people complain because they don't get paid enough, and then minimum wage goes up, then prices go up, then people complain about not having enough money again, etc, etc. We need more QUALITY jobs, not just jobs.

[Ghost5525]

So these idiots took a job in fast food and expected to make a career out of it?

 

That's like getting into a job in waste management and expecting to retire early with millions in the bank.. come on..really?

 

And with the recent pics of the guy putting his dick on food and eating from the ice cream dispenser....they should be paying me for pain and suffering.  That is gross.

 

Somehow i'm not all surprised by that 

[techbeck]

Seems the same people, if they do goto school, go for easy degrees that EVERYONE is going for, and there is no work for it, such as Graphic Design.

I know so many people that took that route, owe tons in college loans, and can't find jobs in that field.

 

That is said and goes back to people wanting something for nothing.  If everyone worked hard and were not so, then jobs would be better and the US would be better off.

[gameboy1977]

I have a question... how much did Target or Wal-Mart pay their workers?

[chrisj1968]

just because the industry does well shouldnt mean the company should pay the employees more.  Is the company really doing well because of the highly skilled burger flippers?  no, its the corp entity (marketing, pricing, etc) that is making the money.  If low skill jobs start requiring pay increases.. whichever skill level is next.. they will want their increase as well (and so on and so fourth).  More skills should equal more money.

 

I have to disagree with you. for one single point; These jobs are fast becoming the ONLY jobs. Now, I'll pull from my experiences of what my dad who owned a business for over 30 years told me. the federal government with all their regulations have killed businesses. Requirements for so many minorities per capita, financial regulations, one after the other are killing businesses. Actually have been since decades ago but progressively gotten worse. Now people are FORCED to work fast food jobs to get funds however meager to live off of. 

 

the divide between the stagnate wages vs profits is huge as as one poster mentioned above have stagnated. the wages vs the rate of inflation are tremendous. the reason why things cost so much more is because of the weak dollar. You'll need to understand this but, the more money the FED prints, the less value those in circulation are worth. So at some point, this industry will have to raise pay at some point.

I have a question... how much did Target or Wal-Mart pay their workers?

minimum wage while, walmart knowingly tells it's employees to go on medicaid to cut their costs (WALMARTS) and reap more profits. this is a whole subject unto itself.

[ILikeTobacco]

Considering the fast food industry has around a 1% profit margin, how do they expect to have jobs? Just means they will fire half the staff and make the other half do twice as much work. That or be forced into bankruptcy.

[jerzdawg]

I have to disagree with you. for one single point; These jobs are fast becoming the ONLY jobs. Now, I'll pull from my experiences of what my dad who owned a business for over 30 years told me. the federal government with all their regulations have killed businesses. Requirements for so many minorities per capita, financial regulations, one after the other are killing businesses. Actually have been since decades ago but progressively gotten worse. Now people are FORCED to work fast food jobs to get funds however meager to live off of. 

 

the divide between the stagnate wages vs profits is huge as as one poster mentioned above have stagnated. the wages vs the rate of inflation are tremendous. the reason why things cost so much more is because of the weak dollar. You'll need to understand this but, the more money the FED prints, the less value those in circulation are worth. So at some point, this industry will have to raise pay at some point.

minimum wage while, walmart knowingly tells it's employees to go on medicaid to cut their costs (WALMARTS) and reap more profits. this is a whole subject unto itself.

so because there is a lack of jobs the fast food industry should increase what they pay to entry-level positions? I understand the wage vs profits but thats for the shareholders... dont get me wrong, I think employees should benefit from a good year (ie profit sharing) but in no way can a company increase hourly rates based on performance.  if the McDs doesnt do so well next year.. is everyone going to take a paycut?

[pickytech]

These people better watch out, or they'll easily higher teenagers to replace them for the same pay.

 

I don't know anyone that ever got a job at mcdonalds or some fast food place, and expected to make a living there. These jobs have always been sort of temp jobs for teenagers and collage students to help pay to get through school and such (so they could get a real job)

 

Seems people are getting lazier and more feeling entitled. Fastfood hasn't just recently went low pay, its always been low pay, and everyone knows that.

I don't see why they aren't replaced by teenagers. It used to be that teenagers were expected to take no-skill jobs that paid next to nothing to get simple work experience.  Heck, the last time I went to a Wendy's I got food poisoning from it.

 

In any state that these people are under At Will employment contracts, I genuinely hope that every single person that walks out is fired on the spot and replaced with a teenager looking for work.  Frankly, anyone openly considering it should be fired too because they clearly lack the intelligence to realize the job position that they accepted.

 

If you want more pay, then do work that requires actual training. It truly is that simple.

 

I feel that you hit the nail on the head with the entitlement syndrome here. People expect everything for nothing, and the US is very quickly approaching a point of no return where the entitled outnumber the providers. There's down on your luck, which I have no problem with assisting, and then there's living off of the system.  Given the state of the economy, it makes sense that there will be more people down on their luck, but the sheer number of people using entitlement programs screams abuse, or at least overstepping by those programs, and it drives me up a wall every single time I see something like this story cropping up.

 

As my fiancee used to love to say: life is tough, so where a helmet.

[Lord Method Man]

Keep raising costs and prices will increase along with it. Before long the only item on the Dollar Menu will be a small fry, and I don't mean a small order of fries either.

[c.grz]

Keep raising costs and prices will increase along with it. Before long the only item on the Dollar Menu will be a small fry, and I don't mean a small order of fries either.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNQRqAoT-2c