Fast-food workers in walkout to protest low wages

[SierraSonic]

Has anyone here complaining about the food service industry ever worked fast food? They under-staff you, make you work the positions of multiple people, have you do the work of management without compensation, pay you minimum wage with no chance of overtime, and none of this takes into account dealing with people that think that you are ###### for trying to offer them a service under these horrible conditions brought on by management. All for $300ish a week, or $500 every 2.

Can you try living alone with this money? It's impossible. There was a report here that assumed just to get by a person had a second job just to survive... https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1165062-how-mcdonalds-workers-would-survive-on-minimum-wage/

 

I think the minimum wage should be able to cover housing, food, clothing, water, essential bills, and gas for one adult at the minimum. Most people who work fast food only survive because the collaborate their money with others.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Makes me laugh how bugger flipping is considered a career. Not judging against them or anything but burger flipping should only be a temp job.

You say you're not judging them yet you patently are. Not everybody has the aptitude, desire or fortune to work other jobs and obviously there is a need for such workers. More importantly, if basic level employees earn more then that will also benefit those who progress into management - it isn't simply about "burger flipping". So many people nowadays are wasting their time getting degrees that are completely worthless in the jobs market, incurring massive levels of debt and leaving with no marketable job skills simply because that is the socially accepted course of action.

 

Working a minimum wage job shouldn't be seen as a social stigma. Such people are contributed to society and they should be paid adequately to reflect that.

[Xerino]

It's astounding that you can on one hand admit that they're overworked and underpaid yet on the other criticise them for seeking better pay.  :wacko:

I have worked at Subway, Jack in the Box (3 of them), Burger King and McDonalds in my teens and 20s, those jobs arent really a career, just something to make a few extra bucks, and if anyone knows anything about the fast food industry is that all those people on strike are expendable, and easily replaced. sad but true

[SierraSonic]

I have worked at Subway, Jack in the Box (3 of them), Burger King and McDonalds in my teens and 20s, those jobs arent really a career, just something to make a few extra bucks, and if anyone knows anything about the fast food industry is that all those people on strike are expendable, and easily replaced. sad but true

They really aren't, there is training involved with these jobs, the average to make someone competent is a couple months. I've worked fast food for many a year, and I have to say if you wipe out the top 3 employees from a place, it can bring a place to its knees. Sure you could replace everyone with a fresh team, but constant turn overs hurt the company in more ways than one. If all these stores lost their good employees and had to start from scratch they wont be as profitable, will have more complaints as the mistake rate will be much higher.

[Growled Member]

Makes me laugh how bugger flipping is considered a career. Not judging against them or anything but burger flipping should only be a temp job.

Way I understand it is if you can manage to survive the burger flipping phase, you can eventually move up into management and make some decent money.

[Hum]

Has anyone here complaining about the food service industry ever worked fast food? They under-staff you, make you work the positions of multiple people, have you do the work of management without compensation, pay you minimum wage with no chance of overtime, and none of this takes into account dealing with people that think that you are **** for trying to offer them a service under these horrible conditions brought on by management. All for $300ish a week, or $500 every 2.

Can you try living alone with this money? It's impossible. There was a report here that assumed just to get by a person had a second job just to survive... https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1165062-how-mcdonalds-workers-would-survive-on-minimum-wage/

 

I think the minimum wage should be able to cover housing, food, clothing, water, essential bills, and gas for one adult at the minimum. Most people who work fast food only survive because the collaborate their money with others.

It can be done, but people these days need to live with one or two other people to make ends meet.

[_dandy_]

>> Want more money? Get an education and then get a better job.

 

> Easy to say, hard to do.

 

 

It's supposed to be hard.  If it was easy, there would be no value in getting an education.

 

But as others have said, you can get an education and fail to get a decent job.  You've gotta know what the demand is.  If I was an employer, I'd have little use for even the very best Liberal Arts major.

[oliver182]

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."

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.

more

 

 

Damn, is that expensive to live over there?

[DocM]

The problem these idiots will bring on themselves is pricing themselves out of a job. McDonalds and the others are already testing in the field robotic food prep and ordering systems. They even dispense the condiments etc. Once the robots are price competitive with $15/hr flippers where will these people go?

[Spartan Erik]

They'll try to get on welfare, which many of them will be fine with, and probably prefer (not looking for real work anyways).

 

The only reason some people are so reliant on welfare is because of the income cut-off.   If they make a couple grand less and qualify for welfare, it's a better option than making a couple grand more and losing all the welfare benefits.  These people are essentially stuck in a rut.  The median age of fast food workers is 28 now, it's clearly no longer a job for teenagers wanting beer money.  There's a massive skills gap, a large skill-less labor force, and not enough jobs :\

 

Does anyone know if the government has federally subsidized loans for trade/vocational schools/programs? For most people in the food service industry, a trade may be a more practical career than a 4 year degree.. it's unfortunate we place so much emphasis on a bachelor's degree

[andrew_]

Idiocracy. that is all.

[moloko]

$15 an hour to make fast food. no way.  $8-$10 as fast food jobs are for HS, college and retired people. 

[siah1214]

All the folks saying "Get an education and get a better job" - have you been a college grad lately? It's not that simple.  The market is totally oversaturated right now with college grads. The majority of my friends that graduated with me are going on to get their masters so they can have SOMETHING to differentiate themselves from the thousands of other BS degree holders.

 

It's ridiculous. The more people with degrees, the less the degree helps you. My wife works in a chemistry lab with a Ph.D., in a position that a high schooler could do, making $14 / hr (less than my wife makes)

 

Getting a degree isn't a 1 way street to money.  In fact, it usually sets people back because now they have a pile of student loans they have to pay off. Our society is screwed.