Fast-food workers in walkout to protest low wages

[chrisj1968]

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?

I did NOT say due to a lack of fast food jobs.. I said due to government regulations that has caused jobs to be shipped overseas... the only jobs that remain are service oriented jobs such as fast food.

 

as to the company.. these are almost always franchises. So they are owned by a private party but they paid the franchise fee for the company name such as.. oh.. Subway. But at some point these service oriented jobs will become more and more the norm. So something will have to give. there's no way around that

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

have you seen the prices for fast food restaurants as it is? they make a killing on the food.

[jerzdawg]

I did NOT say due to a lack of fast food jobs.. I said due to government regulations that has caused jobs to be shipped overseas... the only jobs that remain are service oriented jobs such as fast food.

 

as to the company.. these are almost always franchises. So they are owned by a private party but they paid the franchise fee for the company name such as.. oh.. Subway. But at some point these service oriented jobs will become more and more the norm. So something will have to give. there's no way around that

have you seen the prices for fast food restaurants as it is? they make a killing on the food.

neither did i :rofl:   I still dont see an increase in wages for low skill jobs, period.  I understand the lack of work/jobs in this economy but that same economy cant afford to just increase wages without passing that cost along to someone (consumers).  I still see plenty of hiring spots at banks, grocery stores (not just cashiers), even the company I work for (Fortune 200) has at least 10-20 jobs postings out there on any given day (ranging from 30k-100k)

[ILikeTobacco]

have you seen the prices for fast food restaurants as it is? they make a killing on the food.

Have you seen the financials for an individual store? Profit margins are at 5% on a good month and closer to 1% on a regular month. There prices are as low as they can go without risking going under. Fast food is one of the most brutal markets that exists. They are nowhere near making a killing.

[Deihmos]

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

[chrisj1968]

Have you seen the financials for an individual store? Profit margins are at 5% on a good month and closer to 1% on a regular month. There prices are as low as they can go without risking going under. Fast food is one of the most brutal markets that exists. They are nowhere near making a killing.

 

I've heard about the same for gas stations. kind of hard to make a living with such lousy margins. They are making a living from some other source at those rate...

[Deihmos]

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.

 

 

That is exactly the way I see it.

[Lord Method Man]

I've heard about the same for gas stations. kind of hard to make a living with such lousy margins. They are making a living from some other source at those rate...

 

Gas stations make next to nothing on fuel sales. The profit comes from selling snacks and beverages inside, which is why a lot of station owners were so hesitant to add pay-at-the-pump when it first started to come out.

[Neowinuser1991]

Min wage in Canada is ~$10 (going up in September). So your wanting more than even Canadians? Illogical. I myself am going to school to get out of retail.

[theyarecomingforyou]

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)

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

What exactly is the point in having a job if it doesn't provide enough of an income to live on? The problem with having a low minimum wage is that the government is invariably required to supplement that income, while companies post record profits and the proportion of money going to executives and shareholders continues to increase. Most concerning is the amount of money spent by these companies lobbying the government to keep the minimum wage low and reduce their tax liabilities, especially when companies can pay less tax as a percentage than menial workers.

 

The current structure of society simply isn't fair. Massive corporations like Google, Amazon and Starbucks?as well as wealthy individuals?pay virtually nothing in tax by using immoral and often illegal tax loopholes; most of the tax schemes used by these corporations are deemed illegal and shut down but only after they have been used to avoid paying the legally obligated amount. It's simply not right that those most able to afford to pay taxes are able to avoid them on such a massive scale, while workers struggle to make ends meet and the government is forced to pick up the tab.

 

Whether $15 is economically justified is another matter but certainly it is not in the best interests of society to allow workers to be paid so little while executives and shareholders take an ever increasing proportion of the income and use that money to unfairly influence government policy. Capitalism has gotten out of control and it needs to be reigned in.

[techbeck]

Whats going to end up happening if these workers get a higher pay is that their hours will be cut.  So they may get more pay but less hours so really not making more.  $15 an hour is to damn high for that kind of job.  And this will basically be the end of fast food as we know it.  Not exactly a bad thing....but I dont see a lot of franchises staying in business if this is passed.

[Hum]

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.

In PA, the 'small fry' has been $1.49 plus tax, for over a year. :laugh:

[dead.cell]

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

 

Except that when going to school, you need a job with flexible hours. Guess what kind of jobs are common that provide that? Retail jobs...

[Deihmos]

What exactly is the point in having a job if it doesn't provide enough of an income to live on? The problem with having a low minimum wage is that the government is invariably required to supplement that income, while companies post record profits and the proportion of money going to executives and shareholders continues to increase. Most concerning is the amount of money spent by these companies lobbying the government to keep the minimum wage low and reduce their tax liabilities, especially when companies can pay less tax as a percentage than menial workers.

The current structure of society simply isn't fair. Massive corporations like Google, Amazon and Starbucks?as well as wealthy individuals?pay virtually nothing in tax by using immoral and often illegal tax loopholes; most of the tax schemes used by these corporations are deemed illegal and shut down but only after they have been used to avoid paying the legally obligated amount. It's simply not right that those most able to afford to pay taxes are able to avoid them on such a massive scale, while workers struggle to make ends meet and the government is forced to pick up the tab.

Whether $15 is economically justified is another matter but certainly it is not in the best interests of society to allow workers to be paid so little while executives and shareholders take an ever increasing proportion of the income and use that money to unfairly influence government policy. Capitalism has gotten out of control and it needs to be reigned in.

It does provide more than enough to live on. The problem is people do not want to live within their means and you cannot expect to provide for a family of 5 on it. I remember when I was in school I survived on 500 a month and I live in ny. I had a roommate and split a 500 rent bill and used the balance for living expenses. Every month I had something left over.

[Ghost5525]

Whats going to end up happening if these workers get a higher pay is that their hours will be cut.  So they may get more pay but less hours so really not making more.  $15 an hour is to damn high for that kind of job.  And this will basically be the end of fast food as we know it.  Not exactly a bad thing....but I dont see a lot of franchises staying in business if this is passed.

No that $1 menu will be come the 5 dollar menu, your whopper or big mac will be 10 bucks. I'd be ok with in increase if it meant i'd get a 10 fold increase in productivity and work...but expecting that from your average drive through window person is asking a little too much.

[techbeck]

No that $1 menu will be come the 5 dollar menu, your whopper or big mac will be 10 bucks. I'd be ok with in increase if it meant i'd get a 10 fold increase in productivity and work...but expecting that from your average drive through window person is asking a little too much.

 

Naw, McDonalds would lose to many customers if they upped their prices that much.  Much better for them to cut hours...like some companies are currently doing to prepare for ObamaCare or to not have to provide insurance.

[Xerino]

What the hell?? I mean cmon, fast food jobs are known to be the most overworked and underpaid jobs out there, been that way for many many many years, most employees are just high school kids wanting a temporary job, and noe one expects anyone who works part time at a fast food joint to survive soley on that, Im guessing its the bitter old managers that have been there a few years, already get $12 an hour full time, and are at the max pay grade for their paticular franchise.

[theyarecomingforyou]

What the hell?? I mean cmon, fast food jobs are known to be the most overworked and underpaid jobs out there, been that way for many many many years, most employees are just high school kids wanting a temporary job, and noe one expects anyone who works part time at a fast food joint to survive soley on that

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:

[illage3]

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.

[Hum]

Around here, only maybe one-third of the McDonald's employees are teens.

[Spartan Erik]

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

 

Easy to say, hard to do.  How do you expect burger flippers to pay for their education?

 

Who will even loan them money? Credit is still tight post-recession

 

 

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.

 

 

Agreed, burger flipping definitely isn't a career.  Problem is, these people are stuck in a rut.  They don't make enough money to save to get a better education; we're essentially subsidizing cheap fast food by paying for the employees food stamps!  Also, keep in mind there's a big job and skills gap.  There are about 3 million jobs in the country unfilled (see Mike Rowe: http://profoundlydisconnected.com/) and not enough qualified people to fill them.  This deficit is only going to grow worse.

 

Ideally, wages for everybody would double, benefits associated with employment would be removed, and everyone would be able to spend or save their money how they want to.

 

 

It does provide more than enough to live on. The problem is people do not want to live within their means and you cannot expect to provide for a family of 5 on it. I remember when I was in school I survived on 500 a month and I live in ny. I had a roommate and split a 500 rent bill and used the balance for living expenses. Every month I had something left over.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-12/mcdonald-s-8-25-man-and-8-75-million-ceo-shows-pay-gap.html

 

Of course you cannot expect to provide for a family of 5.. you can't even provide for yourself with this kind of pay!

[ILikeTobacco]

Easy to say, hard to do.  How do you expect burger flippers to pay for their education?

 

Who will even loan them money? Credit is still tight post-recession

Credit is not tight post-recession when it comes to education. If your only source of income is burger flipping, the government will hand out student loans to you like candy. The thing about student loans is they can never be defaulted on so there is really no risk to banks. When you can't make your payments, you call the loan holders to defer your payment. When that happens, the government is responsible for paying any losses associated with that. That is the reason you don't need collateral to get a student loan. There is close to no risk for the bank with the new system.

[Spartan Erik]

Credit is not tight post-recession when it comes to education. If your only source of income is burger flipping, the government will hand out student loans to you like candy. The thing about student loans is they can never be defaulted on so there is really no risk to banks. When you can't make your payments, you call the loan holders to defer your payment. When that happens, the government is responsible for paying any losses associated with that. That is the reason you don't need collateral to get a student loan. There is close to no risk for the bank with the new system.

 

Ah yes, you're correct.  No risk to banks.. but risky to those seeking an education.  It's unfortunate that for-profit colleges like University of Phoenix (for example) target these people, knowing they will take on loans that will take decades to pay off.  It's too bad we don't have greater emphasis on technical/trade schools, especially for a service-based economy

[Xilo]

People are stupid if they expect to be able to support themselves alone with fast food wages.

[ILikeTobacco]

Ah yes, you're correct.  No risk to banks.. but risky to those seeking an education.  It's unfortunate that for-profit colleges like University of Phoenix (for example) target these people, knowing they will take on loans that will take decades to pay off.  It's too bad we don't have greater emphasis on technical/trade schools, especially for a service-based economy

They really aren't that risky to the loan taker either unless they are irresponsible about it. If you can't afford a payment, you don't make a payment. You just call the company have them defere it. The key is keeping in contact with the loan holder. A 30k loan costs less than the payment for a 10k used car. The reason people get in trouble is they graduate and while still having that fresh student loan, they go off and buy a house, brand new car, etc. I still think money management should be the final course you take at any college.

[Hum]

People are stupid if they expect to be able to support themselves alone with fast food wages.

They don't - they expect to live with their parents and get public Welfare too.