Fast-food workers threaten global strikes

[Hum]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fast-food workers plan strikes in 150 cities across the United States and protests in 33 other countries on May 15 to demand higher pay and better working conditions, organizers said in New York on Wednesday.

It is the latest in a series of protests over the past 18 months in the United States that have targeted fast-food chains including McDonald's Corp, Burger King Worldwide Inc, Wendy's Co and Yum Brands Inc's KFC chain.

 

U.S. fast-food workers taking part will walk off their jobs on May 15 to demand $15 an hour in wages and the right to form a union without retaliation, organizers said.

U.S. cities where strikes are planned include Philadelphia, Sacramento, California; and Miami and Orlando in Florida. Organizers say that protests around the world will include cities in Europe, Asia, South America and Asia, among others.

Advocacy groups involved in planning the strikes include Fast Food Forward and Hungry for Justice, supported by the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Association, which represents about 12 million workers in 126 countries.

Both McDonald's, the world's biggest restaurant chain by revenue, which has drawn the ire of many of the prospective strikers, and Burger King defended their treatment of employees in separate statements.

 

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[techbeck]

No union currently, they can all expect to lose their jobs on May 15th.  Even with a union, they may still lose them.

[Max Norris]

Better conditions sure, I get that.  But I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but $15 an hour for being the fry-guy?  With plenty of people needing work I suspect mass firings inbound.

[Hum]

NO cheeseburgers ! The apocalypse is here ! :woot:

[Anibal P]

Hand out pink slips to EVERYONE who doesn't show up that day, announce it first too, to be safe, they're already getting paid the correct market value for their work, if they want more pay, then buck up, EARN a promotion of find a better paying job 

[ATLien_0]

Better working conditions I can understand, but $15 an hour, seriously? I worked retail for a premium clothing company during college and wasn't even getting that. I've always looked at fast food jobs as being the jobs for high school and early college age teens, not for those trying to raise a family or pay for college with.

 

What I think should at least happen is that fast food companies like Mcdonalds, BK, Wendys etc should follow the Chic-Fil-A model. They pay well, not $15 an hour well, but well enough, and in exchange have great working conditions, college scholarships and even train their employees to be good at customer service.  That to me is a good middle ground, but $15 an hour come on, thats pushing it

[SierraSonic]

These aren't the same jobs they were 30 years ago, they have cut the work force, and increased workload per employee. When I worked at a DD the morning shift had 7 people working on it, and brought in nearly 5000 in sales a day, the night shift had 2 people and brought in nearly 4000. The difference is that in the morning you do nothing but your single applied station, at night you literally have to do everything, and clean up after the morning shift, and restock for the morning shift.

 

The jobs also aren't filled with teenagers, the teenagers stay for a week to a couple of months, and then quit. Older folks are the ones who stay on and get screwed. having to constantly reteach new hires WHILE still doing everything since the new hires do not know everything. Which means the people that worked there longer do 2.5x the work of the people who aren't going to work there later anyway. These jobs need to stabilize with proper employment and have workers who actually know proper procedure instead of trying to do the simple repetitive tasks that do NOT contribute anything more than a stereotype to the field.

[neufuse Veteran]

Could SOMEONE please explain to me how raising a minimum wage to say $15 an hour helps people? I keep hearing "its a livable wage" how? when you raise costs everything else goes up proportionately to cover the new increase in worker costs... so how are you making out? besides pushing inflation faster?

 

I don't want the politics on this, I want the economics

[Hum]

The big problem is that workers wrongly think these types of jobs are meant to support entire families.

 

Wage compensation is only to cover individual employees.

[Torolol]

meh, they would simply hire more obedient workers, or replace existing rebelious workers with automated machinery whenever possible.

[He's Dead Jim]

People take the jobs they can get, there is an abundance of grads that cant get work, bots are taking up casheir posts now, the rich are getting richer the divide is wider, I hope the workers manage to kick international corp butt, fight the bots... ;)

[SierraSonic]

The big problem is that workers wrongly think these types of jobs are meant to support entire families.

 

Wage compensation is only to cover individual employees.

It is meant for individual support, right now you have to work two minimum wage jobs to support one person. Imagine trying to support a family when you cant even support yourself. Having both parents working two jobs, and still managing to care for their children is even worse to imagine.

 

Could SOMEONE please explain to me how raising a minimum wage to say $15 an hour helps people? I keep hearing "its a livable wage" how? when you raise costs everything else goes up proportionately to cover the new increase in worker costs... so how are you making out? besides pushing inflation faster?

 

I don't want the politics on this, I want the economics

I believe it was quoted that if the minimum wage went to $15 the cost of a single shopping trip to walmart would only increase the total bill about .15c a transaction.

[margrave]

I foresee people getting fired.

[_dandy_]

meh, they would simply hire more obedient workers, or replace existing rebelious workers with automated machinery whenever possible.

 

This.  Somewhat.

 

If they want $15 an hour, they'd better start acting like they deserve it.  The last few times I've been in a fast-food place, the kids behind the counter are all acting like they have the worse job in the world and they want you to know it.

[gameboy1977]

I can see that Fast Food job place is same as SSA cost about $700 to $1000 per month plus food stamp  cost about 120 per month, right?    I would protest against the SSA office to raise up to $1,200 per month.

[rr_dRock]

 

It is meant for individual support, right now you have to work two minimum wage jobs to support one person. Imagine trying to support a family when you cant even support yourself. Having both parents working two jobs, and still managing to care for their children is even worse to imagine.

 

I believe it was quoted that if the minimum wage went to $15 the cost of a single shopping trip to walmart would only increase the total bill about .15c a transaction.

 

 

 

Source for that  fairly ridiculous assertion?

 

 

The fact is, if you have to pay people more money (almost double in a lot of cases), the cost of the product is going to go up with that. The businesses are not going to take a profit cut out of the goodness of their hearts.

 

If you think that labour cost going up doesn't affect product price, please never manage anything, anywhere.

[xrobwx71]

The problem I see is, when they got hired they agreed to the pay offered. My favorite kind of people, the ones that think they are worth more than they actually are. (labor wise) 

[SierraSonic]

Source for that  fairly ridiculous assertion?

 

 

The fact is, if you have to pay people more money (almost double in a lot of cases), the cost of the product is going to go up with that. The businesses are not going to take a profit cut out of the goodness of their hearts.

 

If you think that labour cost going up doesn't affect product price, please never manage anything, anywhere.

Okay, I was alittle off. http://www.businessinsider.com/what-a-walmart-wage-hike-would-cost-you-2013-7#!K4RPV

 

If it was $12.50, it would go up about .70c A TRIP! A 1.1% price increase isn't going to destroy the economy. 1.5%=/- a .1% for $15 an hour.

 

Quit acting like I didn't do my research when I am way closer than you to being correct. Please never argue anywhere without proper facts, it makes you look foolish.

 

 

The problem I see is, when they got hired they agreed to the pay offered. My favorite kind of people, the ones that think they are worth more than they actually are. (labor wise) 

All 38+ hour legal jobs should pay a living wage. Theres no point in a job where one person cannot live off of their earnings.

[neufuse Veteran]

 

It is meant for individual support, right now you have to work two minimum wage jobs to support one person. Imagine trying to support a family when you cant even support yourself. Having both parents working two jobs, and still managing to care for their children is even worse to imagine.

 

I believe it was quoted that if the minimum wage went to $15 the cost of a single shopping trip to walmart would only increase the total bill about .15c a transaction.

 

I find that very hard to believe, as in the past year my electric bills have went up 20%, natural gas up 40%, water up 15% food went up almost 30%, gasoline don't get me started....

 

and that was with a small increase in minimum wage that happens yearly... costs are rising already, if we have to pay more for everything it will rise faster.

 

It feels like what will happen is the lower income people will get more money right off the bad, the salaried people will be slow to see a wage increase. So it will make the lower end higher disproportionately costs will go up, the poor will still be bad off, the middle will be worse off, but the rich will be about the same...

 

at least that's how it seems to me

[Mr. Gibs]

meh, they would simply hire more obedient workers, or replace existing rebelious workers with automated machinery whenever possible.

Perfect. Replace them with robots, and then I can get my order correct. Because you know telling someone "no mayo" is so ####ing difficult to follow. And then you have the "oh here's some fries, let me empty all the salt in the pacific ocean onto them" or the "let me burn the bacon to where it ends up tasting like burnt cardboard".

If you can't follow simple instructions or do your job correctly, you don't deserve $15 or even $10. Sorry.

[neufuse Veteran]

Okay, I was alittle off. http://www.businessinsider.com/what-a-walmart-wage-hike-would-cost-you-2013-7#!K4RPV

 

If it was $12.50, it would go up about .70c A TRIP! A 1.1% price increase isn't going to destroy the economy. 1.5%=/- a .1% for $15 an hour.

 

Quit acting like I didn't do my research when I am way closer than you to being correct. Please never argue anywhere without proper facts, it makes you look foolish.

 

 

 

All 38+ hour legal jobs should pay a living wage. Theres no point in a job where one person cannot live off of their earnings.

 

I know banks around here that pay full time workers (250 days a year 40hrs a week) only $25k a year that's only $12.50 an hour... and around here $25k a year is below poverty level which is $26k a year based on cost of living where I am at

[spacer]

In my opinion, minimum wage should be the absolute minimum required for the employee to afford housing and food in the area that they're working in. If these workers want to have kids, go to school, go on vacations, etc. then they either need to work a second job or win the lottery.

 

Minimum wage jobs are minimum for a reason. They require little to no skills or education, and they are not and should not be considered careers.

 

That being said, if NYC McDonald's employees are getting paid the same amount as McDonald's employees in Oklahoma, then that is a serious problem. There is no way that wage is livable in any burrow in NYC. The wage for a fast food job shouldn't be the same corporate wide, and it should really depend on the state and city of that job. If that's what these people are fighting for, then I'm all for it. If they simply want more money because they hate being poor, then tough.

[Klownicle]

There still fighting this one eh?  Maybe with the strike the country will get less obese.  I can see the wage getting increased, but no where near $15.  You want a better job, get a better education.  You can live off a lot less than 15$ an hour.  You just don't want to.  O what, you have kids and your under 21?  How's that drinking and smoking habit working out for you?  Or that expensive car you can't pay for. Hmm, wonder who's fault that is.  Lets blame the company I work for, and they'll make everything else right. O I don't like where I'm at, or I don't like management rolls in life.  I'm just going to sit where I am and let the world work for me.  :rolleyes:

 

Excuses are like :pinch: , everyone has one.

[ensiform]

I just don't see how people are expecting a fast food joint to be a 1 job end all be all for their financial situation.  It's not supposed to be livable income.  Its supposed to be side job for extra money if you are no longer 14/15.  Having a union and major pay raise will only cause things to get much much worse that they won't be able to eat at their own fast food joint because the prices will sky rocket.

[techbeck]

What cracks me up is I know people who complain about this and complain they cannot support their 3 kids by themselves as a single parent.  Then they drive around in expensive cards and clothing and whatever else.