Fast-food workers threaten global strikes

[trag3dy]

McDonalds and Burger King aren't exactly cheap anymore. I'm not sure I look forward to a $15 meal at either of those places.

 

Also I supported myself with a $10 an hour job while going to school and paying for that on my own too. People just need to get their priorities straight.

[Sandor]

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?

 

You're kinda on the right track but I think you meant something different.

 

Simple example:

McDs employee currently gets ~$10/hr (I'm in Canada where this is true)

McDs employee demands (and let's assume that they get) a raise to $15/hr

Pay is raised 50%

 

You're assuming that the price of everything then goes up 50% to compensate? If so, that's incredibly flimsy and essentially impossible. If I've misunderstood what you meant let me know.

 

Some light afternoon reading: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-06-19/the-capitalist-s-case-for-a-15-minimum-wage

[SierraSonic]

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

The problem is that the rate at which minimum wage is raised is not compensating for all those other factors. Minimum wage workers are working for much less in value than they did 30 years ago.

 

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

Bank tellers should technically earn less than food service employees, they only deal with money. Food service employees handle money, food, clean the store, manage inventory, deal with customers, etc. Besides that, wages should increase everywhere on the low end.

 

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.

They are stating for minimum wage to EQUAL what it was 30 years ago is about 15.50.

 

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.

There aren't those jobs anymore, with manufacturing jobs on the decline, and only tech sector and service industry jobs are on the rise, and people HAVE to fill these positions to keep growth going in any sector. Are you seriously stating that these people do not deserve to be paid a living wage? Just because they are low education requirement jobs doesn't mean that the work isn't needed for society, IMO blue collar workers contribute way more than white collar workers. Not to say that white collar workers aren't important, but they definitely do not deserve the wage difference they receive, but since they are the ones who set the wages it's hard to fight this difference.

 

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.

IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LIVABLE INCOME. These aren't the jobs they used to be filled with teenagers, you have adults working here getting screwed over because of that stereotype. Food service workers should earn more than bank tellers!

 

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.

There are always going to be people who abuse any system, the solution isn't to punish those that don't.

 

McDonalds and Burger King aren't exactly cheap anymore. I'm not sure I look forward to a $15 meal at either of those places.

 

Also I supported myself with a $10 an hour job while going to school and paying for that on my own too. People just need to get their priorities straight.

 

Prices will in no way increase that much, if you can expect .70c at walmart during a visit, you may .03c more at mcdonalds per visit.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Go for it you idiots, get fired, there will be hundreds of thousands unemployed individuals just waiting for your jobs

[SierraSonic]

Go for it you idiots, get fired, there will be hundreds of thousands unemployed individuals just waiting for your jobs

That's the mentality that ruins it for everyone. Do you honestly think that people should accept that instead of being offered a living wage we could just get someone else who will put up with it until it too effects them to the point they want to strike. There has to be a point where people who work should expect to survive.

 

All you are saying is that "People who are currently earning $0 find $7.25 more acceptable, until they realise what they are doing for that and then they complain, and the cycle repeats" Ask yourself, why is this problem continuing to cycle? Are these people greedy? Or maybe, just maybe, they actually have a valid point people who don't work the jobs do not realize.

[ensiform]

IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LIVABLE INCOME. These aren't the jobs they used to be filled with teenagers, you have adults working here getting screwed over because of that stereotype. Food service workers should earn more than bank tellers!

No it is not meant to be a job to support full cost of living.  Yes, people have turned it into as such but regardless, not really valid as a single job at lower than management or corporate level.  It's not the employer's job to pay you more simply because of your life situations.

 

That's the mentality that ruins it for everyone. Do you honestly think that people should accept that instead of being offered a living wage we could just get someone else who will put up with it until it too effects them to the point they want to strike. There has to be a point where people who work should expect to survive.

 

All you are saying is that "People who are currently earning $0 find $7.25 more acceptable, until they realise what they are doing for that and then they complain, and the cycle repeats" Ask yourself, why is this problem continuing to cycle? Are these people greedy? Or maybe, just maybe, they actually have a valid point people who don't work the jobs do not realise.

And even if they get this pay increase, the cycle will still continue when cost of living increases beyond it once again.  Big Corporate America at its finest.

[Mr. Gibs]

Bank tellers should technically earn less than food service employees, they only deal with money. Food service employees handle money, food, clean the store, manage inventory, deal with customers, etc.

Food service workers should earn more than bank tellers!

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.

IMO blue collar workers contribute way more than white collar workers. Not to say that white collar workers aren't important, but they definitely do not deserve the wage difference they receive, but since they are the ones who set the wages it's hard to fight this difference.

:rolleyes:

[Gone]

Let it happen. If they hate their job, they can find a new one. God knows they don't pay those of us in the military minimum wage, and we have no choice once we get to boot camp to leave, until the end of our contract. And trust me, most of the people in the military didn't know exactly what they were in for until a year or so.

 

So these fast food workers can cry all they want. They don't do anything that rates $15 an hour. I get $19 an hour to work with jet fuel and repair diesel trucks, with high risk of injury (two injuries in 8 months at work). 

 

If they get $15 an hour, they better have the best damn customer service and "chefs" around (the food better be perfect).

 

[Suburban Errorist]

Now this reminds me of that SpongeBob Squarepants episode. You know which one.

[Gone]

Now this reminds me of that SpongeBob Squarepants episode. You know which one.

I don't remember, which one!?

[SierraSonic]

No it is not meant to be a job to support full cost of living.  Yes, people have turned it into as such but regardless, not really valid as a single job at lower than management or corporate level.  It's not the employer's job to pay you more simply because of your life situations.

 

And even if they get this pay increase, the cycle will still continue when cost of living increases beyond it once again.  Big Corporate America at its finest.

Yes it is, even when it was created it was stated as such by the creators.

 

?No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.? (1933, Statement on National Industrial Recovery Act)

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.

:rolleyes:

Ok, so people who have machines count money and make sure its not stolen should earn more money than people who manually count money, and still have to make sure it doesn't get stolen while also cooking a burger, filling a drink, maintaining inventory, and the countless other tasks they complete deserve less? Food service workers have much more responsibility.

[Suburban Errorist]

I don't remember, which one!?

http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Squid_on_Strike

[Mr. Gibs]

Ok, so people who have machines count money and make sure its not stolen should earn more money than people who manually count money, and still have to make sure it doesn't get stolen while also cooking a burger, filling a drink, maintaining inventory, and the countless other tasks they complete deserve less? Food service workers have much more responsibility.

1. The guy making your burger, isn't the guy at the counter.

2. Wages aren't based on who does the most or hardest work. They're based on how valuable (ie your skills) and irreplaceable you are to the company. Someone making burgers is neither valuable or irreplaceable. I could go to the Amazon find a monkey spend $50 training said monkey and get it to make me better burgers than half the people working at fast food places do. I'd also win a noble prize for being able to pass on human skills to a monkey, but that's just a bonus. Bank tellers may do an "easier" job but they're a lot harder to replace. You'll find most banks require things like good credit, no criminal history, sales experience etc. This makes you more valuable and harder to replace, so your wages are a little bit higher too.

[SierraSonic]

Let it happen. If they hate their job, they can find a new one. God knows they don't pay those of us in the military minimum wage, and we have no choice once we get to boot camp to leave, until the end of our contract. And trust me, most of the people in the military didn't know exactly what they were in for until a year or so.

 

So these fast food workers can cry all they want. They don't do anything that rates $15 an hour. I get $19 an hour to work with jet fuel and repair diesel trucks, with high risk of injury (two injuries in 8 months at work). 

 

If they get $15 an hour, they better have the best damn customer service and "chefs" around (the food better be perfect).

Military personnel at the rank of E1 makes around $1500 a month. Minimum wage workers working 35 hours a week earn a bit over $1000, which is what soldiers learn during training. I believe, but may be wrong on this fact, you can easily become an E4 ($2000) by taking classes within a year, and you get 2x pay during any battlefield duties.

 

1. The guy making your burger, isn't the guy at the counter.

2. Wages aren't based on who does the most or hardest work. They're based on how valuable (ie your skills) and irreplaceable you are to the company. Someone making burgers is neither valuable or irreplaceable. I could go to the Amazon find a monkey spend $50 training said monkey and get it to make me better burgers than half the people working at fast food places do. I'd also win a noble prize for being able to pass on human skills to a monkey, but that's just a bonus. Bank tellers may do an "easier" job but they're a lot harder to replace. You'll find most banks require things like good credit, no criminal history, sales experience etc. This makes you more valuable and harder to replace, so your wages are a little bit higher too.

 

At some places they are the same person, these places are understaffed and employees share stations and responsibilities.

 

Tellers are just as replaceable as cashiers,the same skillset and prerequisites are required, unless you are somehow stating that the majority of people in food service are criminals with no method to be able to sell the services they are already selling. People are people and in this case the skills and history of the person are the same, just one sells money and one sells food.

[+primortal Subscriber²]

Have any of you gotten a raise for doing the same thing over the years; sort of a cost of living increase?  Well people on minimum wage haven't received a decent cost of living adjustment for a very long time.

 

Just because flipping burgers or salting fries doesn't justify a increase in minimum wage for such a menial task I hope you're happy with your tax dollars are being spent on them for welfare.  So you are either going pay for their increase in a small increase in the item you purchase which you can avoid by not shopping there or pay through your taxes that you cannot avoid.

[Klownicle]

That's the mentality that ruins it for everyone. Do you honestly think that people should accept that instead of being offered a living wage we could just get someone else who will put up with it until it too effects them to the point they want to strike. There has to be a point where people who work should expect to survive.

 

All you are saying is that "People who are currently earning $0 find $7.25 more acceptable, until they realise what they are doing for that and then they complain, and the cycle repeats" Ask yourself, why is this problem continuing to cycle? Are these people greedy? Or maybe, just maybe, they actually have a valid point people who don't work the jobs do not realize.

Living on your own at $7 an hour is extremely difficult no doubt in that especially when you don't get the hours.  The system is broken either way, but minimum wage jobs are not career jobs unless you rise up in management positions.  Most people just flounder at the bottom and don't live within their means, or hop from job to job at that pay scale.  And as you say, if fast food is the only sector that's hiring, you don't raise the wage to a crazy amount for that sector just to "fix" things.  You fix the ultimate problem, hiring elsewhere!  So that the people that are working minimum wage and can't get a higher paying job but are capable, can.

 

These arguments can go round and round.  No one ever wins.

[Gotenks98]

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... ;)

Those grads choose the wrong field of study to go in that's why they cant find work. No one told you to be a philosophy or political science major when there aren't any jobs for that hardly. They need to stop offering dead end degrees as choices in school to prevent this.

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.

I wouldn't even say individual employees but more so something to do while in college or high school even just to have a little extra cash and to learn some responsibility while the parents support the bigger costing things such as school and medical insurance. These jobs in no way should be anyone's sole means of income.

[SierraSonic]

Living on your own at $7 an hour is extremely difficult no doubt in that especially when you don't get the hours.  The system is broken either way, but minimum wage jobs are not career jobs unless you rise up in management positions.  Most people just flounder at the bottom and don't live within their means, or hop from job to job at that pay scale.  And as you say, if fast food is the only sector that's hiring, you don't raise the wage to a crazy amount for that sector just to "fix" things.  You fix the ultimate problem, hiring elsewhere!  So that the people that are working minimum wage and can't get a higher paying job but are capable, can.

 

These arguments can go round and round.  No one ever wins.

The solution to the problem is solve another problem ignoring the one at hand! We need a fast solution and long term solution, the fast solution is to raise the minimum wage, the long term solution is to entice companies to bring jobs here instead of where minimum wages is .20c an hour. They should atleast give a living wage, as that was what it was designed for, which today is around $15 an hour.

 

Those grads choose the wrong field of study to go in that's why they cant find work. No one told you to be a philosophy or political science major when there aren't any jobs for that hardly. They need to stop offering dead end degrees as choices in school to prevent this.

Yes, because that is the only problem! /s

People with degrees in other fields are struggling too, all fields are struggling except for the tech and service industries.

[+primortal Subscriber²]

These jobs in no way should be anyone's sole means of income.

 

Just a question, why and who says?

[Gone]

Military personnel at the rank of E1 makes around $1500 a month. Minimum wage workers working 35 hours a week earn a bit over $1000, which is what soldiers learn during training. I believe, but may be wrong on this fact, you can easily become an E4 ($2000) by taking classes within a year, and you get 2x pay during any battlefield duties.

 

 

At some places they are the same person, these places are understaffed and employees share stations and responsibilities.

 

Tellers are just as replaceable as cashiers,the same skillset and prerequisites are required, unless you are somehow stating that the majority of people in food service are criminals with no method to be able to sell the services they are already selling. People are people and in this case the skills and history of the person are the same, just one sells money and one sells food.

Promotion in the Marine Corps is very slow, unless you kiss a lot of ass. Classes have nothing to do with promotions in my branch, unlike the Navy. I worked 12 hour shifts every day, with often having no weekends for a month every few months. That adds to less than $7.00/hour.

 

Edit: Not to mention unless you are in a ###### neighborhood, being in the military is more dangerous than being a fast food worker.

[Mr. Gibs]

Tellers are just as replaceable as cashiers,the same skillset and prerequisites are required, unless you are somehow stating that the majority of people in food service are criminals with no method to be able to sell the services they are already selling. People are people and in this case the skills and history of the person are the same, just one sells money and one sells food.

No they aren't. Bank tellers are expected to be professional and they need to act professional at all time.

Most fast food places are staffed with people who don't give a #### about their job. That type of work ethic will never make it in a bank, you'd get fired immediately. You can claim that sure they would have a better work ethic if they got paid more, but that's not always true. Some people just don't give a ####.

Yes, because that is the only problem! /s

People with degrees in other fields are struggling too, all fields are struggling except for the tech and service industries.

Except you'll find that the majority of struggling comes from people with completely worthless degrees.

Now that's not always their fault. They've been told constantly that "get a degree, get a degree, doesn't matter which degree just get one." Now you have a whole bunch of students that have degrees but can't find jobs.

That mindset needs to change.

[ATLien_0]

Again, I think its more of a fundamental shift in today's society. Fast food jobs have usually always been a high school or early college job, but we are seeing a shift. I know plenty of high schoolers that still work these jobs, but now we are seeing more and more people who are trying to pay for college or pay for their family working these jobs. I really don't agree with the $15 / hour, because I would think these people should be able to look for jobs that support their income need. 

Like I said though, I do think though that more fast food companies need to at least take the Chick Fil A approach, their staff is so much more friendly than I have seen at the other places. 

[SierraSonic]

Promotion in the Marine Corps is very slow, unless you kiss a lot of ass. Classes have nothing to do with promotions in my branch, unlike the Navy. I worked 12 hour shifts every day, with often having no weekends for a month every few months. That adds to less than $7.00/hour.

What rank are you? If you are just starting you are earning literally the minimum wage until you get a raise, which for putting your life on a list to be in line to be on the line is laughable and should be increased too. Which the rate would be increased to at least match the new rate.

 

No they aren't. Bank tellers are expected to be professional and they need to act professional at all time.

Most fast food places are staffed with people who don't give a #### about their job. That type of work ethic will never make it in a bank, you'd get fired immediately. You can claim that sure they would have a better work ethic if they got paid more, but that's not always true. Some people just don't give a ####.

Except you'll find that the majority of struggling comes from people with completely worthless degrees.

Now that's not always their fault. They've been told constantly that "get a degree, get a degree, doesn't matter which degree just get one." Now you have a whole bunch of students that have degrees but can't find jobs.

That mindset needs to change.

Food service industry doesn't just mean fast food, I have seen plenty of, both chain and non chain, restaurants that have kind courteous staff that should be earning more than 2.35 an hour + tips. The mindset that these people are "worth less" needs to change. If you really want to keep children down, add a clause to keep underage minor at a lower rate, but don't hurt adults who have no mean to earn a living wage. I am not saying these people need to live in excess, but they should struggle the way they have been for 30 years.

 

Again, I think its more of a fundamental shift in today's society. Fast food jobs have usually always been a high school or early college job, but we are seeing a shift. I know plenty of high schoolers that still work these jobs, but now we are seeing more and more people who are trying to pay for college or pay for their family working these jobs. I really don't agree with the $15 / hour, because I would think these people should be able to look for jobs that support their income need. 

Like I said though, I do think though that more fast food companies need to at least take the Chick Fil A approach, their staff is so much more friendly than I have seen at the other places. 

The problem is to equal what the rate for minimum wage was 30 years ago, we need $15 today, and more tomorrow. People should always aspire for more, but they should be able to do it without struggling more for less than they used to 30 years ago.

[Gotenks98]

Just a question, why and who says?

Maybe because its mathematically impossible to make ends meet with those kinds of jobs for a full family?

[Gone]

What rank are you? If you are just starting you are earning literally the minimum wage until you get a raise, which for putting your life on a list to be in line to be on the line is laughable and should be increased too. Which the rate would be increased to at least match the new rate.

 

Food service industry doesn't just mean fast food, I have seen plenty of, both chain and non chain, restaurants that have kind courteous staff that should be earning more than 2.35 an hour + tips. The mindset that these people are "worth less" needs to change. If you really want to keep children down, add a clause to keep underage minor at a lower rate, but don't hurt adults who have no mean to earn a living wage. I am not saying these people need to live in excess, but they should struggle the way they have been for 30 years.

 

The problem is to equal what the rate for minimum wage was 30 years ago, we need $15 today, and more tomorrow. People should always aspire for more, but they should be able to do it without struggling more for less than they used to 30 years ago.

I was a Cpl, I no longer am active duty. $2,000/12 hours a day / 5 days a  week / 4 days a month == Approx $8.33 an hour. Granted there is hazardous duty pay and combat pay, it's beside the point. Flipping burgers is easy. Period. It is not hard to get a better job, unless you have no skills. But even some janitors make a decent living.