Wage Strikes Planned at Fast Food Outlets in 100 US Cities on Thursday (12/5/13)

Fast food workers in 100 cities in the USA are planning a one day strike this Thursday. They want $15 an hour for flipping burgers instead of $8-9 an hour.

Basic economics - Entry level fast food positions are easily filled by uneducated people and the position isn't worth the same pay as a nurse or a teacher. If you raise the pay for burger flippers to $15 an hour, then the nurses and teachers will need to be paid more to compensate them for their education and difficulty level. And if you raise their pay, then you'll have to raise the pay of doctors and engineers and so on and so on ... all the way up. By then, the burger flipper will be complaining about his/her pay of $15 an hour not being enough to keep up with inflation and it'll start all over again.

Basic fact - not all jobs are supposed to be 'living wages'. And burger flipping jobs are not supposed to be a 'job for life'. People are just supposed to use them as stepping stones.

And no ... before someone on the far left screams insults ... I'm just stating the truth of economics.

I think all this 'one day strike' will do is show Americans that they don't need fast food as much as they think they do. They'll bring a sandwich from home or eat in the employee cafeteria instead. They'll be healthier for it. No fast food for a day?? No loss. Not even a bump in the road for the customers.

NY Times - Wage Strikes Planned at Fast Food Outlets in 100 Cities

Seeking to increase pressure on McDonald’s, Wendy’s and other fast-food restaurants, organizers of a movement demanding a $15-an-hour wage for fast-food workers say they will sponsor one-day strikes in 100 cities on Thursday and protest activities in 100 additional cities.

The movement, which includes the groups Fast Food Forward and Fight for 15, is part of a growing union-backed effort by low-paid workers — including many Walmart workers and workers for federal contractors — that seeks to focus attention on what the groups say are inadequate wages.

The fast-food effort is backed by the Service Employees International Union and is also demanding that restaurants allow workers to unionize without the threat of retaliation.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I will agree with you to a point that not all jobs should be expected to pay "livable wages." For example, the local small businesses (e.g. a "Mom and Pop Hardware") that are struggling to survive shouldn't be expected to pay employees a salary that will risk putting the business under. They are often operating on a small profit margin that's tenuous at best. But I think these humongous global companies such as McDonald's could afford to pay their workers more and not face much of a financial risk. On the other hand, I will totally agree that people should avoid that toxic crap food at all costs, or at least eat it sparingly.

FatherStacks
But I think these humongous global companies such as McDonald's could afford to pay their workers more and not pose much of a financial risk.

I'm not sure how that works. Aren't each of the McDonalds or Wendys or _____ (fill in fast food place of choice), owned independently? They are still part of the chain and have to follow the chain rules and pay the main company a certain amount, but isn't each restaurant bought and owned individually??

I"m not sure .... But I think that's what I remember reading ...

FlyersFan

FatherStacks
But I think these humongous global companies such as McDonald's could afford to pay their workers more and not pose much of a financial risk.

I'm not sure how that works. Aren't each of the McDonalds or Wendys or _____ (fill in fast food place of choice), owned independently? They are still part of the chain and have to follow the chain rules and pay the main company a certain amount, but isn't each restaurant bought and owned individually??

I"m not sure .... But I think that's what I remember reading ...

That's a good point, and I'm not sure the answer either. In any event, I feel there's still enough profitability there to find a way to pass savings on to the workers, be it through reducing franchising fees, etc. It may need to be creative, but could still be done.

Anyone that is still working at a fast food restaurant after high school should either be moving forward into management or finding a trade to learn, going to night school etc etc.

Those working in fast food that expect a living wage are the very definition of "Worthless Eaters". They breed with no chance of affording their often bastard offspring. Those bastard offspring often go on to commit crimes, join gangs etc etc.

Nothing good comes of raising children broke and smelling of McDonalds.

reply to post by Mamatus


Maybe years back but not now, the average age of a fast food worker is 29, even If they get an education the jobs for those skills are just not there.
Thats why you hear of people with degrees who have no choice but to work for fast food places.

While I do support an increase in minimum wage (in principal) to close the gap created in the ever-increasing cost of living, I agree that suddenly jumping $6 in wage would be catastrophic for the economy. Any wage increase must be done gradually over time to allow the economy to absorb and adjust to the new distribution of wealth.

However.

Because the economy itself is still based on the principal of unequal and disproportionate wealth distribution, any benefit to the minimum wage workers brought on by the increase would be short lived, as the system would ensure that other worker wages and earnings (and product costs) be adjusted to suit the new minimum; the minimum wage will always be the minimum, regardless of the actual figure of the wage because the economy will adjust to suit that principal.

In other words, it would only serve to inflate the currency. The gains would be short-lived; the damage would be long-lasting. Raising minimum wage beyond the linear of a minimum cost of living will be ineffective as a catalyst for social change as long as the old disproportionate financial system remains in place.

Mamatus
Nothing good comes of raising children broke and smelling of McDonalds.

Since you brought it up ...
New York Times

Industry officials say that only a small percentage of fast-food jobs pay the minimum wage and that those are largely entry-level jobs for workers under 25.

Backers of the movement for higher pay point to studies saying that the average age of fast-food workers is 29 and that more than one-fourth are parents raising children.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Also If we were payed a living wage it would save money for everyone...less government handouts, less tax ect.
Fair pay for a fair days work.

reply to post by boymonkey74

Yes. Good point. There are some highly educated and highly skilled people who are stuck working in fast food because jobs in their fields aren't available. But most people who work in fast food aren't highly skilled. And the job is still only worth the bottom wages.

If anyone off the street can do the job ... the job doesn't need to pay much.
If the job requires higher education and higher skills ... the job will pay more to compensate for that.

ETA .. don't shoot the messenger .. I"m just repeating what the economics books say.

reply to post by FlyersFan


If money did trickle down we wouldn't be in this mess but at the moment it isn't and that is not sustainable, I don't have the answers I only did economics GCSE, the balloon will pop and all of us will be in the crap.

boymonkey74
If we were payed a living wage it would save money for everyone...less government handouts, less tax ect.

I applaud those people who are working in the fast food places (because they have no choice) because they are out earning money instead of sucking off welfare. But the job doesn't support a 'living wage'. If those jobs had their salaries boosted to 'living wage', then the nurses and teachers (etc) would then be earning the same as a burger flipper and that wouldn't be fair to them. So they'd need raises. And that would put their salaries up to doctor and engineer level which wouldn't be fair to doctors and engineers. So they'd need to be paid more. And by then, inflation would have caused the burger-folks to think their jobs aren't paid enough and the whole process happens again ...

Fair pay for a fair days work.

Absolutely. And the free market determines what is a 'fair wage'.

reply to post by boymonkey74


Actually there are more than 30,000 jobs available in the "Trades" right now. Caterpillar Tractors alone has 3000+ openings. The problem is that they have no one to fill those jobs. It is not that the jobs are not there it is that the blue collar skills needed to work those jobs is not.

High Schools teach all the kids to go to college and the colleges teach all the kids to be white collar workers.
Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs has been on a mission to educate people that there is no shame in being a plumber, electrician, sewage treatment worker, mechanics and welders.

Here is the link to his website all about it. Mike Rowe's Foundation

boymonkey74
If money did trickle down we wouldn't be in this mess ...

That goes back to the conversation we all were just having .... How much of each franchise does the main parent company own and how much is privately owned? I don't know. People think places like McDonalds and Burger King automatically have deep pockets and that might be true about the parent company, but each individual franchise??? i don't know ...

the balloon will pop and all of us will be in the crap.

Yep. Funny you mention that .... I read this article today ....
15 Signs That We Are Near the Peak of an Absolutely Massive Stock Market Bubble
POP!! It's going to be a very loud POP!!

FatherStacks
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

I will agree with you to a point that not all jobs should be expected to pay "livable wages." For example, the local small businesses (e.g. a "Mom and Pop Hardware") that are struggling to survive shouldn't be expected to pay employees a salary that will risk putting the business under. They are often operating on a small profit margin that's tenuous at best. But I think these humongous global companies such as McDonald's could afford to pay their workers more and not face much of a financial risk. On the other hand, I will totally agree that people should avoid that toxic crap food at all costs, or at least eat it sparingly.

edit on 2-12-2013 by FatherStacks because: (no reason given)

edit on 2-12-2013 by FatherStacks because: clarity (i hope)

Hipster approved stores shouldn't have to pay the same as big stores sounds great on paper but really isn't fair either.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying that big companies don't do horrible and unfair things to their employees..they do. I just don't think its fair to say this type of business doesn't have to pay the same as a bigger business.
Sure it is easy to assume that a large business could afford to pay it's employees more but chooses not to but unless we have access to their finances then we can't know for sure.

I hope these people protesting their wages get a the raise they need but I also hope I don't have to read about other people complaining when companies raise their prices to compensate for the employee raises.

There was a thread started last night by Xeuchen[??] by the same title.

reply to post by Mamatus


Cool link cheers and I agree with him.
I meet so many people who look down on me because of the work I do because it can involve wiping a mucky bum, we are all cogs in the wheel and deserve the respect of others for doing a job well, no matter what the job. Plus I do think do a job well and you should get a livable wage.
But yeah Iam a bit socialist and hate elitists who look down on others for the job they do.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I just hope I get my shotgun licence by then and I better stock up on my food supplies.
Scary reading indeed.

I hope these people protesting their wages get a the raise they need but I also hope I don't have to read about other people complaining when companies raise their prices to compensate for the employee raises.

The problem with this is that as soon as McDonalds employees make 15 and hour the people I am currently paying $20.00 an hour are going to want more money. Should I not give them a raise they will be upset so I will be forced to give them the raise. I will then have to turn around and charge my clients more money. This will result in fewer clients and I may have to layoff some of my crew.

Living wages are for skilled workers. Without the poo pay of a low minimum wage the incentive to improve ones lot in life diminishes rapidly.

edit on 2-12-2013 by Mamatus because: (no reason given)