Fast Food Workers Want $15/hr

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oh_gal

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NEW YORK - Fast-food customers in search of burgers and fries on Thursday might run into striking workers instead.

Organizers say thousands of fast-food workers are set to stage walkouts in dozens of cities around the country, part of a push to get chains such as McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's to pay workers higher wages.


Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/na...-wage-set-for-cities-nationwide#ixzz2dMiNXWUh


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Good luck with that. Here where I live, you're lucky to get an office job requiring a moderately intense skill set for $10/hr.
 
If they paid $15 to start, I could worry a little less what will happen when my boss retires or whatever happens next. It would be a dollar more an hour for me.

I still would not be able to live comfortably here, rent is more than half what I make a month, then add utilities, gas, groceries (nothing fancy, dried beans, rice, bag of frozen veggies), phone. I'm broke. I've been at this job for 17 years, a respectable 9-5 job. And, I don't live in NY!
 
I think that the fast food industry is a place that is meant as a starter job or a move up job. There is no way I think the that it should be a cause to raise the Minimum wage. If I go to work at McD's I know what I am going to be paid. That is my choice. I could also most likely get free money to go to school and earn a trade to make more.

People want more for doing the same thing.
 
If that happened, the cost of fast food would skyrocket and a lot of them wouldn't have a job at all.

MOO
 
This is in large part a result of the healthcare reform legislation that said most all employers have to provide health insurance to their full time employees.

The fast food industry often has VERY small profit margins, they could start losing money if they had to pay health insurance for all staff so instead they started making virtually all of the staff "part time" to avoid the insurance costs.

As a result the workers are getting fewer hours and making less money, that is prompting the increase in minimum wage.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...rs-walk-out-of-jobs-to-protest-low-wages.html
 
I'd be happy to pay more for fast food if it means the workers can earn a living wage and get affordable health care.

The minimum wage hasn't kept up with the cost of living and most of the new jobs created in our current economy are in these low-paying industries. There just aren't enough well paying jobs in the economy anymore, so many of them have been shipped overseas.

Good luck to the fast food workers, I hope they get better pay. I disliked it when my kids worked in the fast food/restaurant industry. The work was difficult, hours were irregular and the pay was very low. Sometimes they never received paychecks or were cheated out of the actual hours they worked. Crooked business.
 
The restaurant chains wouldn't close. The prices wouldn't skyrocket. There would still be jobs.

In Australia: National minimum wage for adults (from the Govt website) --

"Currently the full-time minimum wage is $16.37 per hour or $622.20 per week. This means that most employees in the national system shouldn't get less than this.

Casuals covered by the national minimum wage get an extra 24% ($20.30 per hour)."

Allowing for the slight difference between currencies, we aren't far off US$15.00 per hour.

And our economy isn't collapsing. Nor is the universe ending in a blinding flash of middle class panic. People are still able to ingest high concentrations of sodium and fat on a sesame seed bun...
 
The restaurant chains wouldn't close. The prices wouldn't skyrocket. There would still be jobs.

In Australia: National minimum wage for adults (from the Govt website) --

"Currently the full-time minimum wage is $16.37 per hour or $622.20 per week. This means that most employees in the national system shouldn't get less than this.

Casuals covered by the national minimum wage get an extra 24% ($20.30 per hour)."

Allowing for the slight difference between currencies, we aren't far off US$15.00 per hour.

And our economy isn't collapsing. Nor is the universe ending in a blinding flash of middle class panic. People are still able to ingest high concentrations of sodium and fat on a sesame seed bun...


I need to move there! Lol.

I agree, it would not harm the economy. It would help it.

The more people make, the more the spend. Crime would go down some, as some could afford the things they are stealing.

I don't understand the U.S.'s way of keeping the majority poor, or trying to impose guilt of a failing economy. If everyone is barely making it, then the economy cannot grow. If only a few have enough to spend, the economy stays low. Too many bottom line number crunchers here, and looking out only for the few at the top. JMO, moo, etc...
 
I am glad to see others standing up for these workers. Every worker deserves a living wage!
 
In and Out has an awesome model. They don't franchise, they serve higher quality food, and they treat their employees awesome, with good wages and benefits. And their prices? Still good.

It's sort of like Costco vs Sam's club. Costco is not hurting with a $10.50 starting wage and good benefits.
 
Also, people don't just choose to work in fastfood. A great many simply don't have a choice. Be it lack of education or opportunity, they are there because often, it's the only job they can have. And it's not easy, either.
 
and a lack of transportation. I know a lot of you guys that live in huge cities with awesome mass transit would be shocked to know in Dallas the buses stop running around 10:30 and the trains stop running around 12:30 or 1:00. We also dont have mass transit everywhere. A lot of the great jobs are located in areas where there are limited buses or none at all.

I dont agree with all fast food workers being paid 15 bucks. The cost of living here is a lot cheaper than most places. $15 bucks an hr here is like office worker pay or even better, but I agree about IN and Out burger being the model. 10.50 is fair for here in Texas.
 
The cost if labor is a tiny fraction if the cost of a McD's burger. And they just gave the CEO a whopping multimillion dollar raise.
The cost if Obamacare is negligible. Offering workers healthcare does not mean that the company is required to pay for it. I pay around 500 a month for mine, but it is offered by my company. It is better to have employer health care than individual coverage, because you get the benefit of group coverage being cheaper. If I purchased the same insurance on my own it would run me over 600 monthly. My employer picks up a small amount of cost involved in administration and the like, but they do not pay for my healthcare. That is not what Obamacare means, and it is sad that people have been so misinformed by the factions in the government that want to kill it. (The same ones getting fully funded government healthcare themselves, I may add). So, no, the healthcare law is not why Mcads pays such poor wages.

We taxpayers are being financially raped by the likes of McDs, WALMART, and all the other minimum wage paying employers - especially the ones who shift employee hours so that they are never considered full time or permanent and therefore are not eligible for things like vacation time and sick days, or healthcare etc.
We taxpayers pick up the rest of the cost of living for these folks. So Walmart and the rest are costing us, the taxpayers, plenty. If the minimum wage was raised to what it was designed to be (a wage to keep a person out of poverty), we, the taxpayers would not be paying to subsidize these workers in the form of food stamps, welfare and subsidized health care. Walmart and the like are draining wealth out of the nation into their profits. It is not fair.

Sorry to rant, personal sore subject with me.
 
I don't mean to offend anyone, but I find this to be a joke. These workers are demanding double their pay. Really? Will that make them get an order correct? :waitasec:

I came from nothing. I worked 3 jobs in high school to help my mom pay the bills. And yes, I worked in the fast food industry. I worked hard, and got lots of raises. Therefore I did not "deserve" a good wage, I earned it! I also worked hard to not make that my career. It was as some say, a stepping stone.

So, yeah this bugs me. Who are these people that think they are entitled to DEMAND twice their pay?

Frankly I'm pretty tired of these people who feel they are "entitled" to things. What ever happened to working hard to earn it? :waitasec:
 
I've heard they're making that much per hour at Mcdonald's in oil boom towns. Of course, housing and everything else also costs more in those towns. I also know a gal who worked for them, didn't even put in 40 hrs per week and got health insurance.
 
Also, people don't just choose to work in fastfood. A great many simply don't have a choice. Be it lack of education or opportunity, they are there because often, it's the only job they can have. And it's not easy, either.

They absolutely choose to go into a business, apply for a job, be offered a wage, and accept that wage.

I heard on the radio today it's 5% of our population that works for minimum wage. The reason they work for minimum wage is varied, but they knew what they were getting when they took the job.
 
So nobody can ask for a raise? Corporations adjust what they pay all the time, often upward, but lately often downward in the form of decreased benefits.

A strike is just a lot of people asking for a raise. Good for them!

And BTW, the percentage of people working for minimum wage has a ripple effect. In the resort town where I live, huge numbers of wage earners work for minimum; and SKILLED positions pay less than half what they do in Los Angeles, 2 hours away.
 
I don't mean to offend anyone, but I find this to be a joke. These workers are demanding double their pay. Really? Will that make them get an order correct? :waitasec:

I came from nothing. I worked 3 jobs in high school to help my mom pay the bills. And yes, I worked in the fast food industry. I worked hard, and got lots of raises. Therefore I did not "deserve" a good wage, I earned it! I also worked hard to not make that my career. It was as some say, a stepping stone.

So, yeah this bugs me. Who are these people that think they are entitled to DEMAND twice their pay?

Frankly I'm pretty tired of these people who feel they are "entitled" to things. What ever happened to working hard to earn it? :waitasec:

I'm a small business owner. I make less than my least paid employee. Sure there are some abuses in the business world, but many businesses just barely make ends meet.

Six years ago my business was doing great and my employees were treated to great bonuses, days at Seaworld, gift cards for amazing dinners for two for the employee of the month.

Now I'm being taxed to death, I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul and I've cut my staff in half. No bonuses..heck, they'll be lucky to even keep their jobs. I'm not alone. I was at a business meeting for urban businesses last month and most small business owners said they're struggling.

Many independant fast food restaurants are considered small businesses that crunch the bottom lines to make a living. I had an intern work for me for 6 weeks last year (accounting major). Being young, she was totally amazed at how little we make after expenses. She told me she doesn't know how I could possibly live like this. I wish everyone who thinks small business owners are raking in the dough would have the opportunity to see a profit/loss statement. It's mind boggling. For me, I can't walk away without destroying my credit (at my age that would be a nightmare) and all we can do is keep moving forward and pray that someone new takes office next election who can kick start the economy and provide opportunities for folks to work hard and advance. We need business opportunities for young people to grow...not over pay them to work in entry level jobs.
 
If minimum wage had kept pace with inflation, it would be over 10 an hour. I worked hard all my life, and I kept earning more money. Since 2001, my wages have not kept up with the increase in the cost of living. Neither has the wages of the average wage earner. Demanding more money is exactly what we all need to do, it is time that we stop cowering to the almighty corporation in this country. American workers have hit new highs in productivity, while hitting all time lows in wages. Great :-(
 
I'm a small business owner. I make less than my least paid employee. Sure there are some abuses in the business world, but many businesses just barely make ends meet.

Six years ago my business was doing great and my employees were treated to great bonuses, days at Seaworld, gift cards for amazing dinners for two for the employee of the month.

Now I'm being taxed to death, I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul and I've cut my staff in half. No bonuses..heck, they'll be lucky to even keep their jobs. I'm not alone. I was at a business meeting for urban businesses last month and most small business owners said they're struggling.

Many independant fast food restaurants are considered small businesses that crunch the bottom lines to make a living. I had an intern work for me for 6 weeks last year (accounting major). Being young, she was totally amazed at how little we make after expenses. She told me she doesn't know how I could possibly live like this. I wish everyone who thinks small business owners are raking in the dough would have the opportunity to see a profit/loss statement. It's mind boggling. For me, I can't walk away without destroying my credit (at my age that would be a nightmare) and all we can do is keep moving forward and pray that someone new takes office next election who can kick start the economy and provide opportunities for folks to work hard and advance. We need business opportunities for young people to grow...not over pay them to work in entry level jobs.

Tax rates for all businesses, even small, are at an all time low.
Most fast food places are not considered small business.
If the average wage earner had more money to spend perhaps your business would pick up.
It's kind of difficult to feel sympathy for a business owner in this day and age while more Americans than ever are living in poverty and their food stamps are being cut.
 
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