$15/hr for fast food work
Brian
7,618 Posts
thoughts
Brian
7,618 Posts
Comments
I've never had to wear the paper hat. But that's really harsh and close minded.
doctors and nurses who prescribe and administer pharmaceuticals
automobile assembly line workers who build chemical spewing machines
anyone who manufactures and sells processed foods
anyone who manufactures, sells and buys anything plastic
anyone who manufactures and sells synthetic recreational drugs
anyone who manufactures paper goods
Thoughts?
What do you think the person gets paid who washes the dishes in the restaurants you frequent? What about the person who peels the potatoes? The person who delivers their groceries? What do you think the guy who brings the ordered-in food to your doorstep makes in an hour?
How much are you willing to pay for your workday lunch at your non-fastfood joint of choice?
wouldn't raising the wages ultimately raise the price of fast food as well? thus eventually lowering the demand? ...or the food most likely will become even shittier to make up the difference.
A burger flipper at IN N OUT here in Cali, where the cost of living is cheaper than Manhattan, makes $13 an hour and their food is both cheaper by a large percentage to the consumer than Burger King and McDonalds and substantially fresher and better. Then again IN N OUT isn't public and thus doesn't have to show trajectories of net profit at all costs to satisfy shareholders.
So it appears here that the problem is not wages but rather disproportionate corporate profit for dangerous and subpar products and the social subsidizing of their cheap workforce.
AM I RIGHT BRO?
Idiotic. Considering what a small country Germany is. A speed limit would only increase safety. I actually love driving on US highways but hate driving on the Autobahn. When I'm in Germany I much rather take the train or the plane which for longer distances is much cheaper anyway due to the high cost of fuel. The worthwhile cities all have great public transportation so there's really no need to own a car except if you live out in the countryside.
From this article yesterday:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/07/price-of-big-mac-could-rise-by-68-cents-if-minimum-wage-doubles/
"Morelix created financial models based on McDonald???s annual reports and investor data. He estimated that paying workers $15 an hour could raise the price of a Big Mac to $4.67 from $3.99, as first reported by Forbes. A Big Mac meal would jump to $6.66 from $5.69, and McDonald???s Dollar Menu would go to $1.17, Forbes reported."
Except that at this wage nobody would get anywhere near 40 hours.
There's a large box type store opening here on Cape Cod, they're advertising 120 jobs and not a single one of them full time.
This is the crux of the problem with the US economy, I think. Publicly traded corporations are legally obligated to attempt to maximize profits for their shareholders, ethics or societal responsibility be damned.
And the idea of unskilled labour is bullshit IMO.
it causes problems far beyond the US economy.
It's predictable how it's the usual privileged-since-birth white guys who have a problem with this.
And I'm tired of society subsidizing the wages of underpaid fast food and Wal-Mart workers (among others) in order to enrich plutocrats and smug bourgeois dipshits. I'm all in favor of a strong social safety net but the growing wealth gap is this country's biggest problem.
Has anyone here ever thought "I don't get paid nearly enough...my time would best be spent protesting that fact?".
That thought process has never entered my mind. I've had a some shit jobs in my life and I've never thought "I'm going to protest to make this better"...it's been more of a "this jobs sucks what the fuck am I doing with my life, I need to get the fuck up and out of this job because it's pathetic". Which is typically best achieved by busting your ass, maybe getting a reference or two and forcing yourself to look for better opportunities that you can start to set your sights on...playing the slow and steady approach is never fun and it's never easy but it ultimately wins in my experience.
Regardless of what raising the wage at a McD's will do to the price of a burger...I just feel like the 'bitch for a raise' approach to making more money is an unsustainable one for the worker.
I know that sounds like some 'boot straps or GTFO' but I don't think it's unrealistic in most cases.
EDIT: Off topic..but the last time I ate McDonalds I literally contracted e.coli which resulted in me shitting and vomiting straight creek water for 10 straight hours non stop...I could barely catch my breath before the next wave of hellfire....enjoy your next mcGriddle.
Serious question...and I'm not trying to sound like a dick...
But do you know anything at all about the history of labor action/strikes? Do you really think all workers can "bust their asses" and find "better opportunities" and should just shut the fuck up and thank massa for their meager wages?
What horrible Bob Cratchit existence would most people be living through now if the pioneers of the labor movement had shared your attitude?
I'm glad they didn't. And given the regression of the past 30+ years I definitely hope these new strikes and moves towards organizing are here to stay.
well, a Marxist would argue that this is exactly how the man keeps you down. They pay you so little that you can't live off it, but you also can't afford to give up that money. And most of them don't have other job prospects, or the options they have within their reach are just as shitty. The point of collective action is that it stops being about one person trying to get a raise to a group of people trying to raise their standard of living.
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Like you, I am a privileged-since-birth white guy.
I rarely eat fast food so I couldn't care less what the workers get paid or how their salary might increase the price of the food.
The last time I was in a McDonalds they had 8-10 employees working......my favorite Mom & Pop burger joint, which does a hell of a lot of business, never has more than 3 employees working at one time.
Even though I only eat fast food 5-6 times a year these "skilled workers" manage to get my order wrong about half the time......I never complain, I just shake my head and say "That's why they are working in "Fast Food".
Which could be a host of many reasons. Pay someone shit money and/or have poor management with zero enforcement in pride in the work they do and I guarantee you that you'll get those results.
You could easily pay people decent money, but if training and support sucks, you're gonna get bad results no matter what
There are a WHOLE bunch of reasons...
But again I'll say. The idea of unskilled labour is complete and utter nonsense
Yes. And certain strikes were 100% legit...not so sure about this one. Seems a bit less legitimate when you consider the full 'history of labor action/strikes'.
No I do not. The people who can bust their ass and get a better opportunity should, though...not because it's right or wrong...it's simply the quickest route to a better existence, in my experience.
Too hypothetical to answer. And my 'attitude' shouldn't be applied to every strike/protest ever; simply, the one I'm talking about now and, I guess, the shitty jobs I've had in the past and how I reacted to them.
To each their own...given this specific example (McD's wage)...I have a feeling a lot of the people fighting the good fight would make more progress for themselves if they spent their time differently.
Lies...
Technically panhandling is a "skill".
The term "unskilled labor" usually refers to a job where no previously learned skill is required to obtain the job.....once you are trained and have mastered the job then you obviously have a "skill".
Once you have a skill more doors are opened to you in the work force.