Fast Food Workers Striking?!?!?

gmhaggie06

Exactly, it's a free market, I would like all of the people striking to make $15/hr quit their jobs, and try to find work that pays $33k/year ($15/hr)....they won't be able to do it, because they have no skills.The end.

And their solution to the issue of low wages by striking is a free market solution. They are not asking for ANYTHING from the government.

If they are so useless and easily replaced the company can choose that option. I bet they don't. Because unlike some posters here McDonalds understands that firing the bulk of your workforce is an extremely unwise business decision.

I thought they were striking to have the minimum wage law changed to $15/hr? If not, then your'e correct, they have the ability to strike, and McDonald's should fire them all; I doubt it would be AS extremely unwise of a business decision as doubling the pay of your least skilled workers

Bry_Fitness70

Hopefully this guy is one of the people on strike...

thatonegirlwiththestuff

Here's the thing. The walmart/fast food/unskilled workers of the country are paid these piddly little wages because they are essentially doing unskilled work and are easily expendable/replaceable. However, due to their low incomes, said workers also now qualify for government subsidies in the form of food stamps, medicaid, housing, etc. So really, we are supporting these people indirectly because they are not being paid a live-able wage. Yet, does a fast food or superstore worker really work the kind of job to justify a $40k/year salary? No. Some may surmise this as corporate greed, others as ''you get back what you put in'', but either way, we kind are all paying for it one way or another.

WendyTerry420

One point to consider is the cost to taxpayers when corporations do not pay higher wages......workers have to utilize social services, food stamps, etc...it is a form of corporate welfare.....tax payers subsidize their workforce.

$15 per hour is very high for that type of work, however, they are probably aiming for 9 or 10.

In my area, $9-10 is what fast food workers get paid. I can't think of any jobs here that pay only the minimum wage.

gmhaggie06

Here's a bizarre idea coming from a silly girl: reward results, not effort.

*mind blown*

McDonald's earned $1.5 Billion in profits in the last quarter. The employees making and selling food are the reason for that.

Judging them by their results would entitle them to a substantial raise indeed.

Christ....

Nail. Head.

It has nothing to do with certain (and numerous, it seems) posters on this thread basically seeing the employees as subhuman, or petty squabbles about whether their *much more deserving* job pays more or, really to do with the cost of living.

It is to do with the distribution of an excess (profit) within a company. That is where the money comes from to give workers a raise, not as some people seem to think from a giant pool of 'workers' money across all companies, meaning that someone elses salary would have to be cut for McDonalds workers to get a raise.


Having said that, the attitude of some on here is disheartening to say the least. I remember being a younger man and reading the "Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" and thinking that kind of society could never exist today, yet it seems that now so many both rich and poor seem to be willing it....

Those employees have literally zero value, I'm talking ECONOMIC value, not intrinsic value we all have as being Humans. They can be replaced in a second; they have no SCARCITY, anyone can do their job. SCARCITY is what determines how well you're compensated for your labor, SCARCITY meaning how irreplaceable your skill-set is, their skill set is highly replaceable; these people flipped burgers and poured fries, they're about as key to the success of McDonald's as the guy that wipes the floors of Madison Square Garden is to the NY Knicks.

ObstacleRacer

Here's a bizarre idea coming from a silly girl: reward results, not effort.

*mind blown*

:flowerforyou:

Wait wait wait...that is too simple of a concept. It must be wrong.

Read my comment above. If you want to pay them based on results McDonalds is going to owe them a HUGE raise.

These employees are the backbone of their operation and the entire reason they function. They are essential. Without them not $1 gets made. Given the choice between losing the CEO of the company and losing the front line workers the board would choose to get rid of the CEO every time.

They're people working hard and asking to be paid a reasonable wage. They aren't looking for a handout. They're trying to get off public assistance. They are your neighbors and they serve you on a regular basis.

Maybe some of you should stop looking down on them as a cheap way of feeling better about yourselves.

That's a whole lot of assumptions you are making there on a huge population.

I really wish people would stop throwing in the "working hard" thing, honestly have no idea what that has to do with anything.

And no, they don't serve me regularly. Fast food is gross (except for Chick-fil-a)

So my question to you though is why are you at your keyboard right now and not at one of the protest?

Because it's routinely being stated that they don't work hard enough to earn a raise.

If they don't serve you regularly I put the same question to you that you have to me, why do you care? The worst thing that'll happen as a result of this strike is increased prices at restaurants you don't go to. But you've taken every opportunity to rail against them. So I think your motives are much more in question than mine. I may not be there striking with them, but I do support them. Even if it means I would have to pay more at the fast food restaurants I visit.

NinjadURbacon

Here's the thing. The walmart/fast food/unskilled workers of the country are paid these piddly little wages because they are essentially doing unskilled work and are easily expendable/replaceable. However, due to their low incomes, said workers also now qualify for government subsidies in the form of food stamps, medicaid, housing, etc. So really, we are supporting these people indirectly because they are not being paid a live-able wage. Yet, does a fast food or superstore worker really work the kind of job to justify a $40k/year salary? No. Some may surmise this as corporate greed, others as ''you get back what you put in'', but either way, we kind are all paying for it one way or another.

Exactly I just learned about a new low income program up here that gives from iphones to low income families. I learned about the auto charge on my cell phone bill that goes towards this program, WTF.

jwdieter

Those employees have literally zero value, I'm talking ECONOMIC value, not intrinsic value we all have as being Humans. They can be replaced in a second; they have no SCARCITY, anyone can do their job. SCARCITY is what determines how well you're compensated for your labor, SCARCITY meaning how irreplaceable your skill-set is, their skill set is not replaceable; these people flipped burgers and poured fries, they're about as key to the success of McDonald's as the guy that wipes the floors of Madison Square Garden is to the NY Knicks.

Then they'll be replaced with no issues. Why is anyone concerned with a strike?

bcattoes

I know a ton of Unemployed or underemployed people who would love to have work right now. If i was one of them, I would walk right in, turn and point at a striker, and ask for their job!

I can't remember the last time I passed a strip mall full of fast food restaurants that more than half of them didn't have help wanted signs. But there is no money in it so finding workers is hard.

WendyTerry420

The level of ignorance regarding economics is absolutely staggering and disgusting. I'm out.

Are you saving me the precious minutes I'd spend catching up on all 16 pages of this thread?

He is indeed. I regret the time I am unable to recover.

NinjadURbacon

Those employees have literally zero value, I'm talking ECONOMIC value, not intrinsic value we all have as being Humans. They can be replaced in a second; they have no SCARCITY, anyone can do their job. SCARCITY is what determines how well you're compensated for your labor, SCARCITY meaning how irreplaceable your skill-set is, their skill set is not replaceable; these people flipped burgers and poured fries, they're about as key to the success of McDonald's as the guy that wipes the floors of Madison Square Garden is to the NY Knicks.

Then they'll be replaced with no issues. Why is anyone concerned with a strike?

I do not think anybody really is. It is not the first time they have striked.

gmhaggie06

Those employees have literally zero value, I'm talking ECONOMIC value, not intrinsic value we all have as being Humans. They can be replaced in a second; they have no SCARCITY, anyone can do their job. SCARCITY is what determines how well you're compensated for your labor, SCARCITY meaning how irreplaceable your skill-set is, their skill set is not replaceable; these people flipped burgers and poured fries, they're about as key to the success of McDonald's as the guy that wipes the floors of Madison Square Garden is to the NY Knicks.

Then they'll be replaced with no issues. Why is anyone concerned with a strike?

Okay I'm confused then, is this strike against McDonald's or to try and get the minimum wage raised to $15?

hbrittingham

I just did the math and at a full 40 hours a week at $7.50/hour if you're a single person and need a 1 bedroom apartment, you can live off that no problem.

Not sure where you live but a one bedroom apartment here is anywhere between 1000-1800 dollars a month (admittedly I live in one of those areas with a ridiculously high cost of living). If you're making ~15,000 a year you're hardly covering rent alone.

I got a very nice apartment for $425/month all utilities but electric and phone were included. My electric bill was never higher than $20/month and my phone was a cell phone for $30/month. It wasn't large by any means but it was me and my son. No cable, no internet.

Michigan has a fairly low cost of living, comparatively. A nice 1 bedroom apartment in my town in NC would cost anywhere from $650-1000. Electric would be more expensive, too, probably around $40 per month, minimum.

A lot of the true working poor in our town don't have vehicles, they ride bicycles or take the bus, or even walk. They don't have cell phones. They don't have computers, which I know is hard for some of these posters here to believe, so taking online courses or googling job skills isn't really an option. They may be able to use the computers at the library, but the nearest library is a bus ride (with changes) away. That also costs money. $.50 isn't much to someone making a decent wage. For some people that can be the difference on whether they can get to work or not.

Very true. I will not dispute any of that. Wage is all relative to where you live I completely agree but I am not going to say ok to start someone at McDonalds in MI at $15/hour. In NC I could be making double what I do here for the same job, I have looked as I was going to move out there, so while the cost of living increases so do wages typically. I agree with everyone saying McDonalds is not a career choice and they didn't have to go to school for it. The people that work there are typically young kids who are trying to afford a car not trying to pay for an education or raise a family. As for not having a computer so you can't take online classes, I don't know what they have in NC but in MI we have a no person left behind where you can get free or reduced price college if you're unemployed to get into an industry that you will be able to get a job in. It's not necessarily where you want to end up in life but it's still something. I started as a receptionist making $8.50/hour at my company and worked my way to the position that I'm in. I don't have an accounting degree (I was a college dropout) but I worked my way to an accounting job.

I am pretty sure they offer something like that around here, but again, without transportation, it's difficult to take advantage of those types of programs. Add in that many of these people have children and nobody to care for them, and it ends up being a vicious cycle of poverty.

I don't believe that $15 per hour is warranted for fast food work. I do believe that $10.50 is a more livable wage.

When I was a single parent, I was working for a bank. My take home pay was $850 per month and I got paid once a month. I lived in the boonies in a singlewide and my rent and trailer payment was $300 per month, daycare was $260 per month. Then I had electricity, phone, food, gas for my car, car repairs for my junker and clothing for work (which was purchased at K-Mart or Target). I ate a lot of cheese sandwiches and oodles of noodles so I could feed my kid. I know what it's like to be working poor.

I still remember those days and know that most anyone who is working poor isn't satisfied with their lives, for some reason, when you are poor, the set backs are more frequent and more devastating. I was constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul. I would wait to the last minute to pay my electric bill so I could feed my son or pay for his daycare. One time, I was too late and my power got cut off. Guess what? Now I not only had to pay my electric bill, but I also had to pay a deposit for them to turn it back on. For someone living a middle class life, that wouldn't be such a big deal. For me, it was enough to send me into a financial tailspin.

Eventually I got lucky and one of my bank customers hired me to work in his mortgage business. That's when I finally started making real money. I am still extremely frugal due to those years of being so poor, but I can afford nicer things now. I will always remember the harder days and will never take anything for granted.

SrJoben

Ok....I respect a person who wants to better themselves and make more money, but come on....Fast Food Workers Striking?

While i agree some conditions are not the best that some of these people work in, but just demanding more money and striking on days they should be working?

I know a ton of Unemployed or underemployed people who would love to have work right now. If i was one of them, I would walk right in, turn and point at a striker, and ask for their job!

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING BETTER PAYING, GO GET IT.....DONT DEMAND IT!

-CK

>Implying fast food workers are not an essential part of society.

You don't get it do you? The fact that we would notice if they strike means their job is important. If people doing an indespensible job don't deserve adequate pay who does?

"For instance: in our society, there seems a general rule that, the more obviously one’s work benefits other people, the less one is likely to be paid for it. Again, an objective measure is hard to find, but one easy way to get a sense is to ask: what would happen were this entire class of people to simply disappear? Say what you like about nurses, garbage collectors, or mechanics, it’s obvious that were they to vanish in a puff of smoke, the results would be immediate and catastrophic. A world without teachers or dock-workers would soon be in trouble, and even one without science fiction writers or ska musicians would clearly be a lesser place. It’s not entirely clear how humanity would suffer were all private equity CEOs, lobbyists, PR researchers, actuaries, telemarketers, bailiffs or legal consultants to similarly vanish. (Many suspect it might markedly improve.) Yet apart from a handful of well-touted exceptions (doctors), the rule holds surprisingly well." - http://tinyurl.com/nxbyqlm

Fullsterkur_woman

It is to do with the distribution of an excess (profit) within a company. That is where the money comes from to give workers a raise, not as some people seem to think from a giant pool of 'workers' money across all companies, meaning that someone elses salary would have to be cut for McDonalds workers to get a raise.

And how do you propose we "convince" the companies with these "excesses" to outlay a larger portion for labor than the market dictates that they should? Their shareholders aren't going to be pleased about that. If there are people out there willing to do the work for less money, then it's stupid for a company to pay more than that. If the government steps in and mandates that a higher wage must be paid, to protect the shareholders' investment, the company is going to raise prices, and this process will continue as long as the market will bear price increases. When that situation finally fails to obtain, then it will no longer make business sense to provide those products. From a consumer's perspective, we call that situation "shortages".

There is no logical way to extort more money out of a company for labor than the market demands. The shareholders and executives are insulated from the negative consequences, but the end result always turns out bad for the little guy who can't absorb as much of a fluctuation in income/expenses as rich people can.

The whole idea is penny-wise and pound-foolish.

shazzannon

[/quote]

so they should work for free just for the love of the company and to help it make more money?
[/quote]

YES! Not.

I work in a restaurant, and before the servers are let on to the floor they have a little chat with the managers about their expectations for the day. One day, I overheard the managers telling the servers that they shouldn't be focused on the money, but on raising the scores on our guest satisfaction surveys. Surveys that will give the managers bonuses that will not in any way affect the employees' take home.

I called out, "Mmmhmm, tell me more about paying my mortgage with surveys!" It was not received well. :laugh:

Zerashen

Just my two cents, but even after having a degree for a while the only job I could get was a fast food manager. My fiance is still in school, so moving wasn't an option (we live in a smaller town), and it took a LOT of applications to finally get to an office, and then get a second part time bookstore manager job. Bills aren't overly bad since I mostly just pay my loans, for groceries, and for the pets.

My major was in Writing and Linguistics, w/ a concentration in Linguistics. I studied Arabic and Chinese, and while I'm fairly decent with Chinese, it's not good enough to get the NSA job I want. To get that I'd need more classes (aka more student loans) or to go to China (I want to, but I need to save up for ticket, etc., or try to get into the grad school). Right now those are plans, but not immediate options.

Long story short - I worked my *kitten* off in fast food. Receive flack from customers (drinks thrown at me, etc), ****ty treatment, all for $8.00 an hour until I finally got my pay raise (about two months after promised, ONLY because I asked daily.) Everyone treats the hamburger flippers like ****, when all they're trying to do is get a paycheck to support themselves.

NinjadURbacon

I know a ton of Unemployed or underemployed people who would love to have work right now. If i was one of them, I would walk right in, turn and point at a striker, and ask for their job!

I can't remember the last time I passed a strip mall full of fast food restaurants that more than half of them didn't have help wanted signs. But there is no money in it so finding workers is hard.

If there was really a need for workers, they could increase the pay rate or something to get the workers they need. But i hvae never been to a fast food place that was under staffed.

Derpes

One point to consider is the cost to taxpayers when corporations do not pay higher wages......workers have to utilize social services, food stamps, etc...it is a form of corporate welfare.....tax payers subsidize their workforce.

$15 per hour is very high for that type of work, however, they are probably aiming for 9 or 10.

How is that any of the business's problem? Would these people magically not be on welfare if they weren't working at McDonald's?, welfare exists, that's not the business of the company. I agree, shut off all welfare and we'll see if companies have to raise wages due to the conditions of their workers.

It's not the business problem, THAT is the point - it is a taxpayer problem.

kreene1987

Exactly, it's a free market, I would like all of the people striking to make $15/hr quit their jobs, and try to find work that pays $33k/year ($15/hr)....they won't be able to do it, because they have no skills.The end.

And their solution to the issue of low wages by striking is a free market solution. They are not asking for ANYTHING from the government.

If they are so useless and easily replaced the company can choose that option. I bet they don't. Because unlike some posters here McDonalds understands that firing the bulk of your workforce is an extremely unwise business decision.

In a typical industry this might be the case, in the minimum wage no-skill industry it would go off without a hitch IMO.