Fast Food Workers Striking?!?!?

just_Jennie1

Just to show how ignorant most of the people in this thread are of the very basics of labor actions such as strikes, McDonald's can't simply fire all these people. It would literally be illegal.

Now, by all means, continue this incredibly stupid "debate" full of BS and people who don't know a damn thing about economics, labor action, social stratification, etc.

you angry?

I am a little bit, yeah. I posted on my wall a little while ago that privilegd white folk who think they attained their position in society through nothing but their own darned hard work have joined people who don't vaccinate their kids on my list of people who make me unreasonably angry.

If their employment is "at will" that means that McDonalds can fire their employees for any reason and they can quit for any reason. Hence the "at will". It's not illegal. As far as I know there is no contractual agreement between McDonalds and their employees. THAT would make it illegal for McD's to decide to fire someone as it would be a breach of contract.

Says the girl who worked in Insurance for 13 years and provided Employment Practice Insurance to some of the largest companies in the US and has had to read handbooks and pretty much know the ins and outs of what is legal and what isn't.

So if an employee(s) intentionally skips their work shift could they be fired?

If you mean not show up for work? Yes.

I would be hard pressed to find an EPL insurance policy that covers collective bargaining agreements.

Fullsterkur_woman

And that's what they're doing.

Why do you feel that you're entitled to rights that they aren't?

Asking for a raise while refusing to work seems like the world's stupidest way to ask for a raise. Maybe crapping on their desk and defiling their household pets would make it worse...

While it may seem stupid to you, it has shown to be effective throughout our history.

This is not the first time a labor force has gone on strike. Many of the employment perks we all enjoy today are because of striking employees demanding better conditions.

Or do you all think that corporations stopped hiring children to work in mines out of the kindness of their hearts?

I get it, and I agree with you on that point. It raised awareness for the plight of the children being forced to work in deplorable conditions, and it raised awareness about things like the disgusting practices in the slaughterhouses of 100 years ago and suchlike. I'm not opposed to collective bargaining. But I think it behooves us all to examine what they're asking for and decide if it's worth the higher prices we'll all have to pay as consumers. That's why I said earlier I'd rather pay higher prices as a consumer than have it forcibly taken from me, have some of the value siphoned off by a middle-man, and redistributed to the poor people who are then beholden to the bureacratic middle-men who are the gatekeepers to those resources. At least then I have the choice to buy or not buy the higher-priced product.

Fullsterkur_woman

we need to go back to 14 hour work weeks, child labor, and insanely dangerous working conditions!

I'd like to go back to a 14 hour work week...

fbmandy55

Just to show how ignorant most of the people in this thread are of the very basics of labor actions such as strikes, McDonald's can't simply fire all these people. It would literally be illegal.

Now, by all means, continue this incredibly stupid "debate" full of BS and people who don't know a damn thing about economics, labor action, social stratification, etc.

Depends on your state laws. They could be fired in Indiana because we are an at-will state.

NinjadURbacon

Just to show how ignorant most of the people in this thread are of the very basics of labor actions such as strikes, McDonald's can't simply fire all these people. It would literally be illegal.

Now, by all means, continue this incredibly stupid "debate" full of BS and people who don't know a damn thing about economics, labor action, social stratification, etc.

you angry?

I am a little bit, yeah. I posted on my wall a little while ago that privilegd white folk who think they attained their position in society through nothing but their own darned hard work have joined people who don't vaccinate their kids on my list of people who make me unreasonably angry.

If their employment is "at will" that means that McDonalds can fire their employees for any reason and they can quit for any reason. Hence the "at will". It's not illegal. As far as I know there is no contractual agreement between McDonalds and their employees. THAT would make it illegal for McD's to decide to fire someone as it would be a breach of contract.

Says the girl who worked in Insurance for 13 years and provided Employment Practice Insurance to some of the largest companies in the US and has had to read handbooks and pretty much know the ins and outs of what is legal and what isn't.

So if an employee(s) intentionally skips their work shift could they be fired?

If you mean not show up for work? Yes.

I would be hard pressed to find an EPL insurance policy that covers collective bargaining agreements.

Hence point made. If a person skips their work shift to strike they can be fired. I do not understand why that is so hard to understand for that guy.

Rage_Phish

we need to go back to 14 hour work weeks, child labor, and insanely dangerous working conditions!

I'd like to go back to a 14 hour work week...

lol, yeah actually i would too.

ObstacleRacer

So who has the next bad idea that would allow this giant company to pay people next to nothing? Because it's clearly very important to some of you that these people not earn a decent wage.

It isn't to me. I say more power to 'em. If they can convince the owners that they must pay a higher wage because it makes economic sense to do so, good for them. It means higher prices for consumers, but I can live with that

I'm not disagreeing. But those higher prices for consumers...these workers are part of that pool. So when prices go up, cost of living goes up. And then they need higher wages. It's a never ending spiral upward.

I don't understand why people don't understand this very simple concept lol.

Oh we do. It's just that some of us understand that it's not the truth. Because it's the same argument that's been made since the creation of a minimum wage, is trotted out every time someone talks about raising it, and when examined it's shown to not be the case. More money in the hands of workers leads to increased consumer spending and even greater profits, not higher prices.

But still it's said everytime the poor fight for better wages.

Where were any of you when the CEO of McDonalds gave himself a $14 million dollar raise? Why is that ok? Why is increased wages only bad for the poor?

Kitship

Something I'm amused about in this thread. The lack of logic. People working in fast food at minimum wage can't afford to even support themselves and their family. So what's the solution being suggested? Get an education. Yes, because people who can't afford to pay rent can certainly afford the thousands of dollars it takes to go to college.

You are obviously unaware of how much assistance is available, and how easy it is to get, for education. Student loans are no problem if you don't qualify for anything else.

Agreed...


But hey, I have a roof over my head and I only graduated high school. You do not need a degree to get a decent job.

SteveJWatson

And that's what they're doing.

Why do you feel that you're entitled to rights that they aren't?

Asking for a raise while refusing to work seems like the world's stupidest way to ask for a raise. Maybe crapping on their desk and defiling their household pets would make it worse...

While it may seem stupid to you, it has shown to be effective throughout our history.

This is not the first time a labor force has gone on strike. Many of the employment perks we all enjoy today are because of striking employees demanding better conditions.

Or do you all think that corporations stopped hiring children to work in mines out of the kindness of their hearts?

I get it, and I agree with you on that point. It raised awareness for the plight of the children being forced to work in deplorable conditions, and it raised awareness about things like the disgusting practices in the slaughterhouses of 100 years ago and suchlike. I'm not opposed to collective bargaining. But I think it behooves us all to examine what they're asking for and decide if it's worth the higher prices we'll all have to pay as consumers. That's why I said earlier I'd rather pay higher prices as a consumer than have it forcibly taken from me, have some of the value siphoned off by a middle-man, and redistributed to the poor people who are then beholden to the bureacratic middle-men who are the gatekeepers to those resources. At least then I have the choice to buy or not buy the higher-priced product.

Actually, no it doesn't behove you at all. It behoves the management of McDonalds to decide if it is worth ploughing some of the billions they made in profit back into the workforce, and whether, at this point deploying some of their funds in this direction will make for a better-run (and possibly more profitable in the long run) company. The logic that burgers will have to go up is flawed in the extreme.

WendyTerry420

Something I'm amused about in this thread. The lack of logic. People working in fast food at minimum wage can't afford to even support themselves and their family. So what's the solution being suggested? Get an education. Yes, because people who can't afford to pay rent can certainly afford the thousands of dollars it takes to go to college.

You are obviously unaware of how much assistance is available, and how easy it is to get, for education. Student loans are no problem if you don't qualify for anything else.

Agreed...


But hey, I have a roof over my head and I only graduated high school. You do not need a degree to get a decent job.

True! My biggest regret was believing the lie that college was the right place to be.

NinjadURbacon

This is absolutely absurd. Fast food workers are paid too much now as it is. It is an entry level job. If you want more pay than find a better paying job!! How about go to college? Entitlement generation.

Oh yea, they can just go to college because it's free, right? Or they can find a better job in an area where the economy is crap and good jobs are scarce, right? Because minimum wage can pay for a hole-in-the-wall apartment that costs 1k a month, is that so? These people don't need to eat, right? Nor do their children or spouses....

Some of you people are ignorant as *kitten*.

there are still apprenticeships out there. Like and electrician who make $40+ a year for a low level electrician. Not all people need to go to college for good jobs. There are many low level jobs with the opportunity for move up just not fast food.

somerisagirlsname

I'm glad my self-worth isn't dependent upon the opinions of strangers in internet forums. Here I thought I was an incredibly valuable McDonald's employee, considering I've been working there for 4 years and either one of the McDonald's' franchise stores I have worked at would take me back in a heartbeat and beg me to be manager, but evidently McDonald's employees aren't actually worth anything and are completely unskilled! By George, I had no idea.

P.S. I went to work today, and so did everyone else at my store.

F00LofaT00K

Where were any of you when the CEO of McDonalds gave himself a $14 million dollar raise? Why is that ok? Why is increased wages only bad for the poor?

THIS... a bajillion times, this! nobody bats an eye if somebody who is already wealthy decides that they need to be wealthier. Because "this is what capitalism is all about!" But the second somebody wants to afford a 1988 falling apart vehicle to get themselves to work, they feel a sense of "entitlement."

just_Jennie1

Many of the employment perks we all enjoy today are because of striking employees demanding better conditions

And if I decided that I, a non union employee, decided that I didn't want to work any more and "strike" because the conditions were horrible and the pay sucked guess what? I'd get FIRED!

So you think it's ok that these people who are on strike aren't getting paid yet the union heads are still making a *kitten* ton of money? You think it's ok that at a simple resort in Mexico where they are UNION employees that the bartenders and waiters get paid $6 A DAY and the union heads are getting paid a heck of a lot more?

I don't.

MissBee0507

After reading through quite a few of these posts I couldn't do it anymore. All the judgmental posts and the downright mean tone! The 'blame the government'...no! 'blame the corporations'.....'let them starve'.......'worthless'.....'useless burger flippers'....'why do I have to pay for someone else's poor choices' blah blah blah. Pretty nasty comments on both sides of the coin!

This is exactly what is wrong with our society and why we are failing. These are people we are talking about here. Lives. Have some respect. Learn their story. Put a little humanity back into this conversation. Have some compassion.

This is so very sad.

I am sure I will get nasty comments about this post. People will be unkind and insult me. Go ahead.

"Let us more and more, insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace." - Mother Teresa

just_Jennie1

Just to show how ignorant most of the people in this thread are of the very basics of labor actions such as strikes, McDonald's can't simply fire all these people. It would literally be illegal.

Now, by all means, continue this incredibly stupid "debate" full of BS and people who don't know a damn thing about economics, labor action, social stratification, etc.

you angry?

I am a little bit, yeah. I posted on my wall a little while ago that privilegd white folk who think they attained their position in society through nothing but their own darned hard work have joined people who don't vaccinate their kids on my list of people who make me unreasonably angry.

If their employment is "at will" that means that McDonalds can fire their employees for any reason and they can quit for any reason. Hence the "at will". It's not illegal. As far as I know there is no contractual agreement between McDonalds and their employees. THAT would make it illegal for McD's to decide to fire someone as it would be a breach of contract.

Says the girl who worked in Insurance for 13 years and provided Employment Practice Insurance to some of the largest companies in the US and has had to read handbooks and pretty much know the ins and outs of what is legal and what isn't.

So if an employee(s) intentionally skips their work shift could they be fired?

If you mean not show up for work? Yes.

I would be hard pressed to find an EPL insurance policy that covers collective bargaining agreements.

Hence point made. If a person skips their work shift to strike they can be fired. I do not understand why that is so hard to understand for that guy.

Because Union means you're safe from everything.

Apparently.

(I like you BTW).

_KitKat_

Politics:noway:

Personally just do some research a living wage is needed for an economy to prosper, look at the USA pre 1970's. Look at CEO pay and look at companies that are profitable, not a burden to society (with government subsidies) example include Costco vs Walmart/Sams club, or Trader Joes. Both of these companies Costco and Trader Joes pays a living wage, benefits and 401k. They are expanding and increasing revenue daily. Look to Henry Ford, he almost single handedly created the working middle class.

Quotes by one of the riches most powerful men in the USA

If anything, taxes for the lower and middle class and maybe even the upper middle class should even probably be cut further. But I think that people at the high end - people like myself - should be paying a lot more in taxes. We have it better than we've ever had it.
Warren Buffett

The rich are always going to say that, you know, just give us more money and we'll go out and spend more and then it will all trickle down to the rest of you. But that has not worked the last 10 years, and I hope the American public is catching on.
Warren Buffett


I also watched a great interview with him and he pretty much said ...If a company can not make it without cheating its employees and extremely low taxes then they shouldn't be in business. He then went on about when he made the bulk of his empire taxes were high, he stated that since taxes were so high, he didn't want to pay that much to the government so he invested his earnings into his company and grew his fortune....this created jobs.

I am also very against our skilled workers with proper training (emt, and others) earning wages that technically put them into poverty. Our current system is messed up, people always say entitlement, but before I was born (1977) you could leave high school get a decent job, buy a house and support your family, I then grew up and that is not the way it is today for the majority of the population. If you are born, raised and never get educated for whatever reason, there is little hope. All the heartless people out there make me wonder what would have happened had they been dealt a bad hand. I have spoken to people that get help from the government and one common factor is that they don't want the help they would rather work but when an employer keeps you part time but still insists your schedule needs to be open, making it impossible to work a second job, it makes things even more complicated and they have no access to health care (preventative) or a way to take a breath so that they could better themselves.

This country did its best when it paid a living wage for minimum wage (current numbers put the 1970 minimum wage at roughly $22.00 per hour) and taxed our corporations appropriately, and yes I know our tax rate is high but our corporations do not pay this rate. there is no reason Walmart can not pay higher taxes and pay their workers a living wage and benefits. Then our Government could also not subsidize every Walmart by covering their employees food and medical bills. If you believe this is a fault of our government that people do not starve to death in the streets of the richest country on earth is really irrelevant. The fact is the tax payer subsidizes the Waltons fortue so that they can continue to profit off of the backs of their employees and the taxpayer.

The fast food workers are looking for a minimum wage increase not just raises for themselves.

On my so called liberal agenda here is a great map. Look at the countries in green that provide universal healthcare then look at the USA and all the places we like to say we are better than, they are all grey.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/heres-a-map-of-the-countries-that-provide-universal-health-care-americas-still-not-on-it/259153/

and YES all of these topics are related, income disparity has nothing to do with entitlement. We own a residential contracting company, we pay our guys above the industry average (laborer$12-$17 to Foreman $28), the reason why is simply we like to have a quality crew that we keep. Training and other expenses are too high to have employee turnover.

ETA: spelling that I caught

also I actually register independent and sometimes even vote conservative

vtmoon

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.

The business is part of the issue because they are receiving tax incentives and lobbying for certain issues on how those taxpayers money is being spent to help the business.

Fullsterkur_woman

Hence point made. If a person skips their work shift to strike they can be fired. I do not understand why that is so hard to understand for that guy.

He may not be in an at-will-employment state. Lots of places, a company's better off holding onto a s*itty worker than firing them and dealing with the fallout. How readily do you think companies who find themselves in those places hang out the help-wanted sign? My bet is, they're a lot more circumspect about whether or not it's worth it to take the risk. If I were such a business owner, I'd just demand that my current workers work overtime to pick up the slack. And boy howdy, I hate working overtime, even if you want to pay me. If I needed the extra money, I'd jump at it of course, but at this point in my life, my free time is very valuable to me!

Hmm, in that situation, morale probably suffers, and they probably *do* have to pay a bit higher wage to retain those employees. Still, I'd rather get paid a little bit less and have my boss willing to hire more help when we need it!

WendyTerry420

And that's what they're doing.

Why do you feel that you're entitled to rights that they aren't?

Asking for a raise while refusing to work seems like the world's stupidest way to ask for a raise. Maybe crapping on their desk and defiling their household pets would make it worse...

While it may seem stupid to you, it has shown to be effective throughout our history.

This is not the first time a labor force has gone on strike. Many of the employment perks we all enjoy today are because of striking employees demanding better conditions.

Or do you all think that corporations stopped hiring children to work in mines out of the kindness of their hearts?

I get it, and I agree with you on that point. It raised awareness for the plight of the children being forced to work in deplorable conditions, and it raised awareness about things like the disgusting practices in the slaughterhouses of 100 years ago and suchlike. I'm not opposed to collective bargaining. But I think it behooves us all to examine what they're asking for and decide if it's worth the higher prices we'll all have to pay as consumers. That's why I said earlier I'd rather pay higher prices as a consumer than have it forcibly taken from me, have some of the value siphoned off by a middle-man, and redistributed to the poor people who are then beholden to the bureacratic middle-men who are the gatekeepers to those resources. At least then I have the choice to buy or not buy the higher-priced product.

Actually, no it doesn't behove you at all. It behoves the management of McDonalds to decide if it is worth ploughing some of the billions they made in profit back into the workforce, and whether, at this point deploying some of their funds in this direction will make for a better-run (and possibly more profitable in the long run) company. The logic that burgers will have to go up is flawed in the extreme.

Exhibit A

:laugh: