Fast Food Workers Striking?!?!?
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Working fast food should be a stepping stone to getting a better job... not a career position. :bigsmile:
Yeah, because everyone has that choice in life. Not.
Everybody DOES have a choice. If you are working at McDonald's when you are 40, you made that choice. We all have similar opportunities in life. If a person decides to settle on a fast food service job, but can't seem to get ahead financially, should we just give them more without earning it?
I'm personally tired of putting in 50 to 60 hours a week to support my family and then be expected to pay out more for those that refuse to work or do the bare minimum. If you can't afford the latest and greatest gadgets on your current job, move on.
Actually, we don't have similar opportunities. Which is why we have fast food workers and why they are paid so little. Does anyone seriously think that they can just up and quit the job they are working and magically find a better paying one? They aren't trying to afford the latest and greatest gadgets, they are trying to keep a roof over their heads and food in their and their family's bellies. Oh, and maybe some electricity to run the lights and the heat in the winter.
FWIW, I don't think $15 per hour is reasonable, but $10.50 per hour would make a huge difference for people who are making so little.
The choices they made in life is what lead them to this position. They made the choices, it is not an employeers job to make the results of their bad choices more comfortable.
What's sad is that you honestly believe that.
What's truely sad is that you don't.0 -
I HATE when people think that retail/food industry workers are lazy and god forbid we want to make a wage we're able to live off of. I love how we're all lazy, good for nothings, who didn't go to college like "successful" people. Um, no. I went to college. I have a Bachelors Degree. I earned Summa Cum Laude was in the top of my class and did more extracurriculars with leadership positions than I can count. Plus work. And there are many more people like me and who did more than I did in college stuck working these positions. I've tried for 3 years to get a "real" job, Monday through Friday with 9-5 hours. I've redone my resume so many times and actually paid someone to redo it as well. Still no dice. With that said, I enjoy my work. Yes I "fold sweaters and teach other to fold sweaters for a living." But there is SO MUCH MORE to retail (and to food service...I started there) than the customers know. So do me a favor and be nice to a retail/food service worker today. They're out there on their feet for 8+ hours a day on crummy wages, being yelled at for things that aren't their fault, trying to make a life for themselves and their families.
Some people put in the hard work and DO NOT get lucky like the rest of you people who "contribute to society." Then where would you idiots shop? There would be no one to work in the malls or restaurants or fast food (because yes some of you health nuts still give into the occasional craving). Someone has to work blue collar jobs and I think they deserve a livable wage.
THIS. I'm glad I'm not the only one in this situation. Not everyone who works these kinds of jobs are uneducated and unmotivated. Sometimes you have to play the hand you're dealt until you can draw a better one.0 -
Yes, they should. If they don't want to struggle to eat and have somewhere to live, they are free to better themselves. If they choose not to do that, they can live with the result of their choices.
Or, they can choose to unionise and negotiate better conditions. Collective bargaining - the reason that strikes are effective is because, actually those workers at the bottom are vital for a company to function. If they were as worthless as you seem to think they are, then they could all walk off the job to no detriment whatsoever. They are not slaves, it is their right to withdraw their labour.
They can withdraw their labor, and they can see how difficult they are to replace. Not very difficult at all.
Rubbish - then a strike would be pointless. But the fact is they can't be replaced easily and so a strike is effective.0 -
Working fast food should be a stepping stone to getting a better job... not a career position. :bigsmile:
Yeah, because everyone has that choice in life. Not.
Everybody DOES have a choice. If you are working at McDonald's when you are 40, you made that choice. We all have similar opportunities in life. If a person decides to settle on a fast food service job, but can't seem to get ahead financially, should we just give them more without earning it?
I'm personally tired of putting in 50 to 60 hours a week to support my family and then be expected to pay out more for those that refuse to work or do the bare minimum. If you can't afford the latest and greatest gadgets on your current job, move on.
Actually, we don't have similar opportunities. Which is why we have fast food workers and why they are paid so little. Does anyone seriously think that they can just up and quit the job they are working and magically find a better paying one? They aren't trying to afford the latest and greatest gadgets, they are trying to keep a roof over their heads and food in their and their family's bellies. Oh, and maybe some electricity to run the lights and the heat in the winter.
It's not ONE choice. It's a lifetime of choices. Of course you can't just up and quit your current job and start at a better paying job the next day. You make good decisions, or at least the better decision presented, at each and every opportunity. You don't just arrive at the other side of the McDonald's counter and settle. Then complain because you think you are worth more than minimum wage. Does the person scooping fries deserve more than the person pumping your gas? Or any other labor intensive job? Nope. Everyone thinks they are entitled. Everyone thinks they deserve what every one else is working for. This country is founded on Capitalism, not Communism.
If your not happy with wages and want to fight for a higher minimum wage, at least that makes sense. I think minimum wage is good enough, but I can get behind an argument for increasing it. What I can't get behind is supporting a small part of the workforce in their quest to make more at the expense of the rest of us.
If you're still working behind the counter at a fast food chain once you have graduated High School and/or College, you are an underacheiver.0 -
It's entitlement to want to have a job where you can actually pay for a place to live? OH I GET IT, you want them to make $1200 a month so that they can still qualify for all the government handouts, right? Of course, it makes so much sense to let the government pay for people to actually be able to afford basic things like food and shelter, I mean, hell, why should businesses pay for it?Every job worked at full time hours should pay a living wage.
THIS!!!!
Yeah, who cares that a trained monkey can do the job and you have NO marketable skills whatsoever. You should make more money because you breath, damnit! [/sarcasm]
God, the entitlement some people feel is sickening. If you want to make more money, make yourself more valuable. If you are stuck earning minimum wage, news flash: YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING NOTHING WORTH MORE THAN THAT!0 -
I HATE when people think that retail/food industry workers are lazy and god forbid we want to make a wage we're able to live off of. I love how we're all lazy, good for nothings, who didn't go to college like "successful" people. Um, no. I went to college. I have a Bachelors Degree. I earned Summa Cum Laude was in the top of my class and did more extracurriculars with leadership positions than I can count. Plus work. And there are many more people like me and who did more than I did in college stuck working these positions. I've tried for 3 years to get a "real" job, Monday through Friday with 9-5 hours. I've redone my resume so many times and actually paid someone to redo it as well. Still no dice. With that said, I enjoy my work. Yes I "fold sweaters and teach other to fold sweaters for a living." But there is SO MUCH MORE to retail (and to food service...I started there) than the customers know. So do me a favor and be nice to a retail/food service worker today. They're out there on their feet for 8+ hours a day on crummy wages, being yelled at for things that aren't their fault, trying to make a life for themselves and their families.
Some people put in the hard work and DO NOT get lucky like the rest of you people who "contribute to society." Then where would you idiots shop? There would be no one to work in the malls or restaurants or fast food (because yes some of you health nuts still give into the occasional craving). Someone has to work blue collar jobs and I think they deserve a livable wage.
THIS. I'm glad I'm not the only one in this situation. Not everyone who works these kinds of jobs are uneducated and unmotivated. Sometimes you have to play the hand you're dealt until you can draw a better one.
I actually dont think it matters whether you went to college or not in this situation - then we get into this whole nasty 'deserving vs undeserving poor' argument. The fact is that you do that job, and you should be paid a living wage, whyever it is that you are doing it.0 -
Costco pays it's employees livable wages, their doing just fine, I'm sure a lot of bigger companies could do the same with their full time workers.0
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Oh and I'll add; I worked in a Starbucks for a good amount of time. Started at the bottom, but worked hard and when the manager left, I was in charge of the store for five weeks until they got a new one (it was only a small place, <10 staff total).
When I got annoyed with it, every day I spent applying for other jobs. Part of it was luck, sure.
But part was also having previously learnt and researched skills that were useful for getting better jobs.0 -
Every job worked at full time hours should pay a living wage.
This. A lot of CEO's learned how to be hard workers by working at fast food places. Anyone who does their work as the job demands deserves to be paid fairly.
Anyone can take a picture, so does that mean that the professionals who took time and money to study the art of photography and get their diploma in it shouldn't be paid more than someone with a point and shoot camera? They deserve to charge more for their services. Just because you personally have the ability to put fries in a box, doesn't mean that you would do it well or be able to handle the stress. (YES stress.. many friends worked at McDonald's and got yelled at and pushed around by managers and customers alike for things that were not their fault.)0 -
I died!!
Me too!!0 -
If your not happy with wages and want to fight for a higher minimum wage, at least that makes sense. I think minimum wage is good enough, but I can get behind an argument for increasing it. What I can't get behind is supporting a small part of the workforce in their quest to make more at the expense of the rest of us.
A) its not at the expense of the 'rest of us' - economics doesn't work like that.
Yes, you can its called solidarity. 0 -
I actually totally agree with you. I just think you over-simplify what market value is.
Precisely. And a market is a place of negotiation and haggling.It is an employeers job to pay their employeers at market value.
Strikes are simply organized haggling. Fast food employees go on them, like all employees (and anyone who has ever haggled about anything), because they think they can be successful.
I see no reason to bring "morality" into it on one side or another.
And when they are all fired and replaced in less than a day, they can realize they were overpaid in the first place and should have been greatful.
To make an analogy, in theory the value of a tomato depends on quality and scarcity. In practice, the value of a specific tomato in a specific store depends on location, publicity, brand, etc, etc...
Likewise, in theory an employee's value depends on his skill and unemployment level at the time. In practice, the value of a specific employee also depends on many other things. Striking is a way for employees to raise their practical market value. Whether or not they will be successful remains to be seen.
ETA :
I worked as a teaching and research assistant and had a stipend during grad school. It worked out to ~20K a year. It's about the same as working full time at 8$/hour. You can live on that, I was doing fine. I don't really support this strike but I don't begrudge them for wanting more either. We all play our scams as best we can.0 -
You do realize that increasing minimum wages means that other wages increase because of it? You also realize that the REASON YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR OTHER PEOPLE is because the minimum wage isn't close to a fair living wage, and the government steps in to make up the difference? Higher minimum wage = less government assistance = YOU PAYING LESS MONEY.Working fast food should be a stepping stone to getting a better job... not a career position. :bigsmile:
Yeah, because everyone has that choice in life. Not.
Everybody DOES have a choice. If you are working at McDonald's when you are 40, you made that choice. We all have similar opportunities in life. If a person decides to settle on a fast food service job, but can't seem to get ahead financially, should we just give them more without earning it?
I'm personally tired of putting in 50 to 60 hours a week to support my family and then be expected to pay out more for those that refuse to work or do the bare minimum. If you can't afford the latest and greatest gadgets on your current job, move on.0 -
I'm ok with chick-fil-a workers making 15.00 an hour though.
The rest of you nope nope nope. Big ole bag of nope.0 -
I think that paying a fast food worker minimum wage is adequate. I've worked in the fast food industry and it is about the easiest job you can get. Most of the employees tend to be unreliable and not even worth the minimum wage they get paid anyway. I do think that minimum wage should be more than it is though... and then maybe the fast food workers would feel they are making a fair wage for their work?0
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Actually, $20k is $10/hour, not 8. $8/hour is about $16k per year, a significant difference.
I actually totally agree with you. I just think you over-simplify what market value is.
Precisely. And a market is a place of negotiation and haggling.It is an employeers job to pay their employeers at market value.
Strikes are simply organized haggling. Fast food employees go on them, like all employees (and anyone who has ever haggled about anything), because they think they can be successful.
I see no reason to bring "morality" into it on one side or another.
And when they are all fired and replaced in less than a day, they can realize they were overpaid in the first place and should have been greatful.
To make an analogy, in theory the value of a tomato depends on quality and scarcity. In practice, the value of a specific tomato in a specific store depends on location, publicity, brand, etc, etc...
Likewise, in theory an employee's value depends on his skill and unemployment level at the time. In practice, the value of a specific employee also depends on many other things. Striking is a way for employees to raise their practical market value. Whether or not they will be successful remains to be seen.
ETA :
I worked as a teaching and research assistant and had a stipend during grad school. It worked out to ~20K a year. It's about the same as working full time at 8$/hour. You can live on that, I was doing fine. I don't really support this strike but I don't begrudge them for wanting more either. We all play our scams as best we can.0 -
oops, wrong quote - deleted.0
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I HATE when people think that retail/food industry workers are lazy and god forbid we want to make a wage we're able to live off of. I love how we're all lazy, good for nothings, who didn't go to college like "successful" people. Um, no. I went to college. I have a Bachelors Degree. I earned Summa Cum Laude was in the top of my class and did more extracurriculars with leadership positions than I can count. Plus work. And there are many more people like me and who did more than I did in college stuck working these positions. I've tried for 3 years to get a "real" job, Monday through Friday with 9-5 hours. I've redone my resume so many times and actually paid someone to redo it as well. Still no dice. With that said, I enjoy my work. Yes I "fold sweaters and teach other to fold sweaters for a living." But there is SO MUCH MORE to retail (and to food service...I started there) than the customers know. So do me a favor and be nice to a retail/food service worker today. They're out there on their feet for 8+ hours a day on crummy wages, being yelled at for things that aren't their fault, trying to make a life for themselves and their families.
Some people put in the hard work and DO NOT get lucky like the rest of you people who "contribute to society." Then where would you idiots shop? There would be no one to work in the malls or restaurants or fast food (because yes some of you health nuts still give into the occasional craving). Someone has to work blue collar jobs and I think they deserve a livable wage.
This. I have two separate educations. When one didn't lead me to a job I took out another student loan to pay for the other. So far, I have yet to find a job in this field either so right now I am stuck working retail. I was told by a customer yesterday that I am very good at my job. If I'm as good at my job as the customers say I am, I deserve to be paid fairly which at the moment I am not. I am being paid part-time minimum wage to work un-paid overtime with no breaks and no benefits, but without people like us, the rest of the lazy world would have no one to serve them as they spend their "hard earned money."0 -
Every job worked at full time hours should pay a living wage.
Minimum wage should be raised so that it IS a living wage. The bare minimum a company is forced to pay their employees should be enough that they can live if they're working full time. I don't blame companies for taking advantage of a low minimum wage.0 -
There's so much anger in this thread. I think we all collectively need to take a deep breath, go get a Big Mac, drink a few beers, and relax :drinker: :drinker:
Or, alternatively, eat a snickers. You become an angry capitalist when you're hungry.0 -
Every job worked at full time hours should pay a living wage.
This. A lot of CEO's learned how to be hard workers by working at fast food places. Anyone who does their work as the job demands deserves to be paid fairly.
Anyone can take a picture, so does that mean that the professionals who took time and money to study the art of photography and get their diploma in it shouldn't be paid more than someone with a point and shoot camera? They deserve to charge more for their services. Just because you personally have the ability to put fries in a box, doesn't mean that you would do it well or be able to handle the stress. (YES stress.. many friends worked at McDonald's and got yelled at and pushed around by managers and customers alike for things that were not their fault.)
Not only at fast food joints, but the retail industry can be extremely stressful.0 -
Agreed.Every job worked at full time hours should pay a living wage.
Minimum wage should be raised so that it IS a living wage. The bare minimum a company is forced to pay their employees should be enough that they can live if they're working full time. I don't blame companies for taking advantage of a low minimum wage.0 -
Anyone who's upset because he can't get his Big Mac because the people who make it actually want a fair wage is a tool.
THIS!0 -
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.
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Every job worked at full time hours should pay a living wage.
This. A lot of CEO's learned how to be hard workers by working at fast food places. Anyone who does their work as the job demands deserves to be paid fairly.
Anyone can take a picture, so does that mean that the professionals who took time and money to study the art of photography and get their diploma in it shouldn't be paid more than someone with a point and shoot camera? They deserve to charge more for their services. Just because you personally have the ability to put fries in a box, doesn't mean that you would do it well or be able to handle the stress. (YES stress.. many friends worked at McDonald's and got yelled at and pushed around by managers and customers alike for things that were not their fault.)
Not only at fast food joints, but the retail industry can be extremely stressful.
Oh I know. I work retail right now. Christmas time is the absolute WORST. People become such *kitten*.0 -
I believe everyone should be paid a decent wage for work, and even working in fast food is still work. Maybe not the ideal dream job that most of us have in mind.
I worked at McDonalds while I was in high school. I made minimum wage, at the time it was just about $7.00.hr. It was enough to help me save up for a used car. I quit when I got a better job. I do believe I was paid fairly for the work I was doing. At that time however I lived at home with my parents and was able to save that money.
I honestly don't know what minimum wage is in the USA. In Ontario, it's 10.25/hr.
If the US starts paying $15/hr at fast food joints, then I'll start crying myself to sleep. I worked hard at school, have been to college twice, and still cannot find work that pays more than $13/hour. $15/hr is frankly too high for a fast food position. Or a retail position.
I work a part time retail job, and a part time office job, and would LOVE to be paid more, but I know it's not going to happen anytime soon. If I decided I needed to make a higher wage, I would probably look for a more challenging job that pays more. Easier said than done, but that's just how it goes for the majority of us. Want more money, get better job. It sucks, but that's how it works.0 -
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.0
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And the solution ("Get an education") doesn't always work -- I got my MA and was flat unemployed for five months after that because I was either unqualified or overqualified for every. Single. Job. advertised within thirty miles of where I lived. Secretary? Fast food? Retail? Overqualified. Professor? Nuclear technician? Surgeon? Unqualified. There was NOTHING that anyone would hire me for, and I applied for ANYTHING that would pay me.
After five months I got a secretarial job by lying. I said I didn't have an MA. Bingo. Hired.0 -
Every job worked at full time hours should pay a living wage.
I disagree. I don't think minimum wage jobs are intended to support a family or even a person. They are typically for a second job in a household, or for kids to make spending cash or save up for school. No one ever thought you could live off of these jobs, include the ones that took the work in the first place, why all of a sudden should they expect that to change when circumstances surrounding the job are still the same.0 -
This just in: https://www.facebook.com/Fightfor15
While http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-EMT-l-Pittsburgh,-PA.html
So EMS workers in Pittsburg PA make on average $11.53/hour, but they DD workers want $15? What's wrong with this picture?
City of Pittsburgh Paramedics have a starting salary of $14.26/hour their first year on the job. After 5 years they earn $25.07/hour. The starting salary is much higher than what you claim to be the average. Some employees earn 6 figures a year after factoring in overtime.
Also Pittsburgh is spelled with an "h" at the end.
What's wrong with this picture is some people misrepresent facts.0
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