Fast Food Workers Strikes = Win for better health

"If you don't want to earn minimum wage then go to college, gain more skills, etc"

What about the people who DID go to college? What is the excuse then? I know people who have Master's degrees and are unemployed.

The fact is the buying power of the minimum wage, and all other wages, has decreased over the years. The minimum wage in 1968 was the equivalent of $10.69 in today's dollars. So, if the minimum wage today were to have the same buying power as the minimum in 1968, it would have to be raised by at least $3.44 an hour to meet that level. There is no question that skilled workers should be paid more than unskilled, but at this point, most workers in our economy are underpaid. If you are to argue that unskilled workers don't "deserve" a living wage, then you could argue that in 1912, when factory workers in Lawrence, MA, went on the Bread and Roses strike, they didn't deserve a living wage either. Employers and big businesses can always argue that people don't "deserve" their wages; we can go back to the days where people did "piece work" and made less than $1.00 a day because after all these are only low skilled humans not worth paying enough to live on.

I'm in Massachusetts and we just passed an increased minimum wage. I'm involved in community organizing in urban areas, besides teaching in one, and there are people working 2 and 3 jobs to make ends meet at minimum or near minimum wage. It's very easy to say "oh, go out and get an education and better yourself," which is easier said than done if you are working 2 or more jobs and have a family to feed, or if you are a young person in a low income family. In some of the urban immigrant households, the young people are also working and giving some of their income to help support their families as well as saving for college. At the university where I teach, some of the commuter urban students are often working minimum or near minimum wage jobs to pay for their educations. I did that when I was a student 30+ years ago, when the minimum wage was about $4.00, but college tuition was $2500 a year then. Before the new law, in Mass., the minimum was $8.00, but tuition at a state university
is around $10,000 a year. These folks are like the proverbial Sisyphus, rolling the stone uphill that keeps rolling back downhill.

Also, social services, such as Medicaid and the SNAP program are actually subsidizing companies that don't pay a living wage because these employees end up at or near poverty level and applying for these programs. The MacDonald's and Wal-Marts of this world have perpetuated an entire underclass of working poor who need social services. Instead of hating these workers and labor unions, perhaps you should be redirecting your anger at the corporations who are making massive profits for themselves, but not paying their workers an adequate wage.

Some information on how raising minimum wage would affect the economy and some demographics on who currently earns minimum wage.

http://www.epi.org/publication/ib341-raising-federal-minimum-wage/

13 states raised their minimum wage in January and have seen good economic growth since then.

I really enjoy reading the posts about people who obviously have no idea what a minimum wage workers life is like. Where do you think 99.9% of these successful people started? Making at or near minimum wage. They then made decisions that led them out of that life.

I've worked in supermarket's, factories, and apartment maintenance. All fairly low wage positions to begin with, but I worked to improve my skills and my life. I know many people who are still "stuck" in the exact same jobs they had 5, 10, even 15 years ago. The predominant trait of those I've observed who don't advance is an adversarial attitude with their employer. They seem to think that something is owed to them for showing up. They spend an inordinate amount of their day griping about how stupid the boss is rather than doing the job that they agreed to do for the wage they agreed to. Not a good way to advance.

Another component that keeps people trapped in low wage conditions are the life choices that they have made. Statistical evidence shows that getting pregnant while young and unmarried is a major factor in women remaining in low wage jobs. The converse is also true, waiting to have a child until you are older and married majorly increases the likelihood of you NOT remaining poor. Unfortunately when people preach this to people today they are called names and demonized as being anti-__________ whatever fits the political agenda.

Some information on how raising minimum wage would affect the economy and some demographics on who currently earns minimum wage.

http://www.epi.org/publication/ib341-raising-federal-minimum-wage/

13 states raised their minimum wage in January and have seen good economic growth since then.

In glancing at the report from 2012, it is mostly a speculation on how the GDP will rise by raising the minimum wage. That side of the ledger will logically rise. What it doesn't address is the inflationary effect, the sum total of thousands of businesses incrementally raising their prices to pay for the minimum wage. If a worker gets a 5% raise and the cost of living goes up 5%, that is a smoke and mirrors benefit that actually amounts to the minimum wage worker getting a zero net gain and society as a whole suffering from inflation. That is for the ones lucky enough to avoid having their hours reduced or their jobs cut.

But that's what people don't understand. It doesn't matter that the minimum wage is raised because cost of living and inflation will rise as well.

Anyone who thinks a minimum wage is a good idea doesn't understand basic economics.

Let's say minimum wage is raised by 10% - how do employers react? They either 1) cut jobs / reduce hours / reduce other benefits / reduce services or 2) raise product costs to offset as much of the 10%.

So a McDonald's worker gets paid 10% more, but when the market adjusts with everyone that employs minimum wage labor raising prices, he is either going to lose his job/accept less hours and/or will find that his cost of living has increased by the same amount, thereby negating the raise.

"We win, I got a raise!! We stuck it to the man - but hey, why hasn't my lifestyle improved?? Oh yeah, inflation."

The market will always react adversely to artificial price controls.

So, by your stellar logic, anyone getting a raise is bad for the economy.

When people, especially the lower and middle class are paid more, they increase their spending. Boosting the economy.

Of course this can be proven by looking at what's happened any time the minimum wage has been increased or in states where workers are paid more. They typically enjoy a better economy than states where workers are paid the minimum.

But you keep believing whatever your masters tell you. Shine their boots up real nice. You're lucky to be there after all.

No, getting raises are good - however, getting a government imposed raise is not good for the economy.

No, the lower and middle class do not increase their spending, because they either lose their jobs, have their hours reduced, or the goods and services they spend money on are more expensive because of the inflation caused by the minimum wage increase.

I do believe what my "masters tell me" - by masters, I'm sure you are referencing the master of science in management degree I have, which entailed completing several advanced economic courses.

For what its worth - I have an MSc (in an actual science) and scientists are some of the least politically informed people I have ever met.

Confusing politics with economics?

Confusing the two?

Are you seriously trying to suggest that strands of economics are somehow not aligned to a political ideology?

I'm not really following your logic here, sorry.

Yeah me either. All the company has to do is fire those people who refuse to go to work and hire more.

It's not the fast food industry's fault that people are obese. No one is forcing you to eat it 24/7.

What people don't understand is that cost of living and inflation rise independently of that to begin with and if wages don't rise accordingly people end up with less money because everything is more expensive but they still make the same amount of money.

Only undereducated people don't understand that.

Educated people understand the actual impact a higher minimum wage does, both in model form and in practical terms. Simply put, it allows people a higher quality of life, and doesn't have a tangible impact on cost of living.

However, it's far more politically convenient to crow that it will cause an increase in cost of living. Granted, it may increase the cost of a big mac for the short term.

So this whole thing about people being paid more or refusing to work is a good thing. That means these places will have less workers to sling unhealthy junk foods! its a good thing!

What people don't understand is that cost of living and inflation rise independently of that to begin with and if wages don't rise accordingly people end up with less money because everything is more expensive but they still make the same amount of money.

Only undereducated people don't understand that.

Educated people understand the actual impact a higher minimum wage does, both in model form and in practical terms. Simply put, it allows people a higher quality of life, and doesn't have a tangible impact on cost of living.

However, it's far more politically convenient to crow that it will cause an increase in cost of living. Granted, it may increase the cost of a big mac for the short term.