Fast Food Workers Strike for Higher Wages

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Well if the "It's an entry level job" people keep touting that. Don't complain when people stay on welfare since it gives more money.

[Rukentuts]

$16K pre-tax is plenty liveable in 95-99% of the US. Just don't expect to live like a king or anything.

Yeah, until you get sick or age or anything like that.

[Deleted]

College is a scam. There are many people with college degrees that are working these fast food lines because there simply aren't enough jobs to go around. So they're trying to survive and pay off their massive student loan debt at the same time, of course 8 USD is not going to be enough for them to make it.

That's why you don't get a degree in modern arts? Or theology (lol).

[Stingray]

Yeah, until you get sick or age or anything like that.

Not really, since fulltime McDonalds employees (the 2000 hours a week you mentioned) get medical coverage.

edit: It's probably shitty coverage, but it'll work fine for almost all young people, and by the time you're older you'd be making more than minimum wage if you'd really been at McDonalds that whole time and have any brains/ambition at all.

[Tinykong]

So people that are trying to turn their lives around shouldn't be helped?

Not by Federally insured student loans, no. Private institutions might be willing to assume that kind of risk, but the government isn't.

If you want a Federal loan, don't get involved with drugs. Consequences.

[Reeve]

Which is why they probably arent even worth what they are already getting paid. Half the time I go into a fast food restaurant the younger people that work there dont even want to work and grunt and groan when asked to do something. The elderly people that usually work in the mornings seem happy and actually try to make sandwiches look like the pictures and the food tastes considerably better. Maybe its because they make it with love, where as the kids just want to be present somewhere, not do anything and get a check every week.

God, you are such a curmudgeon. I don't often find a reason to use that word, but it so perfectly fits your commentary above. Recognize that despite your comments earlier about going to school or whatever, there are in fact elderly people who rely on these jobs for their income too.

[Rukentuts]

Not really, since fulltime McDonalds employees (the 2000 hours a week you mentioned) get medical coverage.

And how many actually get full time? Corporations are notorious at preventing 40 hour weeks so they can avoid giving benefits.

- - - Updated - - -

Not by Federally insured student loans, no. Private institutions might be willing to assume that kind of risk, but the government isn't.

If you want a Federal loan, don't get involved with drugs. Consequences.

Yeah, but what about those that have made mistakes but are trying for a future? A permanent barring is uncalled for.

[JIMZ]

it's funny, apparently some people think working in a restaurant is an EASY JOB?

crap hours, crap pay and having to deal with all those IDOTS who don't know what they want or how they want it but
are quick to complain when they get exactly what they ordered.

comical for real, i bet half of you wouldn't last one week.

givem a raise!

[Masark]

You know that people that cannot support themselves turn to crime, right?

Oh well. We'll just hand out more guns to deal with that.

[Hraklea]

$8 an hour [...] That's not really a liveable wage.

Actually, I live with US$7 per hour.

[Nevermourne Studios]

I can see where 8 dollars is hard to live off of. Do they need to make 15 dollars an hour ? No. not if it's just basic store work they are doing. I could seem more like.... $8.50-$9.25 an hour with the whole cost of living inflation type of deal but 15 dollars an hour for a job with very little skill seems kind of out of place.

[FearXI]

$16K pre-tax is plenty liveable in 95-99% of the US. Just don't expect to live like a king or anything.

$16,000 is below the government poverty line.

"For most purposes, the “poverty level” refers to two different measurements. The first is the poverty threshold, which is determined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau adjusts this threshold annually to account for inflation, and this number is used for the purpose of generating statistics on poverty. According to the United States Census Bureau, the poverty threshold is $20,614 US for a family of four as of 2007. This number is adjusted slightly depending on the ages of the members of the household, but it is a basic starting point."

[Garnier Fructis]

And if you are using that job to help pay for school to advance yourself do you really think you could live off of and pay for classes book with that?

Well at least for books, dedicated people like me can get by without buying a single textbook (fuck textbook companies, that information is not worth $200). It's an art. Borrow books you need from the library in advance (before they become course reserves), borrow old editions and look at your friends books for the current edition homework, etc. There are tons of legal ways to get the information you need without buying the textbooks, which can you run you up a couple thousand dollars a year.

[oxymoronic]

$8 an hour at 2000 hours (full time) is $16000 pre-tax. That's not really a liveable wage. And that's if you're even lucky enough to get full-time.

Wish people understood money is relevant. If the min wage was $15 then everything would cost more...

[Rukentuts]

I can see where 8 dollars is hard to live off of. Do they need to make 15 dollars an hour ? No. not if it's just basic store work they are doing. I could seem more like.... $8.50-$9.25 an hour with the whole cost of living inflation type of deal but 15 dollars an hour for a job with very little skill seems kind of out of place.

The federal minimum wage should have been tied to inflation from the getgo.

[Deleted]

Yes, people asking for a reasonable income is to much to ask, certainly if the CEO's are making 1000x times what there workers make. Do you think 1 CEO can do the job of 1000 lower end workers?

[Reeve]

$16K pre-tax is plenty liveable in 95-99% of the US. Just don't expect to live like a king or anything.

If you have no dependents and no medical issues, sure. But it won't be a good life by any stretch. If you have dependents or medical issues, you'll be fully dependent on the state to make up the difference, or will have to turn to crime.

[rnbwtrout]

in other news, fast food businesses are multi-million and even billion dollar companies...

[oxymoronic]

it's funny, apparently some people think working in a restaurant is an EASY JOB?

crap hours, crap pay and having to deal with all those IDOTS who don't know what they want or how they want it but
are quick to complain when they get exactly what they ordered.

comical for real, i bet half of you wouldn't last one week.

givem a raise!

Did it for 15years... Very easy.

[Deleted]

Oh well. Those kind of jobs are entry level jobs. They arent meant to be a job you do to support your family. Why not just pay everyone the same wage regardless of the job they do so we can all have a livable wage. Of course then nobody would want to do anything hard for a living since they would get paid the same as someone working a cash register. If they want more money, get another fast food job or go to a community college and get a cheap education. How would you feel if you worked hard for your job and get paid well for it, then someone who performs a job that requires no skill now gets paid the same as you? Wouldnt you want more too since your work is worth more than theirs?

Your job is only worth as much as the demand says so, getting an education =/= getting paid more than unskilled labour if there are many people that can do your job. This is especially true if you're job is more forefilling than "flipping burgers". I'm all for people going together and demanding higher wages, maybe not doubling the wage, but I could easily see them getting 20k/year without it being an issue.