Fast-food workers, "We Are Worth More!"

[Deathpath]

It's a job that feeds billions of people a day. It's a job that breaks the backs of the workers. It's a job that is not just for the 14-18yo crowd anymore.

Them having lots of more money, could revitalize the western economy. Factory jobs, that required much less skill and paid $40 an hour in the past, are, "Not coming back."

I'm fine with giving the people of this world, that actually do something, money.

The wage for factory jobs are justified because there is a risk of loosing limbs and possibly your life. And id agree that if the middle class grew the economy will grow as well. But raising the min wage for fastfood workers will just inflate the economy. Example, my dad is a skilled machinist who took 3 years of schooling along with 30 years experience. His work is math and labor intensive, but he only makes about 17 dollar an hour. If a mcdonalds burger flipper made 2 dollars shy of what he makes, then why doesnt he just quit his job and work at a local mcdonalds? Hence inflation of the currency and devaluation of more important jobs.

[Xeones]

My main problem with their argument is similar to your number 5. I know a lot of jobs start in the 10-12$ range, so are they "worth" $15 too? I would say if you're flipping burgers and you're worth $15, then someone working in a call center or whatever other millions of jobs making money in that range are worth it too.

There's nothing special about fast food workers that they would be worth more. My wife worked in a lab at a big university, doing research on neuroscience and made $12.50 per hour. I'd say she was worth more than a fast food worker.

That being said, I think the minimum wage either needs to be done away with completely, or made to change with inflation (retroactively). Otherwise, what's the point? Fast food workers aren't worth less now than they were 30 years ago (adjusted for inflation), but we are paying them less. So if there is some arbitrary minimum wage that we feel is necessary, then presumably that standard of living should be adjusted as the average standard of living changes. And yes that would mean the min wage would go down if inflation went down.

When you boost minimum wage near minimum wage jobs get a boost for the reason you've cited.

Also there is no way to get rid of minimum wage unless you want millions of people to rely completely on welfare.

[Xeones]

The wage for factory jobs are justified because there is a risk of loosing limbs and possibly your life. And id agree that if the middle class grew the economy will grow as well. But raising the min wage for fastfood workers will just inflate the economy. Example, my dad is a skilled machinist who took 3 years of schooling along with 30 years experience. His work is math and labor intensive, but he only makes about 17 dollar an hour. If a mcdonalds burger flipper made 2 dollars shy of what he makes, then why doesnt he just quit his job and work at a local mcdonalds? Hence inflation of the currency and devaluation of more important jobs.

Well history disproves your inflating the economy thing. Additionally your dad won't work at Mcdonalds because it's a hellish job to hold. I'd take being a machinist over dealing with fast food any day.

[Stormdash]

Fast food jobs are, ideally, first jobs where people learn the basic skill set of how to be an employee, how to function on a team, meet expectations, follow directions, accept criticism. Then you take those to future jobs that you are hired for with skills and education you obtain. It's not supposed to be something you can make a career of or sustain any but the most spartan of lifestyles at.

[avprox777]

In nature, weak animals that can't find food for them selves and survive die. Evolution at work. Unskilled people don't get money, they will starve, human genome improved, humanity get better. Problem solved. We can't support all those retards, unskilled bums and let them have more kids. That is devolution. We'll end up dead if we're to continue this trend.

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[Aeowrynn]

I think people who are working should make enough to live on. At the moment you can work 2-3 jobs and not make ends meet(and I don't mean people who buy things they shouldn't constantly either, I mean they can't cover bills and every day needs). I do believe that the minimums should be raised.

You think of fast food workers, store cashiers, and other low-end professions as teens just starting out or with no skill set. That's not true any more. My father spent 3 years looking for a job and just got in with a factory making a low wage. He has 3 degrees and had worked for one company for 15 years before this. They sent his job to Mexico. I know quite a few people who are qualified for much better work but are working in fast food or grocery stores because there isn't anything else.

So yes, I think the minimum should be raised. If you work, you should be able to live, at least, in the most basic sense, from one job.

[bufferunderrun]

I don't get why peoples are so against this reasonable request, it sound like many peoples here own a fast food or did you fear that the hamburger price gonna rise? Isn't that same fear ultimately push companies to delocalize into countries like china or vietnam where they can exploit workers?

[Deleted]

The problem with this evolution response is that we don't let evolution do it's thing (or more accurately, natural selection) in any other parts of our lives. Do we let sick or premature babies die because they aren't "fit?" Of course not. Do we let disabled or mentally-handicapped people die in the streets? Not as a rule, though I'm sure it does happen.

By your logic, we should let everyone fend for themselves. No hospitals, if you get sick, let nature take its course. Got murdered or stolen from? Sorry about your luck, but that fit guy who stole your stuff is clearly better at this than you, so he "deserves" your stuff.

See what I mean? Does any of this stuff seem OK to you? It shouldn't, but in a survival of the fittest society, that's what would happen. And maybe from a evolutionary standpoint, that makes sense, but from our current view, it's pretty terrible.

You obviously lack capacity to understand the big picture. You don't die people because of sickness, you let them die because they are not worth to humanity.
Pure example should be Stephen Hawking we don't need people to be physically fit, because we need people that are smart and capable of doing things.

You just need better selection method then weak/strong as nature does. Think of civilization evolution. Physical strength is not evolutionary factor now.

[The One Percent]

Boosting minimum wage is good for the economy. Every city/country that has implemented it has seen an improvement in economy.

I used to be against raising the minimum wage, but then I did some research and realized I was wrong.

[Deleted]

You obviously lack capacity to understand the big picture. You don't die people because of sickness, you let them die because they are not worth to humanity.
Pure example should be Stephen Hawking we don't need people to be physically fit, because we need people that are smart and capable of doing things.

You just need better selection method then weak/strong as nature does. Think of civilization evolution.

Right, uhhuh. Well, since you seem to lack a couple traits extremely crucial to the survival of our species, namely empathy, wouldn't that put your head on the chopping block as well?

[Stormdash]

It's not "reasonable" to expect to make as much as $30k a year ($15/hr, 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year) for a job that required no skills or training at hiring. Ignoring the ebb and flow of rush business, a restaurant has to make more money in an hour than it costs it to be open in that hour or there was no purpose to even having the lights on for that hour. I can say with certainty that, for instance, in the chain pizza sector, you couldn't stay open as a franchisee if you had to pay every hand on deck $15/hr, because you wouldn't be doing enough business and sure as hell wouldn't be getting $15 worth of work out of each employee in that time.

[RoryTee]

Boosting minimum wage is good for the economy. Every city/country that has implemented it has seen an improvement in economy.

I used to be against raising the minimum wage, but then I did some research and realized I was wrong.

This isn't about boosting minimum wage , this is about boosting a very particular sectors pay-check.

It's unfair to people out there making a difference in the world , putting a real contribution into society and if this went though how demoralised do you think they would be?

There is a guy here stating his partner was researching neuroscience at a lab and getting paid 12.50 an hour , what stops her from quitting and getting a McJob for a pay raise?

This is not a smart move , raising the minimum wage across the board is great! But this isn't what this is.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

It's a job that feeds billions of people a day. It's a job that breaks the backs of the workers. It's a job that is not just for the 14-18yo crowd anymore.

Them having lots of more money, could revitalize the western economy. Factory jobs, that required much less skill and paid $40 an hour in the past, are, "Not coming back."

I'm fine with giving the people of this world, that actually do something, money.

Back breaking? get real man. It sucks cleaning up messypeople, gross people, and frying food all day. But its not back breaking.

[Dezerte]

There is a guy here stating his partner was researching neuroscience at a lab and getting paid 12.50 an hour , what stops her from quitting and getting a McJob for a pay raise?

Nothing. The desired effect is what their previous employer will do, will they too raise wages to stay competitive? This could have a domino effect, and achieve what you said - higher wages across the board.

[Mifuyne]

I like how they make it sound like it's such a heavy and hard job.
They certainly aren't worth the 15 dollar per hour, 10 is more then enough?

[avprox777]

This isn't about boosting minimum wage , this is about boosting a very particular sectors pay-check.

It's unfair to people out there making a difference in the world , putting a real contribution into society and if this went though how demoralised do you think they would be?

There is a guy here stating his partner was researching neuroscience at a lab and getting paid 12.50 an hour , what stops her from quitting and getting a McJob for a pay raise?

This is not a smart move , raising the minimum wage across the board is great! But this isn't what this is.

And you think these same people would be opposed to a minimum wage increase because....?

[Common Sense]

This isn't about boosting minimum wage , this is about boosting a very particular sectors pay-check.

It's unfair to people out there making a difference in the world , putting a real contribution into society and if this went though how demoralised do you think they would be?

There is a guy here stating his partner was researching neuroscience at a lab and getting paid 12.50 an hour , what stops her from quitting and getting a McJob for a pay raise?

This is not a smart move , raising the minimum wage across the board is great! But this isn't what this is.

I know common sense is difficult, but one person is getting paid to do something they love while the other is getting paid to work with grease all day.

[Dezerte]

I know common sense is difficult, but one person is getting paid to do something they love while the other is getting paid to work with grease all day.

Yeah, I'd rather work with neuroscience than flipping burgers, even if my paycheck was lower.

[Xeones]

One of the most idiotic posts i have ever seen.... If you were paid 100 dollars an hour would you go work in a coal mine? No, probably not... because working in a coal mine would be terrible.

Yet just about every young male in WV plans to work in the mines or leave the state because there is nothing else there.

There are a ton of people who would hop at the chance to work at a mine, those jobs are EXTREMELY competitive.

[RoryTee]

Nothing. The desired effect is what their previous employer will do, will they too raise wages to stay competitive? This could have a domino effect, and achieve what you said - higher wages across the board.

If it does have a domino effect across the board and wages adjust accordingly to what precedent the fast food sector has then surely the value of the money would be less?

You can bet your fucking ass all the prices would increase if people suddenly had tonnes more money.

That being said , it's awfully coincidental that the people actually working in the fast food industry are proposing these so called ''domino'' effects.

Who stands to gain the most from this? They do.

Yeah, I'd rather work with neuroscience than flipping burgers, even if my paycheck was lower.

Job satisfaction and financial security go hand in hand , some hold bigger value in either.

I know common sense is difficult, but one person is getting paid to do something they love while the other is getting paid to work with grease all day.

And you think having a higher job satisfaction should warrant a lower pay-check? What are you trying to get at.