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

[Stormdash]

The undesirability of a job can have upward pressure on its salary -- like around here, guys that pump out the portable johns get paid 50, 60k. But that pressure doesn't operate on fast food like it does for operating the sewage truck or working in a coal mine because you actually have to have a meaningful skillset to do those jobs as well, there's competition for the talent. That's not the case for those manning yon grease trap.

[Xeones]

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.

This whole value of money being less thing because people are making a bit more hasn't panned out in our history of minimum wage increases or in any other nation that has minimum wage increases.

This thread is stupid due to people wanting to double their wages, but asking for more money to get closer to a livable wage is extremely fair and extremely beneficial to the economy.

[Beej]

My issue with minimum wage is we the taxpayers have to subsidize the companies to support the low wager workers with entitlements. Minimum wage at 40 hours a week is supposed to provide you with the bare necessities, but it doesn't. People who work minimum wage therefore get entitlements like food stamps, insurance, child care, and rental assistance because working 40 hours a week at that rate cannot give the bare minimum.

Because the dollar has become so inflated the government has allowed for minimum wage to not actually be what it is supposed to see, so we the taxpayers in essence, subsidize all the companies who pay minimum or close to minimum wage the difference in entitlements. This is why I get slightly annoyed when people say "No fast food worker is worth more then $10/hr or some claim as such, but its like... OK.. so would you rather McDonalds pays them a higher rate or do you want to continue spending your tax dollars to support these people through all the entitlements we offer because they can't live without a higher wage or entitlements which is in itself a form of wages we the taxpayers pay.

However, I also understand the ramifications of what would happen if suddenly Uncle Sam said "Enough! McDonalds, Burger King and everyone else, the new minimum wage is going to be $15/hr." The effect that would have would be disastrous, especially for small companies. Its not an easy fix to dramatically increase the minimum wage so we the taxpayers aren't burdened with paying the difference for lower income people, but on the same time, why should we have to?

[ItachiZaku]

I went to McDonalds last Monday. I ordered sausage egg mcmuffin without cheese and bacon egg bagel without cheese. I pull to the window, pay a pretty cashier and pull to the next window and anothe pretty window girl says "It'll be just a minute, hun". Ok, I wait. 6 minutes go by, the whole time they are in their chatting and laughing (it was a slow morning, no cars behind me).

I get my order and proceed to work.

There was cheese on my bagel.

Simple order.

Another example. A REOCCURING issue at Burger King. I go there maybe 3 times a year. I get double whooper combo, JUST HEAVY KETCHUP. "Do you want cheese on that?" "No, no cheese" And I get cheese almost 75% of the time.

No, these people do not deserve the 7.25 they get, if they get $15... my pay better damn well double as well.

[Nihilan]

The low wage is punishment for being content to work in fast food. The poor wage is what prompts most to seek to better themselves while working these shit jobs. For many they are temporary - a means to an end while they are in school, or in college. You double the wage and suddenly a it becomes a much more promising prospect for the underachievers. I have no pity for those individuals who are lazy enough or unskilled enough to try and make a permanent career out of something like being a fast food worker and then whine about not being able to make ends meet.

Learn a trade, improve yourself, make yourself an asset worthy of hiring. Or, you can rot in the fast food industry with the rest of the people who could not be bothered to try. And also the Art/Literature majors.

"But muh-single mother argument?" Save it, i dont care.

"B-but muh-" Stop making excuses.

---

And who do you honestly think will foot the bill for suddenly doubled wages? The company? Really?

The customer will see 75-90% of that wage increase in the form of higher prices. The price of a burger goes from $4 to $8 and suddenly Fast Food isn't so appealing. Business will fall off, franchises will close down, and the people clamoring for that wage hike will find themselves jobless by their own hand. Brilliant. Then they will be applying at the next minimum wage job location and start the whole process over again.

[Dezerte]

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.

The money would not appear out of thin air (it would have to come from somewhere, preferably from the top-earners to minimize inflation), so no - there would most likely be little to no effect on prices of goods.

All of society stands to gain from this, less crime and a happier populace isn't something to scoff at.

[SLG]

I work fast food and I disagree with their stance. I've seen the menu items raise in price in just the last few years, I see/have had to manage the labor for a store daily with the targets set and if we basically double the wage of all the employees the work is going to get a lot rougher as the fat is trimmed off and the core has to work harder. The menu prices are going to go up even more so, too. It'll be great short term but long term just awful.

[Stormdash]

One of my favorite pieces of contemporary political demagoguery is how welfare is a subsidy -- not of the actual person receiving it, but of their employer who isn't voluntarily paying that employee more than the value of their labor to the employer for purely altruistic reasons.

[RoryTee]

The money would not appear out of thin air (it would have to come from somewhere, preferably from the top-earners to minimize inflation), so no - there would most likely be little to no effect on prices of goods.

All of society stands to gain from this, less crime and a happier populace isn't something to scoff at.

So you propose to heavily tax the 1% to pay for fast food pay increases?

Good luck with that.

[Dezerte]

Here's an example of how prices did not rise in proportion to wage:
http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

A BigMac costs $4.80 in the US, and from what I've found the minimum wage is $7.50
A BigMac costs $5.95 in Sweden, minimum wage is $17.50

I know, it's just one product out of trillions, but it's a example of how higher wages don't automatically mean higher proportional prices.

- - - Updated - - -

So you propose to heavily tax the 1% to pay for fast food pay increases?

Good luck with that.

Indeed, I wish the Americans good luck with that. It's going to be tough.

[RoryTee]

Here's an example of how prices did not rise in proportion to wage:
http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

A BigMac costs $4.80 in the US, and from what I've found the minimum wage is $7.50
A BigMac costs $5.95 in Sweden, minimum wage is $17.50

I know, it's just one product out of trillions, but it's a example of how higher wages don't automatically mean higher proportional prices.

Comparing the US to Sweden is like comparing apples and oranges , you can't just throw down two statistics and call it a day.

It's extremely more complicated than that , especially when you have the US involved.

Indeed, I wish the Americans good luck with that. It's going to be tough.

Do you know who pretty much runs the US?

The 1%.

[Nilinor]

Here's an example of how prices did not rise in proportion to wage:
http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

A BigMac costs $4.80 in the US, and from what I've found the minimum wage is $7.50
A BigMac costs $5.95 in Sweden, minimum wage is $17.50

I know, it's just one product out of trillions, but it's a example of how higher wages don't automatically mean higher proportional prices.

- - - Updated - - -



Indeed, I wish the Americans good luck with that. It's going to be tough.

Unfortunately, that would only work with examples in the same country, no matter how much I wish this to be true. Different countries, different regulations/taxes/overhead etc etc down the line forever. If they were same country it would work, but it can't since US and Sweden are very different in a lot of areas.

[Dezerte]

Comparing the US to Sweden is like comparing apples and oranges , you can't just throw down two statistics and call it a day.

It's extremely more complicated than that , especially when you have the US involved.

Explain? My point was to show how higher wages don't automatically means higher proportional prices on goods. What other variables did I not account for which would explain this difference?

Do you know who pretty much runs the US?

The 1%.

Yeah, as I said, I wish the US good luck (not sarcastic) with that.

- - - Updated - - -

Unfortunately, that would only work with examples in the same country, no matter how much I wish this to be true. Different countries, different regulations/taxes/overhead etc etc down the line forever. If they were same country it would work, but it can't since US and Sweden are very different in a lot of areas.

Like I said to RoryTee, can you please elaborate? Taking into account taxes would skew the results into even more favor of my claim, regulations as well.

[ItachiZaku]

Comparing the US to Sweden is like comparing apples and oranges

Both are delicious fruits.
Both make tasty juices.
Both are handy for throwing (as self defense, or prank).
Both are nutritious.
Both are healthy.
Both are roundish.
Both are tasty in yogurt.

I can go on for days.

[Mifuyne]

I can go on for days.

Stahp, you're making Sweden sad.

[dacoolist]

I think it's awesome that they are fighting to 15 an hour. Buy deep down, from someone who works their ass off, and has progressed, learned, and evolved over many years of hard work - and is only making 16.50/hr.... Wouldn't it be funny to have some 14 year old kid making what I make? Get outta' heeeerre

[Bullettime]

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.

Except, that's largely not the case anymore and the average age of the employee in minimum wage jobs is rising.

The minimum wage was also even implemented so that workers could at least make a living wage in order to take care of and better themselves. It's amazing how people will twist it and claim intentions.

I think it's awesome that they are fighting to 15 an hour. Buy deep down, from someone who works their ass off, and has progressed, learned, and evolved over many years of hard work - and is only making 16.50/hr.... Wouldn't it be funny to have some 14 year old kid making what I make? Get outta' heeeerre

It's called negotiating. You aim high then settle in the middle. You bitch and demand 15 then compromise and settle on around 11 or 12.

[RoryTee]

Like I said to RoryTee, can you please elaborate?

Can you please elaborate on where the money is coming from in the first place for these massive pay raises?

Considering heavily taxing the 1% is completely unrealistic since that is who owns America.

[Bullettime]

Can you please elaborate on where the money is coming from in the first place for these massive pay raises?

Considering heavily taxing the 1% is completely unrealistic since that is who owns America.

Employee wages are one of the smallest expenses of a business unless you're a small business operating on razor thin margins, at which point you have more problems than your underpaid employees. It's been proven by economists that the minimum wage could be jacked up and the price of goods would only come up about a couple % as it's counteracted by the increase in spending power.

[Naxere]

Except, that's largely not the case anymore and the average age of the employee in minimum wage jobs is rising.

The Bush-Obama economy, I'm lovin' it!