Fast Food Workers Stage Strike, Demand Higher Minimal Wage.

[Tekania]

Demanding your wage doubled is fucking outrageous behavior.

You can't be fired simply for going on a strike. That's illegal.

Many states have at-will employment.... that is, you are allowed to leave at-will and you can be terminated at-will by your employer.... you can also simply be "replaced" by another permanent worker (effectively you're fired, just not in name, except in this case you would not even be eligible for unemployment, it would have been better to have been fired), in which case you'll remain as an employee but will not be scheduled any work till a vacancy opens back up.... we also have "right to work" states, where people cannot be compelled to join unions. Many at-will states are also right-to-work states.

[Tekania]

Hard to support them when they are obviously eating quite well.

http://media.philly.com/images/072913-f ... strike.jpg

I made around $6-7 per hour in the army (we were salary but when I added the extra hours working, included the forced GI cleaning parties and mandatory PT-physical training, the pay per hour is bad).

Fast food work is better than the army. I did both and I missed my McDonald's job when compared to the army. At McDonald's, the managers were nicer, the food usually tasted better (and at night I often could eat free when we closed), and the teamwork was better (less fighting among co-workers and the co-workers acted less gangster despite having high diversity). Also, at McDonald's, we had AC! Try working outside in a Georgia parking lot (army job) in August, it sucks.

These workers are lazy and greedy. If they hate the job, they can quit. I would fire them all if they didn't show up to work on time due to the strike.

Only problem here is most of entry level military pay is effectively not earmarked for any essentials, as essentials (housing, food and medical) is pretty much covered s.... it does become harder when you're attempting to support a family on it, but then, I've known many military families on public assistance programs to make ends meet.

[Freiheit Reich]

Unions were discussed a lot in my history class and usually in positive terms. I wish the textbook mentioned that the pro-union workers had the right to quit their job and find another one if they hated their 60 hours a week jobs with unsafe working conditions. Also they should have mentioned that parents chose to send their children to work, the parents need to be criticized, not the companies that used child labor. The textbook omitted a few key details in the union sections.

Just like people who oppose unions have the right to quit the country that allows them. Right?

Unions are OK but companies should have the right to fire people if they don't come to work on time because they are striking. In short, unions should be legal but so should the right to work regardless of if you join the union or not.

I don't oppose unions, I oppose the power unions have over companies in some places.

[Frisivisia]

Just like people who oppose unions have the right to quit the country that allows them. Right?

Unions are OK but companies should have the right to fire people if they don't come to work on time because they are striking. In short, unions should be legal but so should the right to work regardless of if you join the union or not.

I don't oppose unions, I oppose the power unions have over companies in some places.

That's the point of unions.

[Freiheit Reich]

Unions are OK but companies should have the right to fire people if they don't come to work on time because they are striking. In short, unions should be legal but so should the right to work regardless of if you join the union or not.

I don't oppose unions, I oppose the power unions have over companies in some places.

That's the point of unions.

If they have power than they are against free-market principles and bad for the economy.

[Gokturkistan]

Unions are against free market principals? Good! The workers should stop being shafted by your "glorious" capitalist parasites.

When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun
Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one
But the union makes us strong

Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!

It is we who plowed the prairies, built the cities where they trade
Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid
Now we stand outcast and starving 'mid the wonders we have made
But the union makes us strong

Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!

They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn
But without our brain and muscle, not a single wheel can turn
We can break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn
That the union makes us strong

Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!

It is we that wash the dishes, scrub the floors and chase the dirt
Feed the kids and send them off to school and then we go to work
Where we work for half wages for a boss that likes to flirt
But the union makes us strong!

Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!

They divide us by our color; they divide us by our tongue
They divide us men and women; they divide us old and young
But they'll tremble at our voices, when they hear these verses sung
For the Union makes us strong!

Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!

In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold
Greater than the might of armies magnified a thousand-fold
We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old
For the union makes us strong!

Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!

[Stovokor]

That's the point of unions.

If they have power than they are against free-market principles and bad for the economy.

Actually what's bad for the economy is having people who cannot afford to buy things. Organizations don't magically make money come out of their butts, it has to come from some where and at the end of the day, for the service industry, that place is the consumer's wallet.

[Katganistan]

So not true.

Shit conditions.
Shit customers.
Vicious burns from hot oil and the like.
Long hours.
Shit pay.
And the fucking smell of fried food will turn your stomach for decades since you can never really get it out of your hair and pores while you're working.

Dishwashing in a skanky pub... having washed dishes in a pub, I can tell you, dishwashing really is the fires of hell.

It is very hard work -- anything in restaurants is.

[Katganistan]

And the fucking smell of fried food will turn your stomach for decades since you can never really get it out of your hair and pores while you have that job.

McDonald's should sell that as their contribution towards healthy living.

LOL it was Burger King my cousin worked at but yes, I imagine they all are the same.

[Katganistan]

where did you get the idea that if wages doubled, the price of the good doubled?

Why not? Who does it hurt. /sarcasm

My god, the enormity of the dollar menu becoming the dollar-and-a quarter menu.

Or charging a nickle more for a drink.

SCANDALOUS!

[Katganistan]

...this doesn't change the fact that Hippo will presumably be able to get his Big Mac in Finland at a lower price than you.

Big Mac costs almost six over dollars here. Six friggin dollars for a burger, and that's at McDonald's, which is fairly cheap. In other fast food joints like Hesburger you gotta pay 7-9 dollars for a hamburger of equivalent size.

THANKS UNIONS!

Go to a diner, pay the same price, and get a better quality burger.

[DogDoo 7]

Big Mac costs almost six over dollars here. Six friggin dollars for a burger, and that's at McDonald's, which is fairly cheap. In other fast food joints like Hesburger you gotta pay 7-9 dollars for a hamburger of equivalent size.

THANKS UNIONS!

Go to a diner, pay the same price, and get a better quality burger.

nah, here it's around 8 bucks for just the burger at mcdonalds. A 'proper' burger will run a MINIMUM of $11.50

[Regnum Dominae]

That's the point of unions.

If they have power than they are against free-market principles and bad for the economy.

Not this again...

Government suppression of unions is against free market principles, just like government suppression of businesses.

[Strykla]

That's the point of unions.

If they have power than they are against free-market principles and bad for the economy.

Striking is the workers' way of getting the attention of bigwigs - writing a letter certainly won't help - and they are entirely legal as part of the free world's system. Unions protect workers against legal action, although I admit they can get a bit zealous at times.

[Imperializt Russia]

Fast Food Workers Stage Strike, Demand Higher Minimal Wage.


http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2597799
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-76836322/
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3670438

I just saw these articles claiming fast food workers are/have/will stage a massive walkout protesting the 7.35 minimal wage. They demand a $15 an hour minimal wage, which is a massive increase, being able to unionize without consequences and better working conditions.

Fortunately, I never had to work Fast Food in High School and College, though my job didn't pay too much better. Also I don't eat Fast Food anymore. I do feel for those who do have to work fast food but I believe $15 is too high, especially when a good percentage of Fast Food workers are high school age. If minimal wage does get increased to $15 an hour then, more than likely, goods and services will increase as well. This increase in minimal wage will affect those who make above minimal wage as their wages are not increasing but the price of living is.

Not to mention, this will give gas companies an excuse to raise prices as now they have to pay workers more, or so they will claim.

NSG, what are your opinions? Do you think the USA can handle a minimal wage increase to $15 an hour? While I would like to see minimal wage increase, $15 an hour is too much.

Also, for those who do work or eat Fast Food did this walkout actually occur?

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/07/17/robots-fast-food-jobs/

1) Australia manages fine on ~$15 minimum wage. So does the UK.
2) Who the fuck in the energy industry is on minimum wage? No part of the workforce significant enough that a minimum wage increase would actually affect profits.

[Freiheit Reich]

If they have power than they are against free-market principles and bad for the economy.

Actually what's bad for the economy is having people who cannot afford to buy things. Organizations don't magically make money come out of their butts, it has to come from some where and at the end of the day, for the service industry, that place is the consumer's wallet.

Yes, you are right. If people become too poor than the price of goods will have to drop due to supply and demand economic pressures. Low wages causes demand to drop which should cause prices to drop as well. Companies with excess supply will be forced to drop prices (or leave the business and find a new product to make). When prices drop than demand should start to rise again which means more companies will want to produce the goods which means supply of labor will drop which means wages will rise.

The free market will save the day in the end, have no fear. Singapore has no minimum wage and they are wealthier (per capita) than several nations (such as Mexico) which have a minimum wage. If minimum wage is so great than why isn't Singapore a third world hellhole? Cameroon and Niger have minimum wages, why are their citizens poorer than Singapore ones? Liberals seem to forget this due to a blind love of minimum wage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mi ... by_country

Minimum wages negative effects:

http://reason.com/archives/2013/03/03/t ... vulnerable

http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/lab ... -wage-laws

[DogDoo 7]

Fast Food Workers Stage Strike, Demand Higher Minimal Wage.


http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2597799
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-76836322/
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3670438

I just saw these articles claiming fast food workers are/have/will stage a massive walkout protesting the 7.35 minimal wage. They demand a $15 an hour minimal wage, which is a massive increase, being able to unionize without consequences and better working conditions.

Fortunately, I never had to work Fast Food in High School and College, though my job didn't pay too much better. Also I don't eat Fast Food anymore. I do feel for those who do have to work fast food but I believe $15 is too high, especially when a good percentage of Fast Food workers are high school age. If minimal wage does get increased to $15 an hour then, more than likely, goods and services will increase as well. This increase in minimal wage will affect those who make above minimal wage as their wages are not increasing but the price of living is.

Not to mention, this will give gas companies an excuse to raise prices as now they have to pay workers more, or so they will claim.

NSG, what are your opinions? Do you think the USA can handle a minimal wage increase to $15 an hour? While I would like to see minimal wage increase, $15 an hour is too much.

Also, for those who do work or eat Fast Food did this walkout actually occur?

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/07/17/robots-fast-food-jobs/

1) Australia manages fine on ~$15 minimum wage. So does the UK.
2) Who the fuck in the energy industry is on minimum wage? No part of the workforce significant enough that a minimum wage increase would actually affect profits.

I'm on slightly more than double minimum wage. Then again, we don't have any oil.

[Freiheit Reich]

Why not? Who does it hurt. /sarcasm

My god, the enormity of the dollar menu becoming the dollar-and-a quarter menu.

Or charging a nickle more for a drink.

SCANDALOUS!

When Burger King raised the price of their Whopper from $1 to $2 in 2000, I stopped going. I used to go weekly and now I average about 1 time a year. BK basically is no longer a considered option. A small price change made them lose a customer. I am sure I am not the only customer they lost.

If fast food customers are as price sensitive as I am than a small change in price could mean many lost customers. You can buy a pound of fries at a store for $1.30 and bake them yourself and you can buy a 2 liter bottle of soda for $1-1.50 more people may start doing this if fast food places raise the price of drinks and fries by another $0.05-$0.10.

[Imperializt Russia]

Actually what's bad for the economy is having people who cannot afford to buy things. Organizations don't magically make money come out of their butts, it has to come from some where and at the end of the day, for the service industry, that place is the consumer's wallet.

Yes, you are right. If people become too poor than the price of goods will have to drop due to supply and demand economic pressures. Low wages causes demand to drop which should cause prices to drop as well. Companies with excess supply will be forced to drop prices (or leave the business and find a new product to make). When prices drop than demand should start to rise again which means more companies will want to produce the goods which means supply of labor will drop which means wages will rise.

The free market will save the day in the end, have no fear. Singapore has no minimum wage and they are wealthier (per capita) than several nations (such as Mexico) which have a minimum wage. If minimum wage is so great than why isn't Singapore a third world hellhole? Cameroon and Niger have minimum wages, why are their citizens poorer than Singapore ones? Liberals seem to forget this due to a blind love of minimum wage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mi ... by_country

Minimum wages negative effects:

http://reason.com/archives/2013/03/03/t ... vulnerable

http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/lab ... -wage-laws

Gee, maybe it's because economies are built upon a few thousand things that are not minimum wage brackets?
Like how, despite paying one of the largest average employee wages in its sector, Costco is in fact one of the wealthiest employers in its sector?

My god, the enormity of the dollar menu becoming the dollar-and-a quarter menu.

Or charging a nickle more for a drink.

SCANDALOUS!

When Burger King raised the price of their Whopper from $1 to $2 in 2000, I stopped going. I used to go weekly and now I average about 1 time a year. BK basically is no longer a considered option. A small price change made them lose a customer. I am sure I am not the only customer they lost.

If fast food customers are as price sensitive as I am than a small change in price could mean many lost customers. You can buy a pound of fries at a store for $1.30 and bake them yourself and you can buy a 2 liter bottle of soda for $1-1.50 more people may start doing this if fast food places raise the price of drinks and fries by another $0.05-$0.10.

Quit your bitching, since we easily pay four times that in the UK.

[Gauthier]

Yes, you are right. If people become too poor than the price of goods will have to drop due to supply and demand economic pressures. Low wages causes demand to drop which should cause prices to drop as well. Companies with excess supply will be forced to drop prices (or leave the business and find a new product to make). When prices drop than demand should start to rise again which means more companies will want to produce the goods which means supply of labor will drop which means wages will rise.

The free market will save the day in the end, have no fear. Singapore has no minimum wage and they are wealthier (per capita) than several nations (such as Mexico) which have a minimum wage. If minimum wage is so great than why isn't Singapore a third world hellhole? Cameroon and Niger have minimum wages, why are their citizens poorer than Singapore ones? Liberals seem to forget this due to a blind love of minimum wage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mi ... by_country

Minimum wages negative effects:

http://reason.com/archives/2013/03/03/t ... vulnerable

http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/lab ... -wage-laws

Gee, maybe it's because economies are built upon a few thousand things that are not minimum wage brackets?
Like how, despite paying one of the largest average employee wages in its sector, Costco is in fact one of the wealthiest employers in its sector?

I daresay many fast food businesses indirectly employ the same practices used by Walmart: Pay employees a pittance to where they are often forced to resort to state welfare for their basic needs, thus reducing overhead and increasing profit at the same time. As long as people are obcessed with paying as little as possible for goods and services the exploitation will continue.

[Alien Space Bats]

Fast food jobs are meant for teenagers early 20 somethings, parents should really only look to them as an in between jobs type deal.

"Meant for"? Who "meant" them to be that way? God? Was that decided on the 8th day, or the 9th?

I don't think the fast food industry cares; they only want a laborer and nothing more. So who's sense of moral outrage is being stoked by parents with children working fast food? Whose sense of moral proprienty determines which jobs are "meant for" teens, which jobs are "meant for" women, which jobs are "meant for" men, which jobs are "meant for" immigrants, and so forth?

Yours?

[Greed and Death]

Fast food jobs are meant for teenagers early 20 somethings, parents should really only look to them as an in between jobs type deal.

"Meant for"? Who "meant" them to be that way? God? Was that decided on the 8th day, or the 9th?

I don't think the fast food industry cares; they only want a laborer and nothing more. So who's sense of moral outrage is being stoked by parents with children working fast food? Whose sense of moral proprienty determines which jobs are "meant for" teens, which jobs are "meant for" women, which jobs are "meant for" men, which jobs are "meant for" immigrants, and so forth?

Yours?

Look this is not hard to grasp not every job is designed to be a career, if you choose to attempt to make it a career you bear the risk of crappy wages.
It is a lower tier service industry gig, you use it to get experience and apply to better service industry jobs.

If you do not have the initiative to apply for better work or to get better work it is time to look for work in a different field.

[Albul]

My state has a minimum wage that is under $7.35 an hour...

[Imperializt Russia]

"Meant for"? Who "meant" them to be that way? God? Was that decided on the 8th day, or the 9th?

I don't think the fast food industry cares; they only want a laborer and nothing more. So who's sense of moral outrage is being stoked by parents with children working fast food? Whose sense of moral proprienty determines which jobs are "meant for" teens, which jobs are "meant for" women, which jobs are "meant for" men, which jobs are "meant for" immigrants, and so forth?

Yours?

Look this is not hard to grasp not every job is designed to be a career, if you choose to attempt to make it a career you bear the risk of crappy wages.
It is a lower tier service industry gig, you use it to get experience and apply to better service industry jobs.

If you do not have the initiative to apply for better work or to get better work it is time to look for work in a different field.

Which of course leads to high staff turnover, and isn't that financially problematic?

[Alien Space Bats]

When Burger King raised the price of their Whopper from $1 to $2 in 2000, I stopped going. I used to go weekly and now I average about 1 time a year. BK basically is no longer a considered option. A small price change made them lose a customer. I am sure I am not the only customer they lost.

If fast food customers are as price sensitive as I am than a small change in price could mean many lost customers. You can buy a pound of fries at a store for $1.30 and bake them yourself and you can buy a 2 liter bottle of soda for $1-1.50 more people may start doing this if fast food places raise the price of drinks and fries by another $0.05-$0.10.

Then franchisees will eat the increased labor cost. You can't have it both ways, asserting that places like McDonald's will raise prices while simultaneously asserting that customers won't pay those increased prices. Either customers will pay and prices will rise, or customers won't and prices won't.

Can those franchisees eat it? Sure. McDonald's outlets in San Francisco charge the same price as outlets in NYC; yet the minimum wage in San Francisco is $10.55/hr, vs. $7.25/hr in NYC.

McDonald's hasn't oulled out of San Francisco, so they're obviously still making a profit.