Fast Food Workers Want $15/hr

[Softail]

I'm a small business owner. I make less than my least paid employee. Sure there are some abuses in the business world, but many businesses just barely make ends meet.

Six years ago my business was doing great and my employees were treated to great bonuses, days at Seaworld, gift cards for amazing dinners for two for the employee of the month.

Now I'm being taxed to death, I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul and I've cut my staff in half. No bonuses..heck, they'll be lucky to even keep their jobs. I'm not alone. I was at a business meeting for urban businesses last month and most small business owners said they're struggling.

Many independant fast food restaurants are considered small businesses that crunch the bottom lines to make a living. I had an intern work for me for 6 weeks last year (accounting major). Being young, she was totally amazed at how little we make after expenses. She told me she doesn't know how I could possibly live like this. I wish everyone who thinks small business owners are raking in the dough would have the opportunity to see a profit/loss statement. It's mind boggling. For me, I can't walk away without destroying my credit (at my age that would be a nightmare) and all we can do is keep moving forward and pray that someone new takes office next election who can kick start the economy and provide opportunities for folks to work hard and advance. We need business opportunities for young people to grow...not over pay them to work in entry level jobs.

Just out of curiosity.. who did you vote for and why:?

 

[Sonya610]

It's kind of difficult to feel sympathy for a business owner in this day and age while more Americans than ever are living in poverty and their food stamps are being cut.

So you want to see the small business owners suffer? Yeah.

Atlas Shrugged.

 

[Softail]

I'm a small business owner. I make less than my least paid employee. Sure there are some abuses in the business world, but many businesses just barely make ends meet.

Six years ago my business was doing great and my employees were treated to great bonuses, days at Seaworld, gift cards for amazing dinners for two for the employee of the month.

Now I'm being taxed to death, I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul and I've cut my staff in half. No bonuses..heck, they'll be lucky to even keep their jobs. I'm not alone. I was at a business meeting for urban businesses last month and most small business owners said they're struggling.

Many independant fast food restaurants are considered small businesses that crunch the bottom lines to make a living. I had an intern work for me for 6 weeks last year (accounting major). Being young, she was totally amazed at how little we make after expenses. She told me she doesn't know how I could possibly live like this. I wish everyone who thinks small business owners are raking in the dough would have the opportunity to see a profit/loss statement. It's mind boggling. For me, I can't walk away without destroying my credit (at my age that would be a nightmare) and all we can do is keep moving forward and pray that someone new takes office next election who can kick start the economy and provide opportunities for folks to work hard and advance. We need business opportunities for young people to grow...not over pay them to work in entry level jobs.

You know what? omg.......

 

[Reality Orlando]

Tax rates for all businesses, even small, are at an all time low.
Most fast food places are not considered small business.
If the average wage earner had more money to spend perhaps your business would pick up.
It's kind of difficult to feel sympathy for a business owner in this day and age while more Americans than ever are living in poverty and their food stamps are being cut.

Really, it's hard to feel sorry for someone who worked 2-3 jobs as a single parent, bought a house, used the equity to buy a small business and works 60+ hours a week for less pay than their lowest paid employee? Have you checked your phone bills, electric, cell etc. for what you are currently paying in taxes? Small businesses pay that PLUS! I pay city tax and county tax, intangible tax, income tax. I match many of the taxes taken from my employess paychecks PLUS pay their worker's comp and their unemployment taxes. I've never had an employee file a worker's comp case yet in the past 3 years my worker's comp payments have doubled. What about gas tax? Tax on the air freight that brings in my inventory? Those are just a few of the many taxes outside of what the foes of small business want people to think is the low tax rates we pay.

 

[Softail]

So nobody can ask for a raise? Corporations adjust what they pay all the time, often upward, but lately often downward in the form of decreased benefits.

A strike is just a lot of people asking for a raise. Good for them!

And BTW, the percentage of people working for minimum wage has a ripple effect. In the resort town where I live, huge numbers of wage earners work for minimum; and SKILLED positions pay less than half what they do in Los Angeles, 2 hours away.

Really Ask for a raise when you earned !!!!!!!!!!!!! DUH

 

[Kimster]

I work for a small business where some employees make more than the owner. Oh, and because min. wage has increased to $8.95 per hour and health insurance costs are skyrocketing, raises are no longer guaranteed where I work. Currently I am an employee and I used to be part owner of a successful small business. I've seen both sides of the fence. The small businesses suffer in cases like this - like your franchise owners. The larger ones take the hit by increasing prices.

 

[elmomom]

So you want to see the small business owners suffer? Yeah.

Atlas Shrugged.

Any Rand had no problem scarfing up her government benefits. And no, I don't want all the small businesses to suffer, but neither do I want to keep the lower socioeconomic classes poor and down trodden. The is is the richest country on earth, and everyone deserves enough to eat and a decent wage for their work. I am a professional, on salary btw. I think my finances would greatly improve if we raised the minimum wage. When there is no money on the bottom, no one is buying things from those at the top.

 

[Charlie09]

Wonder how many of these people asked for a raise before they went on strike.

 

[Sonya610]

Any Rand had no problem scarfing up her government benefits. And no, I don't want all the small businesses to suffer, but neither do I want to keep the lower socioeconomic classes poor and down trodden. The is is the richest country on earth, and everyone deserves enough to eat and a decent wage for their work. I am a professional, on salary btw. I think my finances would greatly improve if we raised the minimum wage. When there is no money on the bottom, no one is buying things from those at the top.

You do realize this country is collapsing financially, right?

Debt, corruption, costly wars, SSI whatever you want to blame etc....

The nation is collapsing on all levels. I don't see any need to rush that process along.

 

[elmomom]

Really, it's hard to feel sorry for someone who worked 2-3 jobs as a single parent, bought a house, used the equity to buy a small business and works 60+ hours a week for less pay than their lowest paid employee? Have you checked your phone bills, electric, cell etc. for what you are currently paying in taxes? Small businesses pay that PLUS! I pay city tax and county tax, intangible tax, income tax. I match many of the taxes taken from my employess paychecks PLUS pay their worker's comp and their unemployment taxes. I've never had an employee file a worker's comp case yet in the past 3 years my worker's comp payments have doubled. What about gas tax? Tax on the air freight that brings in my inventory? Those are just a few of the many taxes outside of what the foes of small business want people to think is the low tax rates we pay.

I worked three jobs to get myself through college. I have worked every day of my life, never took time out for kids, for anything. I own my own home which I pay for on a single income. I pay exorbitant taxes so the local kids can have carpeting air conditioning and tennis courts, but i don't complain even though in my day we didn't have enough books and some of us sat on the windowsills for a seat. Progress. After 9/11 my company sold my division and I had to find a new job in a town that has no other employer in my profession. I drove more than 4 hours a day for work for five years until the exhaustion almost killed me, but I made my house payments and I put food on the table. Now I work locally, for much less money for the same education and skill set. But it feeds us, houses us and I keep my eye on the road ahead. I have never had such a lousy budget. credit? Who can afford to worry about a credit ratings. I'm worried about the leak that I can't afford to fix. I cancelled all my cards and I just spend what I earn. It's not enough. Its not time to worry about a credit standing, its a time to survive.
But, unlike you, instead of feeling proud of myself, or better than someone who has it worse, I feel LUCKY. lucky, blessed, whatever you want to call it. Many more people didn't come out the other side as well as I have. I still have my house, but now I give free room to a friend who lost hers. But most of all, I feel horrible that I have a house, I have food, when so many more people have lost all they had. I shake my head at all the people who are constantly on the TV spouting off christian values on one hand and on the other they bash the poor. We are a country of riches, no one needs to go hungry or homeless. Smh. I am not coming back to this thread, I cannot, it is way too depressing.

 

[Softail]

So nobody can ask for a raise? Corporations adjust what they pay all the time, often upward, but lately often downward in the form of decreased benefits.

A strike is just a lot of people asking for a raise. Good for them!

And BTW, the percentage of people working for minimum wage has a ripple effect. In the resort town where I live, huge numbers of wage earners work for minimum; and SKILLED positions pay less than half what they do in Los Angeles, 2 hours away.

Sure.. Ask for it. Then explain why anyone deserves it , Like I said... EARN,,IT
... NOBODY DESERVS IT

 

[Softail]

I worked three jobs to get myself through college. I have worked every day of my life, never took time out for kids, for anything. I own my own home which I pay for on a single income. I pay exorbitant taxes so the local kids can have carpeting air conditioning and tennis courts, but i don't complain even though in my day we didn't have enough books and some of us sat on the windowsills for a seat. Progress. After 9/11 my company sold my division and I had to find a new job in a town that has no other employer in my profession. I drove more than 4 hours a day for work for five years until the exhaustion almost killed me, but I made my house payments and I put food on the table. Now I work locally, for much less money for the same education and skill set. But it feeds us, houses us and I keep my eye on the road ahead. I have never had such a lousy budget. credit? Who can afford to worry about a credit ratings. I'm worried about the leak that I can't afford to fix. I cancelled all my cards and I just spend what I earn. It's not enough. Its not time to worry about a credit standing, its a time to survive.
But, unlike you, instead of feeling proud of myself, or better than someone who has it worse, I feel LUCKY. lucky, blessed, whatever you want to call it. Many more people didn't come out the other side as well as I have. I still have my house, but now I give free room to a friend who lost hers. But most of all, I feel horrible that I have a house, I have food, when so many more people have lost all they had. I shake my head at all the people who are constantly on the TV spouting off christian values on one hand and on the other they bash the poor. We are a country of riches, no one needs to go hungry or homeless. Smh. I am not coming back to this thread, I cannot, it is way too depressing.

Good for you... so you live within your means? what a freakin concept!

 

[Softail]

Good night everyone.... I hope y'all sleep well.

 

[lonetraveler]

Really, it's hard to feel sorry for someone who worked 2-3 jobs as a single parent, bought a house, used the equity to buy a small business and works 60+ hours a week for less pay than their lowest paid employee? Have you checked your phone bills, electric, cell etc. for what you are currently paying in taxes? Small businesses pay that PLUS! I pay city tax and county tax, intangible tax, income tax. I match many of the taxes taken from my employess paychecks PLUS pay their worker's comp and their unemployment taxes. I've never had an employee file a worker's comp case yet in the past 3 years my worker's comp payments have doubled. What about gas tax? Tax on the air freight that brings in my inventory? Those are just a few of the many taxes outside of what the foes of small business want people to think is the low tax rates we pay.

I know exactly where you are coming from. I tried to run a small country store with a cafe and had to close it up after less than a year. Hopefully we will get someone in office who can actually turn this around.

 

[animlzrule]

You do realize this country is collapsing financially, right?

Debt, corruption, costly wars, SSI whatever you want to blame etc....

The nation is collapsing on all levels. I don't see any need to rush that process along.

OK, this is a GROSS mischaracterization of the state of our economy which, in fact, is improving. There are millions of people in this country doing positive things, and striving to make this country a better, healthier, more humane country. I don't know where you live, but where I live the nation is not collapsing. You may want to peruse some financial and economic news sources. I am fortunate that in my family, my husband's salary has steadily been increasing. I too am a professional, but I make an hourly wage and it has no where near kept up with inflation. The wealth gap is getting increasingly vast, but the only people benefiting are the corporations, and their lawyers. Good for the fast food employees, I hope the drum beats eventually become too loud to ignore. Just imagine, fair living wages and universal healthcare! We could almost be as humane and civilized as many European countries. But to dream.........

 

[CatFancier]

Please do not respond to other posters in a personal way.

 

[Ausgirl]

Okay. I'm not very good at economics as a subject - I have an artistic mind, numbers escape me.. lol.

However. I just thought I'd share this, as a contrasting way of doing things.

During the worst of the nation's financial worries a few years ago, our PM Kevin Rudd made the highly unpopular (in Canberra) decision to hand every household some free money. What?! When we're at the brink of ruin? Madness! they cried, and he was so lambasted for it. BUT. By doing this, he helped the people of our nation avoid the same kind of financial distress seen in the US. People went out and spent that bonus, in fact they were encouraged to spend, spend, spend. So small businesses that would have otherwise folded did not, and the economy as a whole got a little shot of energy right when it was needed. And all was mostly well, comparatively speaking.

Nothing fell apart at the seams. Rudd's act of compassion (or it was to me, maybe it was just economics..) gave people some breathing room. Hooray.

Just an anecdote by way of saying that redistributing some of the wealth from up-high (fancy economonical talk here, bear with me okay) and easing the burden of small business owners with some well deserved tax breaks would probably be a good thing fopr the majority of the people.

If higher wages are paid the workers then pressure will be put out to make the employers' lot easier too.. upward trickle. But there'd be more money circulating, more people starting businesses, etc.

I felt really bad for my friends over there who did work hard all thier lives and lost thier homes in the crash. Lost thier jobs, lost hope, some of them. And these --are-- hard working people.

In one of the wealthiest nations in the world, average working people should not be struggling so hard.. I think the whole lower financial 2/3 of the USA -----deserves--- a break, and a raise.

eta: AND Medicare! It works just fine over here. Thank goodness.

 

[Charlie09]

OK, this is a GROSS mischaracterization of the state of our economy which, in fact, is improving. There are millions of people in this country doing positive things, and striving to make this country a better, healthier, more humane country. I don't know where you live, but where I live the nation is not collapsing. You may want to peruse some financial and economic news sources. I am fortunate that in my family, my husband's salary has steadily been increasing. I too am a professional, but I make an hourly wage and it has no where near kept up with inflation. The wealth gap is getting increasingly vast, but the only people benefiting are the corporations, and their lawyers. Good for the fast food employees, I hope the drum beats eventually become too loud to ignore. Just imagine, fair living wages and universal healthcare! We could almost be as humane and civilized as many European countries. But to dream.........

Which European country specifically are you referring to?

 

[Sonya610]

We could almost be as humane and civilized as many European countries. But to dream.........

Uhhh...we aren't a European country. Far from it. Well maybe somewhat like the UK but that is another story.

 

[momrids6]

just FYI: restaurant servers ( waiters/waitresses ) make a whopping 2.12 an hour....