Fast Food Workers Want $15/hr

[Sonya610]

McD's is only one company, but its profit last year was something in the range of 34 billion -- more than the GDP of many countries. On that alone, I'm hard pressed to see them as the victim in this debate.

McDonald's is an exception and yes, the franchise owners are typically all millionaires.

Other brands make MUCH less, Burger Kings for example have small profit margins. Places like Subway are even worse, the owner of a single subway has to manage the store and work in it every day in order to clear 40k a year, if they have to hire people to do all of the work they will make next to nothing.

The idea that all of the fast food owners are "rich" and taking advantage of their poor employees is often way way off.

 

[dallasnc]

I'm not sure what all the grand scale stuff means but aren't the workers saying that the minimum wage has not increased with the cost of living? If so, I have no doubt that's true.

But I guess the counter argument is that minimum wage jobs ate meant for teens and college kids- not for adults trying to support a family. I heard someone say something tO the effect of what choices led them at 30 to have no other option but fast food?

Of course in this economy, many people have no other options. Laid off from better paying jobs they now ate reduced to two or three minimum wage jobs. it's scary. I wish it was back to the days when kids had these jobs until they went off to something bigger and better.

There are many people in fast foods now that have been laid off and have no other options than to work a couple of jobs to survive. Most of these workers I have come across have great job skills and work hard to keep afloat hoping for the economy to open up.

This is where I am at age 58. I started work at 15 1/2 working fast foods. There were 8 hour shifts and 40 plus hours to if you were out of school and could work them.

Next I worked textile in cotton mills for 20 years. Better pay 48 hours plus hours if you wanted them. I worked hard and ended up in quality control and then an office job as a production clerk. Went through several mill closings and went back to school.

2 year degree in Business Computer Programming, graduated top of my class with a 3.96 GPA.

Mainframe Programmer for 15 years till my job went overseas to 2 people in a data center than the company I worked for built.

Unemployed and spent 8 hours a day putting in applications. This was a full time job looking. In a 2 year search I received 3 interviews. I took the only offer of working in a deli part time. They only have part time jobs in the stores with a limit of 28 hours a week. One month I worked 12 hours a week.

I begged a job at Family Dollar through a neighbor to suppliment the HT job limited to 32 hours a week. I averaged 25 hours a week, no full time here either. I also worked at 2 other stores when they had a need. There was a big issue scheduling between the stores because of the different hours workers are needed.

Now I am at a fast food place.I am considered full time. I have worked as little as 25 hours and as much as 38. There is no overtime as employees are sent home at 40. I have worked 3 hour days and 9 hour days sometimes with no break. In a week I have went in at 5 and in the same week worked to midnight. I average 32 hours a week. A couple of times I have been scheduled to work to midnight and be back in as early as 6. I rarely start and end on the same job. I have never had the same start and end times twice in a week. People are scheduled as needed. Peak times are expected to service at least 100 cars an hour. Every thing is timed and recorded in seconds. I saw a comment about the look someone gets when they said they had a penny after their order was totaled. It was not because the worker can't make change, it's because of the extra seconds it take to put the change back and wait till someone searches for that penny or nickle or quarter or quarter and penny and make change again. The timing for a worker is the difference of hours for the next coming week or position they work.

Through out this time I clean a house once a week.

Do I consider myself lucky? I sure do. I saw the economy declining and was lucky to downsize to a min. I have no cell phone, do not watch TV due to no cable, use an electric heater in the winter instead of the heat pump, no central air unless it gets over 80 in my house. I've eaten beans for a month all 3 meals. I still have a house and lights. I was lucky to find 12 hours a week when my son was supporting his family and myself in another town for a couple of months. I was lucky to have 3 jobs for awhile and 2 now. I was lucky when I took my retirement and used it to keep my 9 year old grandson from being moved from NC to CA by his Mom. I am lucky I have a job when I know people my age being passed over for younger people for jobs and that are losing everything they have worked for all their life through no fault of their own. I even tell myself I'm lucky when someone throws their money at me, cusses me, yells at me and all the other demeaning things because I'm only a fast food worker. It might surprise them that I probably handled their trust fund at one time.

The economy is not what it used to be. Fast food jobs are not what they were when I was younger. There are alot of people in fast foods that depend on it to survive now through no fault of their own if they are lucky enough to be hired over someone that has the extra incentives the company receives by hiring. And sadly some who has lost in this economy gives up like a friend of mine that was laid off the same day I was with over 25 years in the company that took the easy way out by taking her life.

 

[Gardenlady]

dallasnc, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. :rose: It can be a huge blow to lose a position you have sunk 25 years of your life into. There so often is no reward for loyalty and hard work, and hasn't been for a while. No compassion either.

 

[Charlie09]

As a starting point - is there anything that you *do* think people are deserving of, simply as a matter of being fellow human beings?

Think like, the concept of human rights. Is there anything at all, say food, shelter, living wage, health care, etc, that you would be okay with saying "Yes, simply because of the dignity inherent in each human person, this is something we all deserve"?

(Trying to find a common starting point is all)

What is deserved is being able to use the God given talents we have, whether it's labor, creative, or specialized skills we earn during life to support ourselves.

 

[cari]

As a starting point - is there anything that you *do* think people are deserving of, simply as a matter of being fellow human beings?

Think like, the concept of human rights. Is there anything at all, say food, shelter, living wage, health care, etc, that you would be okay with saying "Yes, simply because of the dignity inherent in each human person, this is something we all deserve"?

(Trying to find a common starting point is all)

We are entitled to what the Constitution says, which is Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness. We are entitled to work towards acquiring the things we need to survive. We are not entitled to any material things that we have not earned or acquired ourselves, and that includes healthcare, food, or whatever. Each of us is responsible for supporting ourselves.

As I said before, I worked for years in retail and started out at minimum wage. I advanced rapidly from an entry level folding and restocking position to management. What I did differently than my lazy, whiny coworkers was WORK and show up for work. Not everyone was lazy and the ones that weren't, the ones that showed up and did their jobs well were rewarded the same as I was. The ones that didn't maybe got to keep their jobs but they didn't get the pay increases and the advancements that would propel them out of their low income situation.

The majority of the low skilled people that I worked with didn't deserve the pay they received or were only deserving of the pay they received. I'm just stating the facts as they relate to my situation.

My husband supervises entry level employees and has the same story to tell. The answer to making higher wages is to work harder and more consistently and increase your value to the company. It is not the company's responsibility to make sure you make what you think you deserve. It is the company's responsibility to make a profit.

I am so sick of people having child after child after child that they can't afford to house, feed, clothe, and educate and then complaining about it.

My brother-in-law and his wife are in their late twenties with 3 kids. The wife graduated with a double major and a 4.0 gpa. The husband didn't quite graduate because they started having kids and he went to work. The wife stays home with the kids and the husband goes off to his minimum wage job. They collect WIC, foodstamps, subsidized housing, free healthcare, the husband's parents bought them their first car and then bought them a van when they had too many kids to fit in the car. They eat out a lot, have a huge flatscreen TV, a 1000 dollar bed. And they want at least 2 more kids on somebody else's dime. My brother-in-law is in the low income situation that he is in because of his bad choices but he is not the one paying for his choices is he? He is living a middle class lifestyle that he is not entitle to.

 

[otto]

I don't know if this is the correct thing to say, but it seems that when I do eat fast food, there's a bit of a language barrier. That is, English doesn't necessarily seem to be a job requirement. I do have to wonder what skills the fast food employees have such that they would like such a substantial raise.

My 18 year old son taught rowing summer camps and a weekend adult class this summer. He was paid 12.50 per hour. He was thrilled to have the job opportunity and experience, the income was a bonus. He would never consider demanding more money because he knows that he doesn't have prior experience in the job and furthermore, someone else is willing to do the job for 12.50 an hour. Entry level jobs (like fast food employment), from my understanding, are usually for people to develop job skills, gain valuable work skills (like cashier experience) and to help support them while they pursue careers that are more consistent with their abilities and interests.

Anyone that sees fast food employment as a career choice ... well ... I have to wonder what happened to their other interests and abilities. I kind of disagree with such a huge wage increase without a significant increase in skills and abilities.

 

[Charlie09]

I don't know if this is the correct thing to say, but it seems that when I do eat fast food, there's a bit of a language barrier. That is, English doesn't necessarily seem to be a job requirement. I do have to wonder what skills the fast food employees have such that they would like such a substantial raise.

My 18 year old son taught rowing summer camps and a weekend adult class this summer. He was paid 12.50 per hour. He was thrilled to have the job opportunity and experience, the income was a bonus. He would never consider demanding more money because he knows that he doesn't have prior experience in the job and furthermore, someone else is willing to do the job for 12.50 an hour. Entry level jobs (like fast food employment), from my understanding, are usually for people to develop job skills, gain valuable work skills (like cashier experience) and to help support them while they pursue careers that are more consistent with their abilities and interests.

Anyone that sees fast food employment as a career choice ... well ... I have to wonder what happened to their other interests and abilities. I kind of disagree with such a huge wage increase without a significant increase in skills and abilities.

My daughter and I are both allergic to wheat, so it should be so easy to order a hamburger patty no bun, no sauce, add cheese. Second order (the girly's) hamburger patty no bun, no sauce, no cheese, add lettuce, add bacon.

What's really easy is to go to In and Out and say "two flying dutchmen one with no cheese" or Chick Fil A and say "side of grilled nuggets"..

And to the comment earlier about change, I disagree...for the most part, the younger crowd does not know how to count back change. I always compliment when someone does it right. Totally off topic, but that's one way I learned to count my change, and I hold up a line, so my daughter can count her change back to herself.

 

[Nova]

Please clarify. Surely you are not charging $1.25 for a CAN of soda? These must be 16.9 fl. oz. bottles or more, correct???? Again, if a business owner cannot adequately pay his/her employees, then they need to reconsider whether or not they should even have a business.

Roxye's prices would not be considered unreasonable in California cities and resort areas.

 

[Nova]

My point was if every place an average miiddle class consumer buys from was forced to do this- the average consumer would get hit hard.

I do not know very many people that buy goods and services at Wal-Mart only.

But you are wrong. The average consumer would also see his/her salary rise to meet increased labor costs.

 

[Nova]

BBM What freedoms would we be desperately clinging to in this country that they do not enjoy in those other countries? I've traveled in Europe and can't think of anything I didn't have the freedom to do there that I can do here. It's pretty sad if xenophobia is so pervasive in this country that we can't look to others in order to improve the lives of our own citizens.

Isn't it odd how quick we are to announce our country "the best" when only about 1 in 3 of us even has a passport?

 

[Charlie09]

Isn't it odd how quick we are to announce our country "the best" when only about 1 in 3 of us even has a passport?

:floorlaughn a thread talking about how hard it is to survive even on 15.00/hr there's really an elitist comment about international travel?

 

[Reality Orlando]

Respectfully snipped...

You're probably right... although one of our big food manufacturers (Hostess) recently did just that. They were the makers of the most popular bread in the US. There was a strike and workers were demanding better pay, so Hostess shut down.

So I don't think the idea that they could go out of business is all that far-fetched.

I still miss the smell of baking bread on I-4 in Orlando. Merita bread closed as a consequence of the Hostess strike. 200 people in my area lost their jobs. I'm quite sure if the company would still be making good money even with the raises...they wouldn't have closed.

"Hostess announced it would lay off 18,500 employees across the country. Local 6 spoke to the union outside of the Merita Bakery, who said the majority of the workers at the Orlando plant voted to go on strike.

Residents tell Local 6 they are sad to see the iconic bakery go.

"This is an Orlando icon Merita bread it's been here since the 20s," said Lee Davis, a retired Merita worker. "It's a sad day because I started here when I was 17 years old going to Boone High School, working at the old bakery after school."

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Orlando-Merita-Bakery-plant-closes-in-Hostess-strike/-/1637132/17445170/-/9kng42z/-/index.html

 

[Nova]

oooh, i forgot about the smart phone.

I agree with you, and that was my point lower salary, lower responsibility, lower skill set. Not that lower skill sets are not "vital" to our society in general..but picking an arbitrary number and declaring it a living wage doesn't make it so.

You are right, it does not. But a lot of posters here are doing the same thing: they are taking whatever workers currently make and declaring THAT a living wage or basing their arguments on that assumption.

Which makes just as much sense.

 

[Charlie09]

You are right, it does not. But a lot of posters here are doing the same thing: they are taking whatever workers currently make and declaring THAT a living wage or basing their arguments on that assumption.

Which makes just as much sense.

No one has declared 7 or 8 bucks a living wage. It's currently minimum wage. If there weren't enough workers to work at that wage, you'd see the wages go up.

 

[Reality Orlando]

The $8 an hour pay is relative to where you are. Here, in South Florida, $8 an hour wouldn't cut it. 1 bdrm/efficiency are going for AT LEAST $900 a month (that is if you don't want to live in a neighborhood where you and your abode won't be shot at on a nightly basis). Then you want at add food, transportation and clothes? Not likely.

Its a dog eat dog world out there right now. I can understand both sides of this - but still.......people have to survive somehow.

Wow, my neighbor rents out his entire HOUSE for $695 a month and it's a beautfiful 2/2 on 1/2 acre!

 

[Nova]

again, its not sneering or putting people down or looking down upon anyone - it boils down to WE WANT MORE PAY FOR DOING THE SAME AMOUNT OF WORK do more, learn more, make yourself more valuable by doing the extras, learning a new skill (internet can teach you just about anything) if you WANT more, then GIVE more.


If you give your child lets say 10 dollars for doing 3 chores per week, and they came to you and said, I can't afford ________ and _______ on this 10 per week I want 20 for doing the same jobs, would you say ok? OR would you say ok I will pay you 20 per week if you also do these additional 3 chores?

If you were an American corporation, you would reply, "I not only will not raise your allowance, I'm going to give you twice as many chores to do for that $10.

 

[Nova]

I'm not sure what all the grand scale stuff means but aren't the workers saying that the minimum wage has not increased with the cost of living? If so, I have no doubt that's true.

But I guess the counter argument is that minimum wage jobs ate meant for teens and college kids- not for adults trying to support a family. I heard someone say something tO the effect of what choices led them at 30 to have no other option but fast food?

Of course in this economy, many people have no other options. Laid off from better paying jobs they now ate reduced to two or three minimum wage jobs. it's scary. I wish it was back to the days when kids had these jobs until they went off to something bigger and better.

I'm not going back to find the link, but one internet chart I found showed that only 12% of fast food workers are teen part-timers. The rest are adults, presumably supporting themselves and their families.

 

[Nova]

:floorlaughn a thread talking about how hard it is to survive even on 15.00/hr there's really an elitist comment about international travel?

Actually, the comment was about ignorance. That you misunderstood requires no explanation. :floorlaugh:

Seriously, I think the $15 figure is a negotiating point for most strikers; it isn't necessarily what they expect to get. If you split the difference between the national minimum wage ($7.25) and $15, you get about $11, which sounds right to me.

 

[Nova]

Wow, my neighbor rents out his entire HOUSE for $695 a month and it's a beautfiful 2/2 on 1/2 acre!

That will get you a share in a 2-bedroom apartment in a bad neighborhood in Los Angeles. Not even that in NY or SF.

 

[Nova]

No one has declared 7 or 8 bucks a living wage. It's currently minimum wage. If there weren't enough workers to work at that wage, you'd see the wages go up.

There are over a billion people in China and a billion more in India.

That's a lot of people who will go to work at less than minimum wage before any American gets a job. There's nothing inherently "fair" or "reasonable" about current wages; they are subject to many factors, only some of which are economically determined.