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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/29/fast-food-workers-low-pay-nationwide-walkout

Fast-food workers continue fight against low wages: 'This is our right'

Thousands of workers to take part in a nationwide walk-out as part of a growing movement for industry workers' rights

Just wow

Workers of the World Unite!

It's really a joke, they want to get paid more without having to work for it. I joined the military, went to school got a career and I make 20ish an hour, if a lowly McDonalds worker can make 15 dollars an hour with no education or life skills then I will be truly disappointed.

I work at a gun shop at nights for a few extra bucks for the coming holidays, making on $7.25/hour, but 10% commission on online sales. But it's just a part time gig, I work full time in IT.

These jobs werent meant to be careers, just stepping stones or side jobs etc, but not full time employment.

$15/hr is the high end of the starting pay scale for unskilled factory workers in my area, which is a much more demanding job then flipping burgers. I doubt this will go anywhere.


But if it does, I'm quitting and getting me a McJob

I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

............................................................................

Major corporations, banks etc start at about 14-15 dollars an hour, which is much more demanding and requiring more life skills.


Fast food is not a career and should not be paid like one

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

I agree. I fully support their right to strike for a living wage. If you heartless capitalist swine don't see their plight then too bad for you. Workers of the World Unite!

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

I agree with this, but $15/hr is higher then most entry level jobs that are "more respected". Obama wants to bump it to $9, I was living on my own just fine off of $10, with car and phone bills.

 Frazzled wrote:

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

I agree. I fully support their right to strike for a living wage. If you heartless capitalist swine don't see their plight then too bad for you. Workers of the World Unite!

Sure i'm all for increasing there wage, as long as mine is doubled as well.

Seems fair right? It's not like I worked hard for my career or anything.

If they strike, fire them

You're just being a capitalist running dog. All wages must be raised for all oppressed workers. For too long have the 1%ers kept their foot on the neck of the American Worker. RIse up and take back whats yours you Patriots!

 pities2004 wrote:

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

............................................................................

Major corporations, banks etc start at about 14-15 dollars an hour, which is much more demanding and requiring more life skills.


Fast food is not a career and should not be paid like one

Most workers are underpaid and undervalued, regardless of the industry they work in. It doesn't matter if your are scrubbing toilets, flipping burgers, or working in any other unskilled role; you should be able to live on the wage you earn - you shouldn't have to have a "career" to be able to afford to keep a roof over your head and food on the table.

 Frazzled wrote:
You're just being a capitalist running dog. All wages must be raised for all oppressed workers. For too long have the 1%ers kept their foot on the neck of the American Worker. RIse up and take back whats yours you Patriots!

People seem to forget that you should always ask for more than you think you can get. This is true of Fortune 500 CEO's and fast food workers.

 SilverMK2 wrote:

 pities2004 wrote:

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

............................................................................

Major corporations, banks etc start at about 14-15 dollars an hour, which is much more demanding and requiring more life skills.


Fast food is not a career and should not be paid like one

Most workers are underpaid and undervalued, regardless of the industry they work in. It doesn't matter if your are scrubbing toilets, flipping burgers, or working in any other unskilled role; you should be able to live on the wage you earn - you shouldn't have to have a "career" to be able to afford to keep a roof over your head and food on the table.

I agree. Why should the unskilled and not particularly intelligent not enjoy the simple rights of housing, food, and the bare minimums of life? Why should you get all the benefits merely becuase of who you were to when these hard trodden workers have to suffer?

 pities2004 wrote:
Fast food is not a career and should not be paid like one.

This.

 pities2004 wrote:
Sure i'm all for increasing there wage, as long as mine is doubled as well.

I don't know about your wage being doubled, but a general upwards shift in wage for the majority of workers is something that should occur, certainly.

Seems fair right? It's not like I worked hard for my career or anything.

I'm sure you worked hard and had some good breaks. I've worked hard and had some bad breaks - now finally getting a good break and starting in September my salary will almost double. My wage, as is (and soon to be as was!) is still reasonably above minimum wage but it isn't something that I could have lived on by myself - I would have had to live with my parents, with friends, with a flat share or, as I have, live with my wife (who does make reasonably good money).

Sadly not everyone is as fortunate as us in getting the breaks, some people are not as naturally gifted, some people just don't apply themselves. I'm not suggesting they should get paid the earth; simply that they get paid for their day's work to the extent that they can keep a roof over their head, food on the table and put a little aside.

If they strike, fire them

That sounds entirely reasonable for the land of the free... wait a second!

right, why should people have to have useful skills in order to be sucessfull...

if your job is worth 9$/hr, you dont get to make 15$/hr... its simple math/economics...

just like I wont buy a 4$ hamburger for 16$, I wont pay a worker whos work is only worth 9$/hr, 15$/hr,

if people dont like how much $ they make, they can feel free to get a better job, or strike for more $, and accept the consequences, good or bad, of their own actions.

such entitlement...

"I want my lowest rung job to pay me middle rung pay, just because I want it too"

I made far less then minimum wage, and was absolutely fine with a roof over my head and food to eat, and had money left over to use to EDUCATE myself so I could advance in life.

and FYI, It was MCdonalds that I worked at when I started out, making minimum wage ~5.90/hr, and I would never have expected more then minimum wage from that kind of minimum work job.. it is the easiest job I have ever had... hence why the lowest paid job i have ever had...

 SilverMK2 wrote:

 pities2004 wrote:
Sure i'm all for increasing there wage, as long as mine is doubled as well.

I don't know about your wage being doubled, but a general upwards shift in wage for the majority of workers is something that should occur, certainly.

Seems fair right? It's not like I worked hard for my career or anything.

I'm sure you worked hard and had some good breaks. I've worked hard and had some bad breaks - now finally getting a good break and starting in September my salary will almost double. My wage, as is (and soon to be as was!) is still reasonably above minimum wage but it isn't something that I could have lived on by myself - I would have had to live with my parents, with friends, with a flat share or, as I have, live with my wife (who does make reasonably good money).

Sadly not everyone is as fortunate as us in getting the breaks, some people are not as naturally gifted, some people just don't apply themselves. I'm not suggesting they should get paid the earth; simply that they get paid for their day's work to the extent that they can keep a roof over their head, food on the table and put a little aside.

If they strike, fire them

That sounds entirely reasonable for the land of the free... wait a second!

Indeed. Why should the CEO of McDonalds make $13mm a year and not the guy doing the actual work? Why should absentee stockowners get money but not the smiling face you always see when you go up to the counter at McDonalds? Don't those always helpful Burger King employees deserve merest basics of life too?

 Frazzled wrote:

 SilverMK2 wrote:

 pities2004 wrote:

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I'm all for a living minimum wage. Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

............................................................................

Major corporations, banks etc start at about 14-15 dollars an hour, which is much more demanding and requiring more life skills.


Fast food is not a career and should not be paid like one

Most workers are underpaid and undervalued, regardless of the industry they work in. It doesn't matter if your are scrubbing toilets, flipping burgers, or working in any other unskilled role; you should be able to live on the wage you earn - you shouldn't have to have a "career" to be able to afford to keep a roof over your head and food on the table.

I agree. Why should the unskilled and not particularly intelligent not enjoy the simple rights of housing, food, and the bare minimums of life? Why should you get all the benefits merely becuase of who you were to when these hard trodden workers have to suffer?

$15 dollars an hour is little more than BARE MINIMUM, Frazzled I make good money, I worked hard for it I did what I was supposed to. You are angry at me for bettering my life? I donate 600 dollars a month to my community, I know I'm such a jerk


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 easysauce wrote:
right, why should people have to have useful skills in order to be sucessfull...

if your job is worth 9$/hr, you dont get to make 15$/hr... its simple math/economics...

just like I wont buy a 4$ hamburger for 16$, I wont pay a worker whos work is only worth 9$/hr, 15$/hr,

if people dont like how much $ they make, they can feel free to get a better job, or strike for more $, and accept the consequences, good or bad, of their own actions.

such entitlement...

"I want my lowest rung job to pay me middle rung pay, just because I want it too"

I made far less then minimum wage, and was absolutely fine with a roof over my head and food to eat, and had money left over to use to EDUCATE myself so I could advance in life.

and FYI, It was MCdonalds that I worked at when I started out, making minimum wage ~5.90/hr, and I would never have expected more then minimum wage from that kind of minimum work job.. it is the easiest job I have ever had... hence why the lowest paid job i have ever had...

You are exalted sir

 SilverMK2 wrote:
Best of luck to the fast food workers striking at the fat clogged heart of America.

Well, if we can make an effort to blow up this idea into a long-term strike, we can at least hope to begin alleviating the obesity problems in the US.

I'm so conflicted by this.

On one hand, I've worked fast food. I've worked restaurant jobs. They're not hard, but they suck enough and your schedule is irregular enough that it's difficult to do that and manage a second job, which you need as it's impossible to survive on minimum wage part time.

On the other hand, 15/hour is 31,200/year at full time. About 5 years ago, the job I was at paid 36,000, and that was a job that required a massive amount of knowledge and skill on my part to be able to do. Pay grade isn't a competition, but I'm concerned about a society that rates the difference between flipping burgers and replicating technical issues in a complicated infrastructure at only being worth 13% more. Were I not now making much more, I would probably go with the burger flipping at that point. Less stress, work never follows you home.

And on the other, other hand, what some people are saying in this thread makes me reluctant to seem like I'm on the same side as them.

 daedalus wrote:
On the other hand, 15/hour

I don't actually think they expect to get that.

 daedalus wrote:
And on the other, other hand, what some people are saying in this thread makes me reluctant to seem like I'm on the same side as them.

No kidding.

 Ahtman wrote:
People seem to forget that you should always ask for more than you think you can get. This is true of Fortune 500 CEO's and fast food workers.

If you ask too much, you risk getting laughed away from the bargaining table. Completely and literally unskilled labor has no real hold on their employers, as all the managers need to do is hang a sign saying now hiring and there is a new high school kid for every one they had previously.

 daedalus wrote:

 Ahtman wrote:
People seem to forget that you should always ask for more than you think you can get. This is true of Fortune 500 CEO's and fast food workers.

If you ask too much, you risk getting laughed away from the bargaining table. Completely and literally unskilled labor has no real hold on their employers, as all the managers need to do is hang a sign saying now hiring and there is a new high school kid for every one they had previously.

This is spot on, I worked fast food and low level retail in high school made enough to pay for a car and bills. My first job was at Denny's as a busier making 3.50 an hour with tips.

 daedalus wrote:

 Ahtman wrote:
People seem to forget that you should always ask for more than you think you can get. This is true of Fortune 500 CEO's and fast food workers.

If you ask too much, you risk getting laughed away from the bargaining table. Completely and literally unskilled labor has no real hold on their employers, as all the managers need to do is hang a sign saying now hiring and there is a new high school kid for every one they had previously.

So is this going to be the 400th thread where we have to debunk the old wives tale of Fast Food just anyone at any time? And yes, you have to gauge what you ask for, but if you look at the attitudes being presented in this thread it would seem even asking for a living wage and a little dignity is bring heaps of scorn and derision, so I don't know what point it would be where that wouldn't happen. Even if they were saying $11 an hour with a hope of $9 I imagine they would still have people looking down their nose at them and being dismissive.

 daedalus wrote:

 Ahtman wrote:
People seem to forget that you should always ask for more than you think you can get. This is true of Fortune 500 CEO's and fast food workers.

If you ask too much, you risk getting laughed away from the bargaining table. Completely and literally unskilled labor has no real hold on their employers, as all the managers need to do is hang a sign saying now hiring and there is a new high school kid for every one they had previously.

I think they are unionized. My labor law is hazy but I don't think they can just be fired.

I dont think the media is helping this much, every story I've read today about this strike has told the story of some single mom with 3-5 kids who doesnt make enough money working at McDonalds for her family. The media seems to paint all the fast food workers with a broad stroke. I should feel bad for someone that made a bunch of mistakes in her life and got a bunch of kids and now cant provide for her family with her part time job at mcdonalds? I'd have a little more sympathy for the fast food workers if the media wasnt lumping them all together in the same "sob" story


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Frazzled wrote:

 daedalus wrote:

 Ahtman wrote:
People seem to forget that you should always ask for more than you think you can get. This is true of Fortune 500 CEO's and fast food workers.

If you ask too much, you risk getting laughed away from the bargaining table. Completely and literally unskilled labor has no real hold on their employers, as all the managers need to do is hang a sign saying now hiring and there is a new high school kid for every one they had previously.

I think they are unionized. My labor law is hazy but I don't think they can just be fired.

from what I read on CNN the fast food workers arent unionized, being able to form a union without any retaliation is one of the "demands"

oh ok.

Oh I forgot Workers of the World Unite!

 ironicsilence wrote:
I dont think the media is helping this much, every story I've read today about this strike has told the story of some single mom with 3-5 kids who doesnt make enough money working at McDonalds for her family. The media seems to paint all the fast food workers with a broad stroke. I should feel bad for someone that made a bunch of mistakes in her life and got a bunch of kids and now cant provide for her family with her part time job at mcdonalds? I'd have a little more sympathy for the fast food workers if the media wasnt lumping them all together in the same "sob" story


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Frazzled wrote:

 daedalus wrote:

 Ahtman wrote:
People seem to forget that you should always ask for more than you think you can get. This is true of Fortune 500 CEO's and fast food workers.

If you ask too much, you risk getting laughed away from the bargaining table. Completely and literally unskilled labor has no real hold on their employers, as all the managers need to do is hang a sign saying now hiring and there is a new high school kid for every one they had previously.

I think they are unionized. My labor law is hazy but I don't think they can just be fired.

from what I read on CNN the fast food workers arent unionized, being able to form a union without any retaliation is one of the "demands"

Which isn't going to happen