Fast-food workers strike nationwide in protest against wages
- Thread starter drunkaholic707
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The CEO of YUM! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) made $20.5 million last year. The average worker in one of the stores made $7.50/hour. Restaurant chains spent nearly a million dollars in 2006 to fight minimum-wage increases in six states.
The past several decades have seen worker productivity skyrocket, and wages for most stagnate. Where did the balance go? It went to the top one percent. If minimum wage had kept pace with productivity, it would be approximately $22/hour. If it had grown at the same pace as the income to the one percent, it would be around $33/hour.
Increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour is surely reasonable in the face of the massive siphoning of income to the very top. Should those who work hard every day have to struggle to pay for rent and groceries?
Research does show that a minimum wage increase can initially pose difficulty to some small businesses. However, this can be addressed by increasing taxes on big business (which are at historically low rates) and eliminating corporate welfare to subsidize small businesses, along with cutting B&O and property tax burden on small businesses.
But the main danger facing working people and small businesses is the continued proliferation of low wages. The economy is reeling with over 20 million people unemployed or underemployed, a low-wage workforce, a collapse of the housing bubble, and staggering consumer and student debt. Raising wages is a vital measure to break out of the depressionary spiral.
Statistical studies show a positive impact of wage increases on jobs. When working people have more income, their spending power goes up, which in turn boosts sales, which further increases jobs and overall spending power, and so on.
The idea that raising the wage would harm the most disadvantaged workers is a fig leaf to justify anti-worker policymaking. In fact, increasing the minimum wage raises the bargaining power of all workers, and has the effect of raising wages across the board.
The past several decades have seen worker productivity skyrocket, and wages for most stagnate. Where did the balance go? It went to the top one percent. If minimum wage had kept pace with productivity, it would be approximately $22/hour. If it had grown at the same pace as the income to the one percent, it would be around $33/hour.
Increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour is surely reasonable in the face of the massive siphoning of income to the very top. Should those who work hard every day have to struggle to pay for rent and groceries?
Research does show that a minimum wage increase can initially pose difficulty to some small businesses. However, this can be addressed by increasing taxes on big business (which are at historically low rates) and eliminating corporate welfare to subsidize small businesses, along with cutting B&O and property tax burden on small businesses.
But the main danger facing working people and small businesses is the continued proliferation of low wages. The economy is reeling with over 20 million people unemployed or underemployed, a low-wage workforce, a collapse of the housing bubble, and staggering consumer and student debt. Raising wages is a vital measure to break out of the depressionary spiral.
Statistical studies show a positive impact of wage increases on jobs. When working people have more income, their spending power goes up, which in turn boosts sales, which further increases jobs and overall spending power, and so on.
The idea that raising the wage would harm the most disadvantaged workers is a fig leaf to justify anti-worker policymaking. In fact, increasing the minimum wage raises the bargaining power of all workers, and has the effect of raising wages across the board.
For the bolded: Once again I never said they couldn't and I support and wish they would. But you seem to think they could magically DOUBLE the minimum wage to $15 an hour with zero consequence.
Your idea of fixing the banks and the corporations in theory would work, but that's not something where you snap your fingers, double the minimum wage, a rainbow flies over American and everything is fixed. That's something that takes years of fixing, not a group of McDonalds employees saying give me more money right now.
You respond with a dumbass picture showing you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
Look who's supporting corporate greed and a group of people having "injustice" happen to them. You justify someone making half the wage as someone else because of age discrimination for the corporation to save a buck? lol
Your idea of fixing the banks and the corporations in theory would work, but that's not something where you snap your fingers, double the minimum wage, a rainbow flies over American and everything is fixed. That's something that takes years of fixing, not a group of McDonalds employees saying give me more money right now.
You respond with a dumbass picture showing you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
Look who's supporting corporate greed and a group of people having "injustice" happen to them. You justify someone making half the wage as someone else because of age discrimination for the corporation to save a buck? lol
Props:
Mixerr
Teenagers would be working part time and in school. Makes perfect sense.
Props:
NAMO and [-KoRp$-]559
and then the equality fight happens again, people go on strike, because the 17 year old kid from the poor neighborhood who has to work after school to help pay bills and support his little brothers and sisters isn't getting fair wage because of age discrimination and we're back to square one. lol
Props:
Mixerr
I fully agree with what you guys are saying. Fuck corporate greed, I wish everybody got to make better money, but that's something that can't just happen instantly with the snap of the fingers like what these McDonald's workers are asking for. We're talking years of reform.
Currently in the year 2013 that 45 year old meth addict that gave me my food at Wendy's earlier might want to A: work hard and show out at Wendy's and hope for promotion, B: work hard in some night classes or some shit and learn a trade to get out of there, or C: live with what she has.
That's current reality, plain and simple, magic snaps of the fingers won't change the world.
Currently in the year 2013 that 45 year old meth addict that gave me my food at Wendy's earlier might want to A: work hard and show out at Wendy's and hope for promotion, B: work hard in some night classes or some shit and learn a trade to get out of there, or C: live with what she has.
That's current reality, plain and simple, magic snaps of the fingers won't change the world.
Props:
NoFace
It doesn't matter what kind of job you have, but it should pay enough for you to live (pay rent, school, food, ec.). For US$ 7 these guys should just move to China and work in a factory and get paid more.
One guy makes 20+millions a year and people complain about workers demanding a raise so they can live a decent life?
One guy makes 20+millions a year and people complain about workers demanding a raise so they can live a decent life?
I disagree. I disagree. Fair is a word that means different things to different people. I think $7 is a fair wage for a fast food worker but I'll let the employer decide what they think the job is worth and someone can take them up on their offer or turn it down. It is not my expectation that a job like that has to pay enough for someone to live on.
It's not. They don't have to work there if they don't want to.
It's not. They don't have to work there if they don't want to.
Mike, you literally must have skipped this entire thread. Nobody is complaining about them asking for a raise. People are laughing at them for asking for DOUBLE of what they make now and wanting it instantly like it's some easy shit to do.
Props:
Meta4iCAL
Gotta derail the thread and start another discussion.
What constitutes fair wage? Who decides the number that is fair wage? Who decides what jobs deserve fair wage?
Should the guy who sits behind the counter reading magazines all day at the porn shop make 30k a year that is being proposed by the McDonalds workers? Is that fair wage?
Is fair wage a percentage based on amount of profit the company makes? Who decide the percentage that would be fair?
What would fair wage be working at a non profit organization?
What constitutes fair wage? Who decides the number that is fair wage? Who decides what jobs deserve fair wage?
Should the guy who sits behind the counter reading magazines all day at the porn shop make 30k a year that is being proposed by the McDonalds workers? Is that fair wage?
Is fair wage a percentage based on amount of profit the company makes? Who decide the percentage that would be fair?
What would fair wage be working at a non profit organization?
By 'fair' I meant living wage.
And if employers dont want to pay it, then they dont have to run the business. Ronald Mcdonald can pack his shit up and close up shop if the drop from 20 mil to 11 mil is too much for him to handle.
And if employers dont want to pay it, then they dont have to run the business. Ronald Mcdonald can pack his shit up and close up shop if the drop from 20 mil to 11 mil is too much for him to handle.
Props:
2-0-Sixx
