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Fast-food workers demand higher wages


tapirmusic

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http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/retail-rebellion-fast-food-workers-inspired-walmart-strikers-205925413.html

"Last week, about 200 fast-food workers in New York City walked out of their workplaces—chains affected included Burger King, Wendy's and McDonald's—to demand a "living wage" of $15 an hour and an end to the practice of keeping workers on part-time hours to avoid giving them benefits or overtime. The employees also want to form a union for the city's estimated 50,000 fast-food workers to negotiate pay and benefits."

Don't you have to be skilled to make such demands? If I were owner of a business that had unskilled workers striking, walking out, or protesting, then it would be a very easy decision for me to fire them all instantly and replace them.

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As much as i agree with them,their position is somewhat tenuous...

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Never make the people who handle your food (out of your sight) angry :w00t:

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Never make the people who handle your food (out of your sight) angry :w00t:

Yes,because you may get more than mayonnaise on your McChicken Sandwich :whistle:

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me to fire them all instantly and replace them.

good luck with that

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Not sure why this is in the politics thread.

Edit to add: What, someone who does the same repetitive task to make a car is 'skilled', and someone who does a repetitive task to make food is 'unskilled'.

Edited by Likely Guy
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I fail to see what is wrong with expecting to earn a living wage. Why are people okay with employers treating their staff like slaves who aren't even entitled to enough money to keep a roof over their head, pay the bills and food on the table? $15 an hour is far from an outrageous claim by the employees.

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http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/retail-rebellion-fast-food-workers-inspired-walmart-strikers-205925413.html

"Last week, about 200 fast-food workers in New York City walked out of their workplaces—chains affected included Burger King, Wendy's and McDonald's—to demand a "living wage" of $15 an hour and an end to the practice of keeping workers on part-time hours to avoid giving them benefits or overtime. The employees also want to form a union for the city's estimated 50,000 fast-food workers to negotiate pay and benefits."

Don't you have to be skilled to make such demands? If I were owner of a business that had unskilled workers striking, walking out, or protesting, then it would be a very easy decision for me to fire them all instantly and replace them.

Hello $13 #4's if this were to happen, goodbye fast food restaurants, hello unemployement line.

Not sure why this is in the politics thread.

Edit to add: What, someone who does the same repetitive task to make a car is 'skilled', and someone who does a repetitive task to make food is 'unskilled'.

I am in no way mocking anybodies way of making a living but there really is a world of difference between building a car and building a hamburger. Are you saying the fast food industry should adopt the business strategy of GM? Big asss pensions

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I fail to see what is wrong with expecting to earn a living wage. Why are people okay with employers treating their staff like slaves who aren't even entitled to enough money to keep a roof over their head, pay the bills and food on the table? $15 an hour is far from an outrageous claim by the employees.

Because it will probably double the cost of nearly every day to day item and necessity you can imagine buying from retailers/stores that used to be paying its staff nearly half as much. It sets off a major chain reaction of business to business to consumer transactions. And the consumer it will hit and the employees new higher wage soon won't seem like much.

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Good for them....people need to stand up for themselves, all of us included.

Unemployment pays more then fast food jobs ( and many others ), you can not tell me something is not wrong with that.( and no one can live on unemployment, not comfortably anyway.)

Edited by Sakari
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I guess I don't understand why business people are commended if they find a way to make extra money, but the workers are villified if they do the same.

This is the way of the capitalist society. If those workers demand higher wages and there is a line of people willing to take their jobs, then obviously the market dictates that it's not sustainable. If however the owner can't keep enough workers to meet the customers needs, they would be better served to pay more in wages. They workers aren't greedy or jerks for trying to get more. I say more power to them.

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That's too much to ask for working at a fast food restuarant, I had to actually go to college get working skills so I can make decent money to live.

What kind of skills do you need to have to work at fast food restaurant that make you say "hey I deserve to make $15 an hour"?...but this is just too much to ask for in my opinion

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Hello $13 #4's if this were to happen, goodbye fast food restaurants, hello unemployement line.

I am in no way mocking anybodies way of making a living but there really is a world of difference between building a car and building a hamburger. Are you saying the fast food industry should adopt the business strategy of GM? Big asss pensions

It's about worker protection (and by the way, I've never belonged to a union). Okay, cars/hamburgers, that might be a stretch for you. Let's meet midstream, so what's the difference between a computer made in China, and a computer made in the USA?

You can stick anyone on a conveyor built and teach them to make cars/hamburgers or computers. You don't have to go to college to make anyone of those things!

Edited by Likely Guy
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That's too much to ask for working at a fast food restuarant, I had to actually go to college get working skills so I can make decent money to live.

What kind of skills do you need to have to work at fast food restaurant that make you say "hey I deserve to make $15 an hour"?...but this is just too much to ask for in my opinion

I normally would not do this but.......

One, I can not stand when people judge others by where they work. I am 47, will be losing my job in 5 days. ( I have worked since 17, had 6 jobs, 3 of them closed down, 10 years at 2 jobs, 5 at another, 4 at another, and 18 months at this one ). All of my " schooling " is on the job, and life experience/training. I can guarantee experience is more valuable, and better then a college course when it comes to the ability to do the job. I have seen this personally, although some places do not realize this. I had a $250,000 dollar home, that appraised up to $450,000, I had a nice truck, trailer, jet ski's, motorcycles....I lost them all, and I was starting over on this job that was supposed to be a 30 year job. I just might have to work somewhere like this, to survive. As, the skills I have are $20.00 a hour jobs and above, but are few and far between, and many would rather hire a 25 year old.

I also want to point out, I at one time delivered Pepsi, many of the convenience store managers had college educations, were making maybe $15.00 a hour, and that is $3.00 a hour less then me, a stupid truck driver.

My point is, just because someone is forced into working a lower paid job, does not mean they are dumb, not at all. It means they have the balls and can swallow their pride to take these jobs to survive and pay bills. They could just as easily go on welfare and give up, and I am happy they do not. The companies they work for make billions, if not trillions, and can easily afford to pay more.

I would also like to point out ( only because of the reply ) that most of the people working these jobs to survive can spell things like :

"restaurant" and "descent" to name a couple.

And can use proper grammar such as " I had to actually go to college to get working skills so I can make decent money to live.

Sorry, I had to.

Remember, the people you are ordering from may not be as dumb as you think. They just might be trying to support their families, and have not been able to find jobs that they could do, but are not available for various reasons.

Edited by Sakari
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having worked in the fast food industry i can't say i blame them for wanting a better wage

it's a thankless and stressful job.

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That's too much to ask for working at a fast food restuarant, I had to actually go to college get working skills so I can make decent money to live.

What kind of skills do you need to have to work at fast food restaurant that make you say "hey I deserve to make $15 an hour"?...but this is just too much to ask for in my opinion

From what I see, $15/hour is a living working wage. It's not that much.

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I work at McDonalds... my time and work put in unless it is that peak moment of a rush is not worth $15 an hour... It's truly worth more like 5 with how much I actually do. So to make 7.25 is sweet.

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Unemployment pays more then fast food jobs ( and many others ), you can not tell me something is not wrong with that.( and no one can live on unemployment, not comfortably anyway.)

Unemployment should not be comfortable.

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I fail to see what is wrong with expecting to earn a living wage. Why are people okay with employers treating their staff like slaves who aren't even entitled to enough money to keep a roof over their head, pay the bills and food on the table? $15 an hour is far from an outrageous claim by the employees.

I fail to see what is wrong with expecting people to get their heads out of their asses and actually learn a skill that can help support them during their life.

Do you know what a good plumber can make in NYC? Or, say, a stagehand at a theater? Or a banquet server at a hotel? There's absolutely no reason to have to work in the fast food industry if you have any intelligence and motivation. And then to b**** and moan that you don't make enough money? The honest truth is that you simply aren't doing anything of value to merit such pay.

If you don't like it, better yourself.

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I guess I don't understand why business people are commended if they find a way to make extra money, but the workers are villified if they do the same.

This is the way of the capitalist society. If those workers demand higher wages and there is a line of people willing to take their jobs, then obviously the market dictates that it's not sustainable. If however the owner can't keep enough workers to meet the customers needs, they would be better served to pay more in wages. They workers aren't greedy or jerks for trying to get more. I say more power to them.

Go open a business. When you find a way to make extra money don't do it. Then if another opportunity arises don't take it. Welcome to your failed business that can't create jobs and likely wont sustain any either.

And there is nothing wrong with employees wanting more money. That's natural but its not their call. However, seeking and accepting the job was. $15/hr fast good wages will price fast food near or above your average decent restaurant. It'll cost more jobs than it will supply. You don't know how to run a business yet you're always one of the first to say how they should be run.

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I can't blame them for wanting more... Who wouldn't like a pay raise? But they appear to be asking for more than a doubling in wages, benefits, and guaranteed full time with no restriction to overtime. They are so not going to get all that.

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Unemployment should not be comfortable.

That is my point.....It is NOT comfortable, and it pays more!

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