Fast Food Worker Strikes!

[cronus]

Most secure occupation is a undertaker and I've often considered it myself. No worries in good times or bad. Nice pace of life and good hours except in times of plague.

[Coito ergo sum]

What is funny though, is when they realize they work in fast food and will easily be replaced.

The mistake they are making is trying to negotiate with their employer, they should be negotiating with their vote and the government

They'll get more immediate results from negotiating with their employer.

The mistake they're making, though, is looking "small picture" instead of "big picture." They need to dream bigger than a dollar or two raise (nobody is going to raise their minimum wage to $15 -- they're asking for $15, so they might get $10). That's chump change. Each of these individuals would do much better if they: (a) asked for raises after they have worked a significant period of time, (b) sought out employment through other local businesses offering higher pay for experienced workers, and (c) took steps to increase their skill sets, qualifications and experience so that they can make themselves more valuable.

Giving work a little bit of effort goes a long way. That's why I find recent immigrants to be the best workers. The ones that work move ahead and outstrip natural born Americans by far. I personally know many immigrants who came to the US on a wing and a prayer, and they didn't mess around with minimum wages or haggling with a boss over 15 minutes of time or hassling over $1 or $2. They get going and get it done.

Minimum wages sound good, but it's a ball and chain. It sets the wage, rather than having employers pay more for quality workers and less for sloth. The best thing for workers is to have broad opportunities available for workers to leave one employer and go to another. That way, they can gain experience, making themselves more valuable, and then if they don't get what they want from their current employer, they take their experience and skill down the street for more money.

There is no worker I want less than a worker who thinks so small. The worst person to have around is the "not my job" guy. The guy who is constantly worried about whether he is doing more work than his coworker, or whether he gets paid for having booted up his computer 15 minutes early. When folks start blathering on about trifles, I want them out. A person who is concerned with getting the job done -- that person is worth more, and they tend to get paid more, and they tend to get offered more jobs.

[piscator]

I think it's funny when people who work for minimum wage take no responsibility for their life choices which got them into the position to have to work for minimum wage in the first place.

Do you think it's funny when they band together and strike to improve their pay?

Nope. That's their prerogative.

What is funny though, is when they realize they work in fast food and will easily be replaced.

By busing in fast food scabs? Ewww...


The industry is already scraping the bottom of the barrel as it is. I don't imagine they'll be overrun by people willing to scab for minimum wage, no bennies, and no overtime. The fast food industry has fucked themselves on that score.

I don't think any "scabs" will need to be bused in.

The world is overpopulated. They will be replaced. Easily.

By who? People they wouldn't hire before? Prison labor? Peruvian lead miners? Refugees from some famine?
Maybe they could lobby lawmakers for more Workfare recipients?

[laklak]

Most secure occupation is a undertaker and I've often considered it myself. No worries in good times or bad. Nice pace of life and good hours except in times of plague.

Two words: Mass graves.

One more: Bulldozer.

[Collector1337]

By who? People they wouldn't hire before? Prison labor? Peruvian lead miners? Refugees from some famine?
Maybe they could lobby lawmakers for more Workfare recipients?

Who?

Anyone. There are plenty of people out there.

Again. They will be replaced. Easily.

These aren't high skill, specialized, technical jobs we're talking here.

[piscator]

Most secure occupation is a undertaker and I've often considered it myself. No worries in good times or bad. Nice pace of life and good hours except in times of plague.

Two words: Mass graves.

One more: Bulldozer.

Meh. Been done.

[piscator]

By who? People they wouldn't hire before? Prison labor? Peruvian lead miners? Refugees from some famine?
Maybe they could lobby lawmakers for more Workfare recipients?

Who?

Anyone. There are plenty of people out there.

Again. They will be replaced. Easily.

These aren't high skill, specialized, technical jobs we're talking here.

So there'll be, like, press gangs roving the streets and bars, slipping Mickeys and "recruiting" fast food scabs?


I'm just having a little trouble imagining the throngs of people who'll be chomping at the bit to get in on the coming juicy wave of minimum wage fast food scabbing opportunities, yet are somehow unaware of its tremendous potential for personal and professional growth at present?

Maybe lawmakers will relax immigration requirements?

[Seth]

From the average earnings it looks like around 25% of the population is on the adult minimum wage but some could well be kids (who get a lot less) and some could be part time, but its not unreasonable to think 50% wages are at least influenced by the minimum wage.

It's entirely unreasonable. You're pulling this out of your ass.

UK adult minimum wage is around about £12.5k average earnings are a £25-£30k depending on location and how its calculated. I don't see how minimum wage couldn't influence a lot of people's lives (Also if you have a family up to around £20k you are going to be getting more tax credits than you pay in tax in effect a corporate subsidy for low wages).

I know how you say you started at minimum wage and then worked your way up but that experience isn't simply true but a good part of the population

Well, the actual labor statistics in the US, which I've cited, prove you wrong. Now in the UK, who the fuck knows how many people are on the socialist dole, and more importantly who the fuck cares? You want wage mobility, give up socialism and embrace capitalism because TANSTAAFL.

[Collector1337]

By who? People they wouldn't hire before? Prison labor? Peruvian lead miners? Refugees from some famine?
Maybe they could lobby lawmakers for more Workfare recipients?

Who?

Anyone. There are plenty of people out there.

Again. They will be replaced. Easily.

These aren't high skill, specialized, technical jobs we're talking here.

So there'll be, like, press gangs roving the streets and bars, slipping Mickeys and "recruiting" fast food scabs?


I'm just having a little trouble imagining the throngs of people who'll be chomping at the bit to get in on the coming juicy wave of minimum wage fast food scabbing opportunities, yet are somehow unaware of its tremendous potential for personal and professional growth at present?

Maybe lawmakers will relax immigration requirements?

"Throngs of people?" Why do you think there has to be some rush of people for this to happen?

There are plenty of people on the planet, they will be replaced, by whoever wants to work.

Why do you need some stereotype group of people as an answer as to "who" will be working these jobs?

Perhaps if you're "just having a little trouble imaging" you should get out more and see just how big the world is and how many people there are in it.

[laklak]

UK adult minimum wage is around about £12.5k average earnings are a £25-£30k depending on location and how its calculated. I don't see how minimum wage couldn't influence a lot of people's lives (Also if you have a family up to around £20k you are going to be getting more tax credits than you pay in tax in effect a corporate subsidy for low wages).

I know how you say you started at minimum wage and then worked your way up but that experience isn't simply true but a good part of the population

Minimum wage in Florida (7.79/hr) would be $15,580 a year, assuming a 40 hour week and two weeks vacation. Comes out to about 10,000 quid a year. Given the lower cost of living here (trust me, it's a FUCKLOAD lower) it probably works out pretty close. Anyone with that income will likely qualify for EBT (food stamps) and probably Section 8 housing benefits, and would pay little (If any) federal income tax. We don't have a state income tax, so that's not an issue. However, the average annual wage in 2011 was $40,750 (26,080 GBP) or $19.59 an hour (12.54 GBP).

The biggest difference would be the cost of medical care, but with O'BammyCare coming up that' ALL going to be solved, right? Plus, if you have children there's Medicaid. AND you get to live in Florida. So looks to me like you're at least as well off here on minimum wage as you are in the UK.

[Seth]

So there'll be, like, press gangs roving the streets and bars, slipping Mickeys and "recruiting" fast food scabs?


I'm just having a little trouble imagining the throngs of people who'll be chomping at the bit to get in on the coming juicy wave of minimum wage fast food scabbing opportunities, yet are somehow unaware of its tremendous potential for personal and professional growth at present?

Maybe lawmakers will relax immigration requirements?

Some poultry plant in the South got raided by ICE a year or so ago and they hauled off nearly all the illegal workers and fined the company. The next day the company put ads in the paper for new employees and THOUSANDS of LEGAL workers showed up to apply.

Ever notice that when the economy's bad and lots of people are out of work your fast-food experience is much better than when the economy is hot and unemployment is low? Less surly attitude, smiles and prompt attention to your needs, fewer lugies in your taco and suchlike?


There's a reason for that.

Can you figure out what that reason is?

Here's a hint: It's the same market force that happens when you up the minimum wage...

[piscator]

So there'll be, like, press gangs roving the streets and bars, slipping Mickeys and "recruiting" fast food scabs?


I'm just having a little trouble imagining the throngs of people who'll be chomping at the bit to get in on the coming juicy wave of minimum wage fast food scabbing opportunities, yet are somehow unaware of its tremendous potential for personal and professional growth at present?

Maybe lawmakers will relax immigration requirements?

Some poultry plant in the South got raided by ICE a year or so ago and they hauled off nearly all the illegal workers and fined the company. The next day the company put ads in the paper for new employees and THOUSANDS of LEGAL workers showed up to apply.

Ever notice that when the economy's bad and lots of people are out of work your fast-food experience is much better than when the economy is hot and unemployment is low? Less surly attitude, smiles and prompt attention to your needs, fewer lugies in your taco and suchlike?


There's a reason for that.

Can you figure out what that reason is?

Here's a hint: It's the same market force that happens when you up the minimum wage...

The chicken plant tripled wages?


A whole bunch of school bus drivers and landscapers needed to pay the balloon notes on their $900,000 McMansions they bought before the Subprime Bubble burst?

[Seth]

So there'll be, like, press gangs roving the streets and bars, slipping Mickeys and "recruiting" fast food scabs?


I'm just having a little trouble imagining the throngs of people who'll be chomping at the bit to get in on the coming juicy wave of minimum wage fast food scabbing opportunities, yet are somehow unaware of its tremendous potential for personal and professional growth at present?

Maybe lawmakers will relax immigration requirements?

Some poultry plant in the South got raided by ICE a year or so ago and they hauled off nearly all the illegal workers and fined the company. The next day the company put ads in the paper for new employees and THOUSANDS of LEGAL workers showed up to apply.

Ever notice that when the economy's bad and lots of people are out of work your fast-food experience is much better than when the economy is hot and unemployment is low? Less surly attitude, smiles and prompt attention to your needs, fewer lugies in your taco and suchlike?


There's a reason for that.

Can you figure out what that reason is?

Here's a hint: It's the same market force that happens when you up the minimum wage...

The chicken plant tripled wages?


A whole bunch of school bus drivers and landscapers needed to pay the balloon notes on their $900,000 McMansions they bought before the Subprime Bubble burst?

Nope. Most of the applicants were legal Somali refugees willing to work for the wages offered.

What happens is, when you raise the minimum wage, the unskilled, new entry-level teenage workers can't get jobs because more experienced, older, more reliable and more manageable unemployed adults take the jobs from them, for the same wage, and are glad to have the work and want to keep the job so they behave like mature, experienced workers who know that pleasing the customer makes more profits and more profits means higher wages as time passes.

[MrJonno]

UK adult minimum wage is around about £12.5k average earnings are a £25-£30k depending on location and how its calculated. I don't see how minimum wage couldn't influence a lot of people's lives (Also if you have a family up to around £20k you are going to be getting more tax credits than you pay in tax in effect a corporate subsidy for low wages).

I know how you say you started at minimum wage and then worked your way up but that experience isn't simply true but a good part of the population

Minimum wage in Florida (7.79/hr) would be $15,580 a year, assuming a 40 hour week and two weeks vacation. Comes out to about 10,000 quid a year. Given the lower cost of living here (trust me, it's a FUCKLOAD lower) it probably works out pretty close. Anyone with that income will likely qualify for EBT (food stamps) and probably Section 8 housing benefits, and would pay little (If any) federal income tax. We don't have a state income tax, so that's not an issue. However, the average annual wage in 2011 was $40,750 (26,080 GBP) or $19.59 an hour (12.54 GBP).

The biggest difference would be the cost of medical care, but with O'BammyCare coming up that' ALL going to be solved, right? Plus, if you have children there's Medicaid. AND you get to live in Florida. So looks to me like you're at least as well off here on minimum wage as you are in the UK.

Seems likely but that isn't an argument against minimum wage but one for it

[Coito ergo sum]

UK adult minimum wage is around about £12.5k average earnings are a £25-£30k depending on location and how its calculated. I don't see how minimum wage couldn't influence a lot of people's lives (Also if you have a family up to around £20k you are going to be getting more tax credits than you pay in tax in effect a corporate subsidy for low wages).

I know how you say you started at minimum wage and then worked your way up but that experience isn't simply true but a good part of the population

Minimum wage in Florida (7.79/hr) would be $15,580 a year, assuming a 40 hour week and two weeks vacation. Comes out to about 10,000 quid a year. Given the lower cost of living here (trust me, it's a FUCKLOAD lower) it probably works out pretty close. Anyone with that income will likely qualify for EBT (food stamps) and probably Section 8 housing benefits, and would pay little (If any) federal income tax. We don't have a state income tax, so that's not an issue. However, the average annual wage in 2011 was $40,750 (26,080 GBP) or $19.59 an hour (12.54 GBP).

The biggest difference would be the cost of medical care, but with O'BammyCare coming up that' ALL going to be solved, right? Plus, if you have children there's Medicaid. AND you get to live in Florida. So looks to me like you're at least as well off here on minimum wage as you are in the UK.

Seems likely but that isn't an argument against minimum wage but one for it

In the US, the minimum wage really doesn't matter because almost nobody who has to support a family earns only minimum wage. As noted above, the minimum wage is earned mostly be teenagers and college students working during school. Raise the minimum wage, and more of those jobs go away. If this really was about paying breadwinners a "living wage" my view might be different. But, it isn't.