Fast food workers go on strike

[QUOTE="coolbeans90"]

[QUOTE="SpartanMSU"]

Yep. Interning is very important. Most pay well too (at least for business majors). I made $24/hr and got paid to go on trips where we basically just partied.

Rich3232

It varies by internship/major, but, fortunately, I'm in engineering, so the notion of unpaid internships makes me giggle. Don't get to party, though; it's definitely work.

I wonder how much work an accounting degree is?

Accountants suck.

All my jobs so far have been as a research assistant (my current job and my job position for two summers in college) or as a TA (most of college, but it wasn't more than maybe 10 hours a week), so thankfully I haven't had to work at minimum wage (and hope never to have to). Good luck to these guys though.

All my jobs so far have been as a research assistant (my current job and my job position for two summers in college) or as a TA (most of college, but it wasn't more than maybe 10 hours a week), so thankfully I haven't had to work at minimum wage (and hope never to have to). Good luck to these guys though.

chessmaster1989

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

All my jobs so far have been as a research assistant (my current job and my job position for two summers in college) or as a TA (most of college, but it wasn't more than maybe 10 hours a week), so thankfully I haven't had to work at minimum wage (and hope never to have to). Good luck to these guys though.

Nibroc420

It does take will power however to continue to go into a job like this, because in general most people do not enjoy this type of work.

Serraph105

Absolutely agreed with this. I took on a job as a dishwasher for a summer in university, and it was a mentally straining job. The hardest thing about it was the tedium. It helped me develop a real sense of compassion for the people who are stuck in jobs like this. Part of me thinks everyone should do this sort of work at some point in their lives for the same reason.

I wonder what the effects are and if they will be successful.

The problem with fast food workers is that they are extremely easily replaced. Strikes only work well when you control the majority of the workforce. Fast food jobs suck, no doubt about that, but the extremely low skill requirement and very large potential workforce keeps the wages down. Just the nature of the beast.

I think the minimum wage should probably be adjusted another 50 cents to a dollar.

Workers in fast food and retail do have one advantage. Those kind of jobs are very regional. People aren't going to move great lengths to get a close to minimum wage paying job somewhere. So if they can organize enough within their communities, depending on the size of the community they could actually probably get higher wages. I know if most of the retail workers within a 25 mile radius of my house would just go on strike, it would be much more difficult to replace them all or bring in people from other reigons to cover. Either there won't be enough to fill the positions or the company would spend even more on transportation and overtime wages than they would on just paying higher wages.

In a big city though, that's not really going to be a big advantage.

Minimum wage should be raised to a realistic living wage. Something like $11/hr would be reasonable, IMO. People typically provide a higher quality of work when they are paid decently, so some of those people that seem almost worthless at 7-8 bucks an hour might surprise you at $11-12.

As they should. The current minimum wage is not liveable. More minimum wage employees need to have the balls to do this. There's absolutely no reason fabulously wealthy megacorps like McDonalds and Walmart can't pay their employees a decent wage, say $12/hour. $7/hour to sweat your ass off is exploitive and abusive. You may as well just go on welfare if that's all they're going to pay you. Meanwhile their executives do nothing all day and make millions. The artificial scarcity created by those at the top needs to end, and this is just one example.

They're not gonna get 15$. 10-11$ would have been more reasonable. Hope they succeed though.

Why should they earn more? There is no shortage of people in this country looking for low skill labor. Just fire them all and hire new ones.

Chickity_China

I agree with them. Doing retail or food service is such a sh*t job, and the pay is obscenely bad. You cannot even pay for basic living on a 7-8$ an hour. ESPECIALLY in Nyc. Rent must be at least 1,000$, if not more.

8$ x 40 hours a week= 320 net

320 x 4 weeks= 1280$. Thats before taxes. You cannot live on that amount. Yes, people will say "They should get a better job/go to college". How can a person even afford to do that? What if youre on your own with no support?

There is a huge problem with minimum wage.

[QUOTE="fl4tlined"]i work as a saleperson for wafflehouse i understand their plight i really do (even if my wage comes directly from the customer and treating them with utmost respect is required under any condition if i wish to get my money) so i read it wondering what their asking wage is hoping its a modest proposal of 9 or 10 dollars a hour.. then i read 15 and started laughing my ass off. seriously? 15 dollars? atleast make a effort to try and ask something reasonable 15 a hour is ridiculessly highSerraph105

It is not a laughable price. Do you guys know anything about brokering deals/bargaining? You should always give an unrealistically high number, so it gets bargained down to what you actually want. -mind games-

As they should. The current minimum wage is not liveable. More minimum wage employees need to have the balls to do this. There's absolutely no reason fabulously wealthy megacorps like McDonalds and Walmart can't pay their employees a decent wage, say $12/hour. $7/hour to sweat your ass off is exploitive and abusive. You may as well just go on welfare if that's all they're going to pay you. Meanwhile their executives do nothing all day and make millions. The artificial scarcity created by those at the top needs to end, and this is just one example.

bigfoot2045

And what do you mean by articifial scarcity? And how is a voluntary job exploitative and abusive? If the working conditions are really so intolerable, the workers are free to leave.

And what do you mean by articifial scarcity? And how is a voluntary job exploitative and abusive? If the working conditions are really so intolerable, the workers are free to leave.

Laihendi

I like how all of your views coincide neatly with the prominent ideas of the 19th century.

[QUOTE="Laihendi"]

And what do you mean by articifial scarcity? And how is a voluntary job exploitative and abusive? If the working conditions are really so intolerable, the workers are free to leave.

pie-junior

I like how all of your views coincide neatly with the prominent ideas of the 19th century.

Americas going to lose weight I guess.Socialist696

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

As they should. The current minimum wage is not liveable. More minimum wage employees need to have the balls to do this. There's absolutely no reason fabulously wealthy megacorps like McDonalds and Walmart can't pay their employees a decent wage, say $12/hour. $7/hour to sweat your ass off is exploitive and abusive. You may as well just go on welfare if that's all they're going to pay you. Meanwhile their executives do nothing all day and make millions. The artificial scarcity created by those at the top needs to end, and this is just one example.

thegerg

If you can't afford to treat your employees like human beings, don't open a business.

[QUOTE="Nibroc420"] You went to school, to improve yourself and to enhance your ability to get a job that is above minimum wage. These people opted simply for minimum wage. I simply cannot feel sympathy for these people, they've done this to themselves.MrGeezer

In your analogy you forgot the part where there's a guy with a cart full of ham sandwiches standing there laughing at them. Megacorps can afford to pay their employees a living wage. They don't because they're greedy scumbags.

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

[QUOTE="thegerg"] Keep in mind that large corporations wil not be the only one impacted if the minimum wage is drastically increased. It will have devastating impact on small busnisses. thegerg

If you can't afford to treat your employees like human beings, don't open a business.

The workers would have massively improved quality of life. They would probably work harder because they're no longer worried about how they'll make ends meet and they actually have a reason to care about their jobs. Slaves do poor quality work. Well paid workers do a good job.

Wealthy business owners wouldn't be harmed by it. And usually when taxes or the minimum wage are raised, they compensate by ramping up their business and bringing in more money.

Everybody wins.

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"] Regardless, the way things are set up not everyone can get a good job. It's like a dozen bums fighting over a ham sandwich. You can blame the losers for not fighting hard enough, but the fact is that there just plain wasn't enough food to go around. Regardless of whose fault it is that they're stuck earning minimum wage, this sort of stuff is going to end up being a big problem. If you've got a bunch of people only qualified to do one kind of work, and it's practically impossible for them to make a living off of that work, then that's gonna end up being a big problem.thegerg

In your analogy you forgot the part where there's a guy with a cart full of ham sandwiches standing there laughing at them. Megacorps can afford to pay their employees a living wage. They don't because they're greedy scumbags.

I don't shop at Walmart. I don't agree with their business practices, and it's a disgusting and depressing place.

[QUOTE="nunovlopes"]

[QUOTE="Chickity_China"]

At least cattle don't b**** and moan about minimum wage.

Chickity_China

I think you're on to something. Maybe we should just kill all those lazy people and turn them into burgers.

Maybe lazy people need to shut the f*** up and stop being lazy or deal with their own shortcommings.

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

[QUOTE="thegerg"]OK...That has nothing to do with the fact that a dramatic increase in the minimum wage would negativly impact countless workers and business owners.thegerg

The workers would have massively improved quality of life. They would probably work harder because they now have a reason to give a crap about their jobs. Slaves do poor quality work. Well paid workers do a good job.

Wealthy business owners wouldn't be harmed by it. And usually when taxes or the minimum wage are raised, they compensate by ramping up their business and bringing in more money.

Everybody wins.

Again, I ask why are you in business when you can't afford to treat your employees like human beings? They have families to feed and bills to pay. Or are you just another one of these greedy **** who keeps everything for himself while paying his employees a crap wage? You didnt' build your business, and the business you're running would collapse without the employees. Treat them right or shut down your business.

[QUOTE="Chickity_China"]

[QUOTE="nunovlopes"]

I think you're on to something. Maybe we should just kill all those lazy people and turn them into burgers.

rilpas

Maybe lazy people need to shut the f*** up and stop being lazy or deal with their own shortcommings.

[QUOTE="thegerg"][QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

The workers would have massively improved quality of life. They would probably work harder because they now have a reason to give a crap about their jobs. Slaves do poor quality work. Well paid workers do a good job.

Wealthy business owners wouldn't be harmed by it. And usually when taxes or the minimum wage are raised, they compensate by ramping up their business and bringing in more money.

Everybody wins.

bigfoot2045

Again, I ask why are you in business when you can't afford to treat your employees like human beings? They have families to feed and bills to pay. Or are you just another one of these greedy **** who keeps everything for himself while paying his employees a crap wage? You didnt' build your business, and the business you're running would collapse without the employees. Treat them right or shut down your business.

[QUOTE="rilpas"]

[QUOTE="Chickity_China"]

Maybe lazy people need to shut the f*** up and stop being lazy or deal with their own shortcommings.

chilly-chill

no more presumptuous then any of his posts on this thread.

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

[QUOTE="thegerg"] No, the workers would not have an improved quality of life. I run a small business. If my labor costs increased so dramatically then myself and everyone else in that building would be out of a job. Wealthy business owners may not be harmed, but the other business owners would. chilly-chill

Again, I ask why are you in business when you can't afford to treat your employees like human beings? They have families to feed and bills to pay. Or are you just another one of these greedy **** who keeps everything for himself while paying his employees a crap wage? You didnt' build your business, and the business you're running would collapse without the employees. Treat them right or shut down your business.

What, because I think it's wrong to exploit employees? Business owners don't build businesses, the workers do. Without workers, businesses would collapse. Obama was absolutely right with his "you didn't build that" line.

If I ran a business, it would be a democracy, and everyone would make the same wage. We don't put up with tyranny in our government, so why do we tolerate it at work?

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

[QUOTE="thegerg"] No, the workers would not have an improved quality of life. I run a small business. If my labor costs increased so dramatically then myself and everyone else in that building would be out of a job. Wealthy business owners may not be harmed, but the other business owners would. thegerg

Again, I ask why are you in business when you can't afford to treat your employees like human beings? They have families to feed and bills to pay. Or are you just another one of these greedy **** who keeps everything for himself while paying his employees a crap wage? You didnt' build your business, and the business you're running would collapse without the employees. Treat them right or shut down your business.

I've paid as much as $200 over what my handyman has asked when he did a good job.

He recently rebuilt a fuse box outside. It was back breaking work, so in addition to the check for his asking price, I handed him $200 in cash.

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

[QUOTE="chilly-chill"] You clearly don't understand priorities let alone business.thegerg

What, because I think it's wrong to exploit employees? Business owners don't build businesses, the workers do. Without workers, businesses would collapse. Obama was absolutely right with his "you didn't build that" line.

If I ran a business, it would be a democracy, and everyone would make the same wage. We don't put up with tyranny in our government, so why do we tolerate it at work?

Not really. Compared to a minimum wage employee, corporate executives barely work. I should know, my stepfather was CEO of one of the largest publishing companies in the US.

Small business owners do work. But if you think the executives at some megacorp like McDonalds or Walmart do any real work, you're absolutely delusional. Those people are parasites.

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"][QUOTE="Nibroc420"] You went to school, to improve yourself and to enhance your ability to get a job that is above minimum wage. These people opted simply for minimum wage. I simply cannot feel sympathy for these people, they've done this to themselves.bigfoot2045

In your analogy you forgot the part where there's a guy with a cart full of ham sandwiches standing there laughing at them. Megacorps can afford to pay their employees a living wage. They don't because they're greedy scumbags.

Are you willing to pay $10 for a simple cheeseburger? How about $20 a gallon for gas? All those low paying jobs help keep prices down. It is not about greedy corporations, but what a customer is willing to pay for something be it a hamburger, getting your car washed, or an ear of corn at the grocery store. Places like McDonald's are small businesses, franchises owned by a local owner, not some big conglomerate of uncaring corporations. Ask the local owner how much he profits from his business for the year before stating that they can afford it. Home Depot is a large corporation that would have to raise the price of a toilet seat to $50 and that $.50 PVC fitting would rise to $5 just to remain profitable (though home improvement does take some knowledge so to give customers the right advice on how to do something). They would struggle to remain in business if they had to increase pay for their workers across the board as no one would want to buy anything from them.

[QUOTE="bigfoot2045"]

[QUOTE="thegerg"] I can treat my employees like human beings and I do. I pay them what their labor is worth, at a rate at which we have agreed upon. Let me ask you something, if a plumber comes to your house to fix a burst pipe and gives you a bill for $200 do you pay him $300, or are you just another one of these greedy **** who keeps everything for himself while paying his employees a crap wage?thegerg

I've paid as much as $200 over what my handyman has asked when he did a good job.

He recently rebuilt a fuse box outside. It was back breaking work, so in addition to the check for his asking price, I handed him $200 in cash.

you'd have have spared yourself from looking like a fool if you had read that part