Hundreds of fast food workers strike - inspired by wal mart strikes - Polidicks

very eloquent [seed eater]

[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];38661959']A living wage is a living wage. The fact of the matter is that the labor is only as valuable as the value it produces. The skill of the labor has little to do with the product of it in most cases. Fast food workers are necessary to make fast food. Fact of the matter is that if they make 15$ worth of product, they ought to get as much of that as reasonably possible. They produce 15$, they get 15$- minus necessities. So what if it's an easy job? Does the ease of the job correlate with the value of the product? It does not. Unskilled labor often enough produces value far greater than is returned to the laborer. We ought to judge the payment of the labor on the worth of its product, and not the skill level involved. Of course this ought to be tweaked for the service industry where there is no direct product, but simple distribution based on the labor put in is sufficient in that area. Basically, if an individual working in McD's is responsible for production of 15$ worth of product, then they ought to receive a far more reasonable compensation for that. They are directly responsible for that product's value. They are not compensated based on that fact, they are compensated based on the skill level of their labor- not even the labor itself, but simply its skill. And if the bosses choose to raise prices because of an increase of wages, then you can put the blame on them- if they are paying their workers based on the value of their product then they will be paying them based on the collective income directly, and therefore the workers would receive no wage higher than they produce.[/QUOTE] If that was the case they would be being paid alot less.

And all the while, Waitresess/Waiters and the like in non fast food restraunts, have to pretty much survive off tips.

[QUOTE=RayvenQ;38662423]And all the while, Waitresess/Waiters and the like in non fast food restraunts, have to pretty much survive off tips.[/QUOTE] Some of those guys (not all) do far better with tips than with a wage.

How the fuck am I supposed to eat Mcdonalds all wasted on christmas eve?

quit being entitled pls

[QUOTE=RayvenQ;38662423]And all the while, Waitresess/Waiters and the like in non fast food restraunts, have to pretty much survive off tips.[/QUOTE] in my state if tips dont make up to minimum wage the restaurant has to pick up the slack

[QUOTE=yawmwen;38662636]in my state if tips dont make up to minimum wage the restaurant has to pick up the slack[/QUOTE] Not that this always happens. Both my mother and my aunt have many years waitressing, and while tips generally do make quite a bit more than wages, the industry hardly follows the rules. Things like no lunches/breaks, taking a cut of tips, and not compensating for low tips when they don't meet minimum wage are relatively common. Because the skill level of the job is so low, many employers think that they can get away with giving as little as possible. [editline]1st December 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=laserguided;38662165]If that was the case they would be being paid alot less.[/QUOTE] If they were producing a value less than minimum wage, then the company would be consistently having a net loss. Since none of the fast food chains are doing bad, then it's obvious that they're making a profit off their workers.

Woah, fast food workers don't even make $15/hr over there?

[QUOTE=mac338;38664538]Woah, fast food workers don't even make $15/hr over there?[/QUOTE] I've never made more than $7.50/hr in my half a dozen jobs.

Also keep in mind that the cost of living in New York City is fairly high, so while $15 minimum wage might sound high where you live, it depends on where the workers live themselves. [editline]1st December 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=mac338;38664538]Woah, fast food workers don't even make $15/hr over there?[/QUOTE] Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, Georgia minimum wage can be as low as $5.15 an hour.

[QUOTE=Banned?;38664549]I've never made more than $7.50/hr in my half a dozen jobs.[/QUOTE] Woah. We don't have a minimum wage here, but a typical entry level job like fast food worker or janitor will get you at least $23/hr here. I mean, sure, it's more expensive to live here and gas is four times more expensive, but still... anything under $19/hr seems a bit insane unless it's part-time.

[QUOTE=mac338;38664575]Woah. We don't have a minimum wage here, but a typical entry level job like fast food worker or janitor [B]will get you at least $23/hr here.[/B] I mean, sure, it's more expensive to live here and gas is four times more expensive, but still... anything under $19/hr seems a bit insane unless it's part-time.[/QUOTE] Where the fuck do you live so I can move there immediately?

I can see it now. The fastfood strikes spread like wildfire. All Americans suddenly have BMIs below overweight. Heart disease becomes nearly nonexistent. Healthcare costs plummet. Everyone becomes extremely productive. GFC ends, world peace is achieved, all men's' penises grow by 45% overnight

[QUOTE=Banned?;38664583]Where the fuck do you live so I can move there immediately?[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://www.goldenpaints.com/images/icons/Norway_flag19x12.gif[/IMG]

[QUOTE=mac338;38664590][IMG]http://www.goldenpaints.com/images/icons/Norway_flag19x12.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE] Christ. I wish I lived in Europe. I have nothing against living in the US but God damn am I beyond jealous of some of the standards of living in parts of Europe.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;38659661]if you're a full time worker you should be paid a living wage[/QUOTE] Yes, but if you put the minimum wage up to fifteen dollars minimum that'll fuck the economy over, and like everything else it'll only make the prices of everything that requires you to live to be set at the same bar it is. The fact is not to bring the minimum wage up highly, but rather to bring the cost of living down.

[QUOTE=Banned?;38664601]Christ. I wish I lived in Europe. I have nothing against living in the US but God damn am I beyond jealous of some of the standards of living in parts of Europe.[/QUOTE] The difference isn't [I]that[/I] huge. I've lived in the US and Norway, and I can say Norway is a good country to grow up in, but you'll be more prosperous in the US than Norway if you're a hard, driven worker with persistence.

[QUOTE=Keyblockor;38664623]The fact is not to bring the minimum wage up highly, but rather to bring the cost of living down.[/QUOTE] I live 15 minutes outside of Boulder, Colorado and this made me laugh because it's never going to happen here.

[QUOTE=Banned?;38664634]I live 15 minutes outside of Boulder, Colorado and this made me laugh because it's never going to happen here.[/QUOTE] I feel sorry, I hope it gets better for you.

[QUOTE=Keyblockor;38664623]The fact is not to bring the minimum wage up highly, but rather to bring the cost of living down.[/QUOTE] Agreed; when unhealthy stuff like fast food is cheaper than fruit and veg, you know you've got a problem. It's worse than the way that critically-acclaimed video games don't sell as well as yearly-iterations on the Spunkgargleweewee formula found in CoD and other degenerate games that don't deserve to be called shooters. But going back on topic, things like fruit and veg need to be more affordable than greasy nosh that should be a luxury rather than a staple, and with that folks should be capable of actually SURVIVING on their wages. Also forcing the rich to pay their fucking taxes and imprisoning money launderers would in theory help to re-equalise America, with less poor people struggling just to survive.

Fast food jobs get you £3.50 an hour if you're 16/17, or £4.50 an hour if you're 18 in the UK.

This is totally unnessicary. While I think it's important for a full time fast food worker to be able to make enough to not require foodstamps pretty much, $15 is a very high price for what is, basically, the most beginner level and basic starter-job in the world. Especially since you need 4-6 people to run a store like that, and your product is rarely more than $5. Making the min wage this high would do nothing in the end except cause inflation. Oh sure they'll really enjoy themselves for the first few months. But next thing they know the stuff they buy has also doubled in price because the low end market is making double. This is why games and such are always priced at around $80-$100 in Aus. It's not because everybody hates austrailia, its because the minimum wage there is close to $16/hr USD and as such other companies that would normally pay at that rate (like bank tellers) now must pay more as well. So everyone generally makes more money over there, which in turn increases the prices of the goods and services because those goods/services basically lose their value if they stayed "$60" or so. I mean thats not to say raising the minimum wage is bad or anything, but doubling it is asinine. If we really want to have a positiv impact on poorer classes we gotta give serious tax breaks/bonuses and other stuff to stimulate the lower/consumer classes so they have more purchasing power without outright making things more expensive to produce by requring low-end "foundation" companies to pay double wages. Thats what was done during the great depression and other such stuff that made us get out of it. [editline]1st December 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Banned?;38664601]Christ. I wish I lived in Europe. I have nothing against living in the US but God damn am I beyond jealous of some of the standards of living in parts of Europe.[/QUOTE] It's not nearly the same as the US though. While yes, you make about 23usd/hr, the cost of living is also much higher, and the lifestyle is completely different. I.E. it is rare for a person to own a home in Europe compared to America, it is literally impossible to drive everywhere all the time because gas is extremely expensive (for a reason), etc. If you were to work for a year in the US then move immediately to norway or sweeden without getting a job or etc you'd find yourself being absolutely broke in much less time than a person who lived in that region moving to the US.

[QUOTE=Banned?;38664601]Christ. I wish I lived in Europe. I have nothing against living in the US but God damn am I beyond jealous of some of the standards of living in parts of Europe.[/QUOTE] I live in the netherlands and my minimum wage is like 6.5 dollars an hour, before tax. Oh, we have the highest gas prices in Europe as well, on top a high cost of living.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;38662488]quit being entitled pls[/QUOTE] thinking that a job should be able to provide enough money to just live is entitled?

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;38662443]Some of those guys (not all) do far better with tips than with a wage.[/QUOTE] My boyfriend made $200 in tips once

[QUOTE=MR-X;38660893]$15 dollars an hour is a bit high in my book. Pay rates are based on skill and experience, it takes zero skill and zero experience to put a pre-cooked burger in a warmer for a few seconds and it takes zero skill to drop a basket of fries in to a deep frier then pull it out when the timer goes off. Everything is practically automated expect some of the physical labor aspects. Yes the hours may suck, customers may suck, but it does not merit a 15 dollar an hour pay In my eyes. I'm don't mean anything bad about them I worked in food service myself, I was a butcher for period of time and had deal with a lot of assholes customers and A LOT of labor intensive shit. For example I made 15 dollars an hour starting while working in corrections (It was less then that before too), My life was in danger most of the times, I've had some shit go down, I've put up with a lot of bullshit. I had a lot of risks to my health (I could have been infected with AIDS, other shit due to blood, people coming in with dirty needles hidden, etc) it was one of the most dangerous and stressful jobs ever, add on 12 hour shifts (or longer if something happens, try being on lockdown for almost 16-20 hours), doing overtime on top of that, etc.... It was fun most of the times, but it had its days. Do they deserve better working conditions, benefits, and stuff like that..yes they do. But a pay increase like that, specially for starting pay is completely asinine imo.[/QUOTE] Factories around here pay double what I make in fast food, with overtime, with benefits, for standing in a line and pulling turkeys off a hook, and you're saying that that's skilled? 15 dollars an hour is kind of ridiculous, but hell I'd like just .001% profits of the place I work at. That'd give me a reason to give a shit whether your burger tastes like ass or not.

[QUOTE=KorJax;38665989]This is why games and such are always priced at around $80-$100 in Aus. It's not because everybody hates austrailia, its because the minimum wage there is close to $16/hr USD and as such other companies that would normally pay at that rate (like bank tellers) now must pay more as well. [/QUOTE] Maybe. But everybody does hate Australia, right?

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;38662488]quit being entitled pls[/QUOTE] It's funny people whine about 'entitlement' as if employers aren't the same way, probably more so. You're not entitled to paying low wages, and arguments like 'it's a low-skill job' and 'it's a beginner job' are excuses and shouldn't be taken seriously.

The fact of the matter is, fast food jobs pay so low because anyone can do them... They don't require any special skill sets at all. [editline]1st December 2012[/editline] The fact of the matter is, fast food jobs pay so low because anyone can do them... They don't require any special skill sets at all.