Fast food restaurant answer to union demand for $15.00 minimum wage?

[mks18412]

This one at a Jack in the box.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDJc1NoGg2g

They are even working on robotic cooks.

Why do people not realize if wages go up every thing will also go up. These same people are going to be in the same situation. Then they will still complain that Ramen noodles are no longer $2 but $6... Why should an entry level high schooler job make $15 an hour?? Its a job not a career. ...

 

[crisi]

If minimum wage is increased, it's not just the Walmarts that will have to increase the amount being paid. As I stated earlier in this thread, my employee's don't make minimum wage, but if minimum wage was raised to $12 - $15, they would suffer from wage compression, and find themselves as part of the new group of people working for minimum wage, as well as face the possibility of fewer hours/ reduction of one or more positions.

Small business owners don't always have the luxury of the same margins as Big Box stores. Currently, due to the fluctuations in the business market, my payroll costs are out of line (high) during the first quarter of the year. We continue to overstaff because we don't want our employees to suffer due to the vagrancies of our business. If minimum wage was increased by 25%, I couldn't justify continuing in this manner. It just wouldn't be feasible.

This is not a "the sky is falling" statement. It is the reality of my business. I don't know what the solution is to the loss of middle income jobs, but I do believe that increasing minimum wage will lead to wage compression and the further slowing down of job growth. Many employers will take another look at the books, and try to make due with fewer resources and employees.

Even Big Box stores don't have the luxury of margin. When you are competing with the internet on the scale of Amazon, its hard for the Targets and WalMarts and Best Buys of the world to compete. Amazon can have far fewer people, only needs distribution centers - no store fronts. And has heavily invested in robotics in its warehouses, they don't even need too many pickers.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

There are other factors going into government assistance such as number of household members, number of children and household income. So it is possible to be working above minimum wage and still need government assistance.

So by your theory, a business needs to pay the employee enough so the employee can pay their bills, regardless of what the position is actually worth.

But if a company has a generating profit of 17 billion in a given year, it is a little ridiculous to have its employees get 2.5 billion of government assistance.

 

[lauradis]

It used to be that the American dream was that you could live in America, and as long as you were willing to work hard, you could get a house and raise a small family. (even on minimum wage)

This is no longer possible. You now need two incomes, just to raise a single child and be a home owner. IN this way America is "less great" than it once was. (and so naturally we would not attract the low-wage workers needed for manufacturing)

This is only half true, you can buy a house.
Get a car on a family working two min. wage jobs, but your only getting the basics and your not getting a dream house.

The point is if you settle for min wage jobs your getting min quality of material items.

Yea it stinks but life is full of choices.

 

[alicat8]

Not everyone can "choose" to go to college and make millions. If you can't afford your rent while you work in fast food, and your parents aren't paying your tuition, you're not going to college. Ever. No choice involved.

 

[writermommy6]

Not everyone can "choose" to go to college and make millions. If you can't afford your rent while you work in fast food, and your parents aren't paying your tuition, you're not going to college. Ever. No choice involved.

But you can choose to work 2 jobs or to work 40 hours and then learn a trade via a mentor or via free information on the internet at the public library. Like you said it's all about choices.

There are those that settle for clocking in and out of a 40 hour work week and those that are determined to do better and have better. It may not be through college but they do it somehow.

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be a cost of living raise for people but to jump to $15 an hour is ridiculous.

 

[alicat8]

But you can choose to work 2 jobs or to work 40 hours and then learn a trade via a mentor or via free information on the internet at the public library. Like you said it's all about choices.

There are those that settle for clocking in and out of a 40 hour work week and those that are determined to do better and have better. It may not be through college but they do it somehow.

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be a cost of living raise for people but to jump to $15 an hour is ridiculous.

I didn't say it's all about choices, because I don't believe it is. Not everyone can work 2 40 hour a week jobs. Some people have children to take care of. I have an aunt who was abandoned by her husband with 3 kids. She couldn't choose to work 40 hour weeks and then learn a trade in her free time. You can't argue that it's all about choice, because that just isn't the case for everyone.

 

[lauradis]

Not everyone can "choose" to go to college and make millions. If you can't afford your rent while you work in fast food, and your parents aren't paying your tuition, you're not going to college. Ever. No choice involved.

hmm lets see I went to college my parents didn't pay, but they let me live in there house for free. I was making just above min wage at the time. I went part time took longer and oh yea I worked my booty off and got some scholarships too. Got a BA in accounting. No loans. 2 kids at the time.

So it really is all about choices, poor ones or good ones.

What your describing is an excuse of why people cant do it.

They could always live close to school and work walk to both and have a million roommates. Fast food places even give you a meal for working more then 4 hours, some fast food places even give money for college.

Its all about the willingness to better ones $$$ life. Or you can just whine about it forever.

 

[alicat8]

What you're describing is a situation where your parents helped you. Not everyone has that luxury. Not everyone can live near a cheap college. Not everyone has the same opportunities.

 

[Arielle22]

But if a company has a generating profit of 17 billion in a given year, it is a little ridiculous to have its employees get 2.5 billion of government assistance.

What about all the other companies that make profits? Should all companies have to open their books and then have employees report what assistance they get? What ratio of profit to assistance would be ok with you?

 

[manning]

I think the most valuable lesson I learned about money came from the janitor at the first TV station I worked at. I don't think he ever made much more than minimum wage, but he was willing to work, willing to work more than 40 hours a week, and disciplined enough to save money.
He made a whole lot of money every fall cleaning out gutters on people's houses for $25. So, what I learned is, you may not make a whole lot per hour, but there are a whole lot of opportunities and hours to make more money.

Shame on you for posting that! Why that isn't the American way.....today.

 

[lauradis]

What you're describing is a situation where your parents helped you. Not everyone has that luxury. Not everyone can live near a cheap college. Not everyone has the same opportunities.

That is a true statement.

its so much easier to whine and complain then make your own opportunities.

Join the Airforce, they give you room and board and up to 60k in GI bill for 4 years of your life.

you cant move closer to a cheap college?

Its always how you look at things and how willing you are to work at the problems in your life.

 

[Lady V]

I do mind. Entry level jobs are not careers. They need to improve their skills and move up like millions of us have done.

In all respect, there are many people with college degrees having to work those jobs these days and those people DO have skills. To tell people to study hard and get more skills so they don't have to do those low level jobs doesn't teach people to work hard, it teaches them to judge people whose stories they will never know.

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

That is a true statement.

its so much easier to whine and complain then make your own opportunities.

Join the Airforce, they give you room and board and up to 60k in GI bill for 4 years of your life.

you cant move closer to a cheap college?

Its always how you look at things and how willing you are to work at the problems in your life.

This board needs a like button.

My husband teaches at an inner city school. You should see what some of those kids accomplish with nothing but hard work and determination! And, no, it is not all about going to college.

 

[tvguy]

In all respect, there are many people with college degrees having to work those jobs these days and those people DO have skills. To tell people to study hard and get more skills so they don't have to do those low level jobs doesn't teach people to work hard, it teaches them to judge people whose stories they will never know.

Yes, the economy cycles up and down. But making a minimum wage job a living wage job only makes the economy worse. And while I disagree with SUB-minimum wage jobs. people in some states think minimum wage is too much, by a whole lot apparently, in states where the subminimum wage is only $2.13 an hour.

 

[manning]

You hear a lot about fairness.

Here's a fact of life that goes back to the beginning of man. Life is not fair. Never has been, never will be.

A few other things. There are several key ingredients for a chance to succeed. Note I said chance. It is not guaranteed.

1. Failure. You hear the success stories, but you don't hear about the failures that took place on the journey to success.

2. Never give up.

3. Get rid of the idea of can't. My grandmother used to say "If you believe you can't do something you can't and won't, If you think you can it is possible you can do something.

4. WORK YOUR BUTT OFF!!!

 

[aprilchem]

Not everyone can "choose" to go to college and make millions. If you can't afford your rent while you work in fast food, and your parents aren't paying your tuition, you're not going to college. Ever. No choice involved.

I got a BS and Ph.D. and my parents never paid one dime for my college education, nor did I ever live in their house or take any money from them during college. I got scholarships to cover most of my tuition and room/board and worked multiple jobs to pay what wasn't paid by scholarships. I banked every penny that wasn't needed to pay for my BS degree so I could afford to move from Va. to Pa. to start working on my Ph.D., and once I was there I competed for assistantships to cover the Ph.D. As a college professor, I see many students following the same path that I did - I have one student now who is working FOUR on-campus jobs to pay her way. So it can be done, it's just a LOT of hard work and dedication to do it.

 

[crisi]

Not everyone can "choose" to go to college and make millions. If you can't afford your rent while you work in fast food, and your parents aren't paying your tuition, you're not going to college. Ever. No choice involved.

That would shock about 30% of my college graduating class. Well, not the make millions part - most people don't think that's realistic. But the going to college part.

I went to not great local state college that specializes in working adults. Urban setting. About 20% of my graduating class were immigrants. First generation. We'd do group work where I wrote the paper because in one case, I was the only native English speaker in a group of four. One of my classmates worked in a bank as a teller. Another was a nanny - room and board and a small salary. A single mom whose friend watched her four year old - she was a nursing assistant. Few went to school full time - most were taking eight years to graduate. Most did have subsidized loans that would need to be paid off - but most of them graduated, even with the hardships.

I have a girlfriend who teaches remedial English at a community college - these are the students that wasted their high school years and then decided that they needed college if they didn't want to work at McDonalds. More than one lives in their car (in Minnesota!), but goes to school.

 

[Dakota731]

Are these businesses that can't pay a living wage and force taxpayers to subsidise their workers really worthwhile?

If you closed every business that paid minimum wage, you'd have no department or grocery stores, no gas stations, no restaurants, no newspaper companies, etc.
You only hurt low income families when you raise the minimum wage, since fast food places will raise their prices, Walmart will raise their prices and grocery stores as well. Companies can't stay in business if they don't make a profit.

 

[alicat8]

I have a girlfriend who teaches remedial English at a community college - these are the students that wasted their high school years and then decided that they needed college if they didn't want to work at McDonalds. More than one lives in their car (in Minnesota!), but goes to school.

Which is exactly what I meant by "can't pay their rent". What if they don't have a car? What if they have 4 kids? I'd pick rent over college if it meant not living on the streets with my kids. Do people make crappy excuses sometimes? Yes. But that doesn't mean that everyone can do it with hard work. Plenty can, not everyone. For countless possible reasons.