McDonalds Workers in New York Striking

[MouseketeerMMC]

Unions are definately the answer. The union will negotiatea $3/hr payraise of which union dues will be nearly that much. So now the company execs continue to live like kings and the union organizers and officers live like princes, and the worker bees continue to be paupers as the price of goods increase. So the winner is the union officers/organizers.

Unions do work Mrs. Hill, sure not all of the time, and while their are major flaws they do tend to help the worker bees. Sure the leaders will profit, but they can also force a change when all of the store employees tell corporate to take a hike and the corporation is forced to make changes.

 

[dakcp2001]

Actually , my union dues was 9 bucks per pay period which was twice a month . The 18 a month was more than worth it in health insurance savings alone. Never mind the additional benefits of a contract that spelled out overtime and mandatory overtime when forced to stay over at work. And the additional paid holidays. Seeing all the things we kept each time the contract came due only reinforced how much the dues was worth. As a nurse I'd gladly pay union dues for safe staffing levels. Even if it meant paying a lot more.

 

[Janet Hill]

Well that's nice if you can get it, but my husband's union doesn't seem to operate this way.

Last year's increase to base hourly rate went entirely back to union dues. The folks in the office have nice salaries and better health insurance benefits provided the worker bees. If my husband didn't make 15 above scale he would definately be gone. Oh and he also has an additional 401(k) from the company. He's doing quite well in spite of the union.

 

[dakcp2001]

Well that's nice if you can get it, but my husband's union doesn't seem to operate this way.

Last year's increase to base hourly rate went entirely back to union dues. The folks in the office have nice salaries and better health insurance benefits provided the worker bees. If my husband didn't make 15 above scale he would definately be gone. Oh and he also has an additional 401(k) from the company. He's doing quite well in spite of the union.

Perhaps he should try a non union position. He won't want to because the benefits will suck more.

 

[Janet Hill]

Perhaps he should try a non union position. He won't want to because the benefits will suck more.

I doubt that because his health insurance sucks now. The list of doctors who take the insurance shrinks every year. For the last 4 years we have changed dr because of this.

As stated before his company subsidizes the union floor of wages and benefits nicely he chooses to stay with the company not the union.

Lesson is most employers will pay premiums for quality employees; however, employers cannot stay in business by paying their employees a wage that is higher than the value of the service they provide.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Unions do work Mrs. Hill, sure not all of the time, and while their are major flaws they do tend to help the worker bees. Sure the leaders will profit, but they can also force a change when all of the store employees tell corporate to take a hike and the corporation is forced to make changes.

Yeah, they sure helped all those manufacturing folks who now have no jobs at all.

 

[Acklander]

Yeah, they sure helped all those manufacturing folks who now have no jobs at all.

Since those jobs pay about 3$ an hour in China they were leaving the country with our without the union

 

[sam_gordon]

Perhaps he should try a non union position. He won't want to because the benefits will suck more.

Not always true. My place is non-union and we have decent benefits.

Bottom line, unions aren't always the answer. In fact, they sometimes get in the way. Other times, they're very good. Depends on the situation.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Since those jobs pay about 3$ an hour in China they were leaving the country with our without the union

Some of them simply left Michigan for Kentucky

Besides, wage is really only a very small part of what makes union labor expensive. And no, not all unions are bad. But those that are bad are VERY bad.

 

[ge0rgette2]

Gosh, I'm gonna chime in here...
Living on the outskirts of NYC, unsure how much my area McDonald's pays their employee's, but... 9x out of 10, they are non english speaking. That doesn't make them less of a person, deserving less than minimal wage, but..... They don't understand you 1/2 the time you order, screw the order up, etc. So they deserve $14.00 to do that? I don't think so.
If it's not McD's, it's Wendy's, and the like around here. They all don't understand 'english'.

 

[Jex]

The union's worked out well for the Twinkies, not sure what the problem is.

 

[FlyingDumbo]

The union's worked out well for the Twinkies, not sure what the problem is.

You must not have read much on that situation. Hostess wants you to think it was the union. But really it was greed. Read up on the liquidation expert they hired a year in advance and how much the executives took for bonuses while the company was going downhill. You can't always take what the media hand feeds you at face value.

 

[S. C.]

You must not have read much on that situation. Hostess wants you to think it was the union. But really it was greed. Read up on the liquidation expert they hired a year in advance and how much the executives took for bonuses while the company was going downhill. You can't always take what the media hand feeds you at face value.

Well said!

 

[Janet Hill]

I am not sure how union leaders are any different from the corporate exec. Both just earn their money on the backs of the worker bees.

Unions did have their place at one time, particularly when workers were faced with unsafe conditions in the mines. But now the union heirarchy seems to be run more like a big business.

 

[World Showcaser]

Strange, I'm not a frequent customer of McDonald's, but I have been there a lot throughout my life (and I've been to their establishments in three continents, now that I think about it) and I don't remember once getting bad service. When I go for fast food, I expect to place my order and receive it in a realtively short time, and that is what I get just about every time I go to McDonald's. They don't exceed my expectations, but they certainly meet them, and consistently.

You are right; you don't frequent McDonalds. Having young children, I certainly and begrudgingly do. And I don't receive the service you are describing. I can't recall the last time I went to McDonalds that they didn't get something in my order wrong. I often have to wait plenty long for my order. The restaurant is filthy and the employees act like they are doing you a favour by serving you. I'm not even sure that service like that is worth minimum wage but I guess they take who they can get.

I really can't understand this fully American mindset of because you are unskilled it's perfectly ok to treat you like dirt?

I'm not sure anyone is suggesting that McDonalds employees should be treated like dirt. I'm certainly not. I think everyone should be treated with respect. However, I don't feel people should be rewarded for nothing. You know who would end up paying for this 100% raise? Customers. All it would do would drive food prices up and keep service lousy.

Since when are McDonald's workers unionized?

They aren't. So, basically, they are choosing just not to go to work. So, if they are blocking entry to the restaurant, they are doing nothing more but loitering and trespassing.

There is no way you can survive in New York City on $7/hour.

But that's not really McDonalds issues. That is a government issue. So, if anyone wants to see the minimum wage raised in NY or anyone else, they have to appeal to governments not companies. And I agree that this is a low wage.

Not always true. My place is non-union and we have decent benefits.

Me too. I have fantastic benefits: housing provided, healthcare, pension, employee assistance program, discounted gymn membership...and I'm not unionized.

 

[Colleen27]

If they don't like the wages, quit and find another job that will pay you an acceptable wage. I think striking is ridiculous when there are other places to work. It's not like McDonald's is the only place these people can get a job.

I think people don't like the fact that they have to work for a higher wage. If you want more money, work hard and you can work your way up or go to school and learn a trade or get a degree.

That's not really a solution, though. It works for individuals up to a certain point but does not deal with the broad social and economic issue of declining real compensation for the working class. We will always need more Indians than Chiefs, so to speak, and telling the Indians who can't make ends meet because their jobs pay less now than they did in the 60s (after adjusting for inflation, which doesn't even scratch the surface of the ways cost of living has increased) that they should all just become Chiefs is illogical and impossible on its face.

When we as a society accepted the idea that a day's labor is only worth what it can be done for by a laborer in a third world country or an undocumented immigrant in our own we essentially embraced the idea that our nation should have a permanent underclass whose role is to keep goods and services cheap for the middle classes and provide a steady flow of profits for the upper class. The union busting and union bashing of recent years, fed by half truths from the media and our political leaders, is just a way of keeping the American-born members of that underclass in their place because organizing and striking are historically the best proved ways for workers to win better conditions.

 

[World Showcaser]

That's not really a solution, though. It works for individuals up to a certain point but does not deal with the broad social and economic issue of declining real compensation for the working class. We will always need more Indians than Chiefs, so to speak, and telling the Indians who can't make ends meet because their jobs pay less now than they did in the 60s (after adjusting for inflation, which doesn't even scratch the surface of the ways cost of living has increased) that they should all just become Chiefs is illogical and impossible on its face.

When we as a society accepted the idea that a day's labor is only worth what it can be done for by a laborer in a third world country or an undocumented immigrant in our own we essentially embraced the idea that our nation should have a permanent underclass whose role is to keep goods and services cheap for the middle classes and provide a steady flow of profits for the upper class. The union busting and union bashing of recent years, fed by half truths from the media and our political leaders, is just a way of keeping the American-born members of that underclass in their place because organizing and striking are historically the best proved ways for workers to win better conditions.

That's all well and good. But how does that relate to the action these workers have decided to take? How does this act get the desired results? They are attacking a company that is lawfully working within the system you described. The way to promote change would be to change the system. But that's not where there energy is focused. Why? Because they aren't trying to do what you say. They are trying to get more money for subpar work.

 

[joviroxx]

That's not really a solution, though. It works for individuals up to a certain point but does not deal with the broad social and economic issue of declining real compensation for the working class. We will always need more Indians than Chiefs, so to speak, and telling the Indians who can't make ends meet because their jobs pay less now than they did in the 60s (after adjusting for inflation, which doesn't even scratch the surface of the ways cost of living has increased) that they should all just become Chiefs is illogical and impossible on its face.

When we as a society accepted the idea that a day's labor is only worth what it can be done for by a laborer in a third world country or an undocumented immigrant in our own we essentially embraced the idea that our nation should have a permanent underclass whose role is to keep goods and services cheap for the middle classes and provide a steady flow of profits for the upper class. The union busting and union bashing of recent years, fed by half truths from the media and our political leaders, is just a way of keeping the American-born members of that underclass in their place because organizing and striking are historically the best proved ways for workers to win better conditions.

But see, McDonald's and jobs such as these are not really supposed to be jobs for long time survival. They are entry jobs that work for students, retirees or people starting out. A minimum wage job should be a stepping stone. If you choose to stay there, you can't just expect to receive a wage and that is not equal to the work. Its not meant to be permanent.

Its not about permanently having an underclass, its about having temporary workers fill these positions as they educate, train, grow into higher paying jobs. A teenager that starts at McDonalds shouldn't still be flipping burgers 10 years later. These jobs are useful and needed for our economy.

As far as unions. My DH is a union member and I am an executive in a company that is part of a collective bargaining agreement with a union. Too many people feed into the "need for unions". Im not a fan of unions in their current work model.

 

[luvmy3]

But see, McDonald's and jobs such as these are really supposed to be jobs for long time survival. They are entry jobs that work for students, retirees or people starting out. A minimum wage job should be a stepping stone. If you choose to stay there, you can't just expect to receive a wage and that is not equal to the work. Its not meant to be permanent.

Its not about permanently having an underclass, its about having temporary workers fill these positions as they educate, train, grow into higher paying jobs. A teenager that starts at McDonalds shouldn't still be flipping burgers 10 years later. These jobs are useful and needed for our economy.

As far as unions. My DH is a union member and I am an executive in a company that is part of a collective bargaining agreement with a union. Too many people feed into the "need for unions". Im not a fan of unions in their current work model.

 

[Acklander]

But see, McDonald's and jobs such as these are really supposed to be jobs for long time survival. They are entry jobs that work for students, retirees or people starting out. A minimum wage job should be a stepping stone. If you choose to stay there, you can't just expect to receive a wage and that is not equal to the work. Its not meant to be permanent.

Its not about permanently having an underclass, its about having temporary workers fill these positions as they educate, train, grow into higher paying jobs. A teenager that starts at McDonalds shouldn't still be flipping burgers 10 years later. These jobs are useful and needed for our economy.

As far as unions. My DH is a union member and I am an executive in a company that is part of a collective bargaining agreement with a union. Too many people feed into the "need for unions". Im not a fan of unions in their current work model.

You're thinking old school, and yes - this is the way it's supposed to be. But it isn't the reality today. A majority of the jobs lost during the recession were the middle class jobs (those higher paying jobs you're supposed to work/train/educate yourself towards) and the majority of the jobs created during the recovery go for less than 10$ an hour. These are the new permanent jobs. The scary part??? It's going to get worst. There are companies pushing the politicians (that they donated big $$$ to) to get rid of minimum wage, and get rid of overtime pay for over 40 hours a week. That is the agenda that is currently being worked on as we speak. So yes, unions are still relevant and still important.