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**O-Face** · November 2012

NYC is having Fast Food Strike----$15/hr for wages?

Is this out of line?

I'm being serious here...

Not snide...okay a little snide.

VarunaTT · November 2012

I read some in-depth articles re: this strike and I was really shocked at the wages. Honestly, I think the FF workers here make more than what some of the workers were making /hour for shift manager, assistant manager and the like.

This is my take on it: McDonald's Corporation and the franchise owners make millions and billions of dollars every year. They make it b/c they have workers running their restaurants. Why is it so damn wrong to think that some of that money should be shoved into people capital? I don't think FF should be anyone's career, but corporations have been taking advantage of American workers for a long time now. If minimum wage had kept up with inflation and it's buying power, it would be around $15/hour now.

ETA: I had a great chart somewhere following minimum wages amount by year and it's buying power. I can't find it, but I'll keep looking, b/c it was supremely interesting. Also, I think I was wrong about $15, I think it's between $10-$12/hour if it had kept up with inflation.

MizBiscuit · November 2012

I think our fast food workers are around the $7-10 range for a regular employee. I couldn't imagine making that in NYC though. NYC COL is probably twice ours.

zsazsa-stl · November 2012

Supply and demand.

I would think any kind of quality of life in NYC would require an income of at least $25/hour. And I wouldn't move there unless I had a job paying way more than that.

**O-Face** · November 2012

Okay, I seriously had not idea the COL so that is what I was getting at.

Do you think this would impact the cost of goods when sold to the customer? Or do you think that is just a shock tactic that is used by the upper management/bajillinaires into scaring people?

VarunaTT · November 2012

See, this is exactly my problem. Your Big Mac might maybe cost $1 more to up the salary of all those workers. I'll pay $1 more for that, just like I would've paid $.25/pizze (if I used Papa Johns) for their workers to have health insurance. B/c it saves ME money in the end if workers are able to take care of themselves.

And *gasp* maybe the profit hungry buttheads could take a million off of their high end payouts. Their money is valueless and will dry up without labor. I doubt many of the McDonald's execs (though I suspect more of the individual franchise owners could) could do any of the work those workers do during the day. Just b/c it's unskilled labor that doesn't require an education, doesn't mean it's valueless. Let's be honest...people eat FF a lot. That labor to get them your product is necessary and it has value.

VarunaTT · November 2012

This is the chart: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0774473.html

Basically, it takes 1966 as the constant, so shows you what the minimum wage of X year was/is worth in 1966 dollars.

Also, minimum wage workers spend more of their income than "wealthy" people do. Most of them don't have savings accounts and don't have enough money to invest in anything --they spend their paychecks.

Studies done after minimum wages increases have found no long term loss of jobs or loss of teenage jobs. Usually the economy and jobs show increases b/c the minimum wage worker suddenly has more buying/spending power and they exercise it, spending money leads to jobs, etc, etc. This is the same scare tactic as the absolute assholes who are firing people who voted for Obama b/c of the the Healthcare Act.

**O-Face** · November 2012

V, I can see that. But unfortunately most sheople don't think past the end of their $1 menu list.

I just wish people would be more giving, from beginning to end.

And I agree, our minimum wage in this state hasn't changed in what...10 years. It's kinda crazy. Because no, I don't want to be paid minimum wage, but if I am required to be paid that by someone, the state law says I can be paid $7.15/hr...and that is NOTHING. Sadly.

I just suppose it's the two sides of "yes, I support organized labor" but "no I don't want to pay more" argument that makes me confused. How can you say these two things in any sentences that are anywhere near each other?

If people understand where there money is going and how it isn't necessarily buying them MORE, it's buying SOMEONE more.

People are just so self-centered. I didn't want to solve the world's problems, just a conversation.

I need more coffee I think.

VarunaTT · November 2012

Well, I'd RATHER not pay $1 more.

I'd RATHER CEOs stop feeling entitled to make 200-400x more than the average worker, which probably is like what....700-1000x minimum wage and start pushing some of that high end wage money back into the company from the bottom up. Seriously, I don't think any CEO is worth that much (okay, I'll back down when it comes to CEOS like Jobs and Gates b/c that was intellectural property from the start even if I don't like their factory practices). If the Costco CEO can make it on 350K/year with a 200K bonus and he built it from the ground up, lots of other CEOs could too.

But, I'm the person struggling to keep shopping at the locally owned grocery store. I keep my price book and was able to figure out I'm spending at least $20 more per grocery trip there. But I want to put my money where my mouth is as much as possible and I'm not so destitute for money yet that I can't keep doing that. I do realize there are lots of people who don't/can't make that option.

**O-Face** · November 2012

Yes, V, I hear you. I'd RATHER not, but if I can put money in a red kettle or hand it over to the guy on the corner, I can spend more on a burger.

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