This picture sums up the fast food worker wage issue.

[muntrv]

[daleanime]

1. K&R....

[BlueJazz]

2. USA USA USA USA !!!!! #16th in wages..Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I tell people here in Florida that the wage in Australia is $16.77 they get a WTF?? look on their face.

I ONLY point this out to (gently) kick people in the ass....and how much we Americans are getting screwed...

[leftstreet]

3. Think Outside Minimum Wage

DURec

[Little Star]

11. +1

[winter is coming]

31. This should be its own OP. n/t

[gopiscrap]

4. No kidding

[JohnnyRingo]

5. Opportunity for advancement though.

...as long as you have no shame:



Just kidding, I've been wanting to use that pic for a while.

K&R for shining the light on corporate greed. It's obvious they hate that some jobs can't be outsourced, so corporations demand third world wages here. The real American shame is that Barstool Republicans leave work after a hard day at a dead end job that barely make ends meet, and start talking like they're Steve Forbes. They cheer for low wages... for others people.

Like MC Donald there, it's downright embarrassing.

[Marie Marie]

6. That fact is as stomach turning as their food.

[Supersedeas]

39. almost

[Initech]

7. Do you think some of these companies are hurting because we pay CEOs so damn much??

[Lancero]

8. Am I...

The only one who is having issues with the numbers?

Basic math - 4.1x3=12.3, not 13.8

[DeSwiss]

9. K&R

Outlandish hamburger diet claims link

[EC]

16. How about they just start living in their

cars in your parking lot and using your bathrooms for hygine, instead of that second job? And when it gets cold outside they can just come in and work a second shift or sit in a booth all night.

[BobbyBoring]

24. That wouldn't work.

Mc Donalds would charge them for using the facilities and parking.

[Little Star]

10. I love the "McBullshit" name. I'm stealing that one! The Bastids!

[EvilAL]

12. When my daughter worked at McDonald's

They would frequently schedule her 3.5 hour shifts to get around the law saying a paid 15 minute break is required during a 4 hour shift. Some people got 3.5 hour split shifts with some time between shifts to avoid it as well.. When I found this out I had her apply other places and within a couple weeks she was out of there. I told the manager that he was a piece of shit for doing that to the kids working there when he called to ask her about something right before she left. He said that's the way it is done everywhere.

[bobclark86]

17. It is, but here's the kicker...

They're a franchise 90 percent of the time in the U.S. That means somebody in your community (the local guy here owns four) is being the dick, not corporate. The managers are just happy to not make minimum wage anymore, so they don't question it.

[EvilAL]

36. Yeah, I can agree with that

The franchise owners could be able to change that, I don't know if they have to follow certain guidelines when scheduling or not. Something tells me that corporate has no problems with it though. It is mostly kids working there anyway so they don't give a fuck.

[Flatulo]

30. My kid works at Boston Market. He gets 6 hour

shifts with no break. Nothing. Not even one minute to piss.

On edit: he's begged me not to make trouble over this. He desperately needs this job as he's been out of college for two years with zero income. So they get away with it.

[EvilAL]

37. Employers around here

Follow the laws for breaks and lunches for the most part from what I have seen, but it's the little loopholes that allow them to get away with 3.5 or 3.75 hour shifts. I say the law should permit a break every 2 hours instead of the 1 break in every 4 hour shift. It would fix the problem at McDonald's and other places that use this to avoid paying 15 minute breaks.

Edit for clarity:
The way it works is 1 break per 4hour shift, but if you are working a 6 hour shift, you still get one break, only it's 20 mins instead of 15.. This way they would get 2 breaks in the 6 hour shift. 8 hours shifts get 2 breaks and an unpaid lunch, so it works out to a break every 2 hours.. On 8-5 shift.. Work 2 hours, break, work 2 hours, lunch, work 2hours, break, work 2 hours, go home.

[Flatulo]

38. My kid would be delighted to be able to piss.

This Boston Market is a real gem. The franchise owner/manager hasn't even got him on the books yet and he's been working over a month.

I found this out when I asked him if he'd gotten a paycheck yet. No, he hadn't. There's no record of the hours he's worked, other than my sons notes. If this guy tries to fuck him out of his wages, I'm going to take him to the mat.

The balls on some people.

[EvilAL]

40. He's breaking the law, so take him to the mat now,

And hopefully others working there that are getting fucked will hop on too.

[Flatulo]

41. Oh, this manager is a piece of work. My kid has asked him twice now when he's going to

be put on the books, and the manager has replied "When I'm good and ready." Do you believe the balls on this fucker?

I'd love to go down there and beat him with my cane, but my kid is very timid and has is terrified that he'll be fired from the only paying job he's held in 2 years. I'm thinking if an anonymous call to the state board of labor.

If I go down there, it will not be pretty. Normally I'm very non-confrontational, but when it comes to my only son getting screwed over, well.. You get the idea.

[msanthrope]

43. He isn't going to pay him what he owes him. He'll pay a bit, but will keep stringing your son along

withholding pay so that your son keeps working for him....some small employers do this every 6 to 8 weeks, over and over.

Check with the laws in your state--at this point, your kid might qualify for unemployment benefits, since leaving for not being paid is a justifiable 'cause.'

Then, call wage and labor and file a claim. Immediately. Your kid has nothing to lose, because he isn't going to get paid.

[Flatulo]

44. You're probably right. There's no record anywhere of the hours worked, since he can't punch

in and out until he's on the books. My son has been keeping a record, of course, but that's not worth the paper it's printed on.

On my mothers soul, this guy isn't going to get away with this. My boy is going to be paid every cent he's owed.

As an aside, I wonder if this guy is hiring illegals? My son says that most of the staff is Spanish-speaking. One guy has befriended him and told him that he will be paid, but on the manager's schedule. WTF? Maybe the INS should get an anonymous call too.

[msanthrope]

48. Does your son have a smartphone? A uniform? What state is this? (PM me if you want.)

First, your son should document every single day he is there....take a pic of himself in his uniform in the work area every day he is there.

Second, is the manager the owner? Is this a franchise? Your son should find out who is who, including the manager's and owner's full names.

Third, a common tactic of managers who behave like this is to threaten workers with police, or other consequences....like, if his workers are undocumented, then he will threaten involvement with ICE. If your son makes trouble, he could be facing a false police report, etc. So he should document, but NOT be confrontational.


Boston Market is a shit company.....

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/04/20/boston-market-to-pay-3-million-to-settle-workers-overtime-pay/

[Flatulo]

50. No uniform, just street clothes. He works out back as a dishwasher and carver.

Still, we can figure out a way to document his hours. The GPS in his smartphone can be used to show where he was, but I'm not sure if there's a way to timestamp.

I don't know whether the manager is the franchise owner, but I'll find out.

Thanks for the link and your concern.

Man, if only... I'm Italian, and my late dad would have resorted to more, um, traditional methods of conflict resolution with people who owed him money. Only 1/2 lol.

On edit: ah, he tells me there is a sheet where each worker and their hours for the month are posted. His hours are listed there. I told him to snap a pic of that when no one is looking.

[msanthrope]

52. I'm Sicilian-American. I understand. Tell your son to snap away, file a complaint with wage/labor,

then get fired. He can get unemployment, right? Best of luck to him and you.

[Flatulo]

54. I believe you have to have been working for six months to

qualify for UI. He's only been there one month.

My son simply doesn't get angered, which I suppose is a good thing, but unfortunately people will tend to use you as a doormat if you let them. He's old enough to be fighting his own battles now (24) but prefers non-confrontation every time. It's his job and his time, but I've been strongly encouraging him to push on the manager to do the right thing.

He left for his shift a few hours ago with a promise to corner the manager. We'll see.

Grazie y buona notte.

[CBGLuthier]

49. Unless you live in one of EIGHT states, this law you all talk about does not exist

First there is no federal law requiting breaks. None.


These states have laws about breaks

California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington


http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/rest.htm#Oklahoma

[mountain grammy]

13. Nearly 20 years ago, our son was working for Dominos Pizza chain

We were having a hard time getting our normally punctual son to get to work on time. One day, when we were nagging him to get going or be late, he said it didn't matter because they wouldn't let him punch in until it started getting busy. My husband roared out of his chair and said I hope you hate this job because I'm getting ready to raise hell, which he did, with the store manager, the district manager, the corporate offices and the Colorado Dept of Labor. The kid found another low paying job a week later and, for the short term at least, Dominos changed their policy.

Rotten, stinking corporate bastards! If they can't out source jobs to third world countries, they will just make America a third world country.

[kmlisle]

20. The name for this is Wage theft

And this is one of many ways working people get their wages stolen by their bosses. It is actually more common in the big chains than in local businesses.

[heaven05]

14. I do

get very depressed with the disparity of wages, lack of empathy for us slugs down here on the ground and the out and out greed shown by people like this 'CEO_POS' in the photo above. I am getting more tired every day. People can't make it anymore. Perfect example of what the 1%er's call post racial amerika.

[hfojvt]

15. there's a problem with the McMath here

$13.8 - $4.1 = $9.7
divided by 600,000 employees (McDonald's emploiys 1.8 million worldwide, but let's ignore foreign low wage workers, they can eat McCake)

leaves $16.17 per employee divided by 1,000 hours a year for a half-time employee = a raise of 1.5 cents per hour.

Of course, if you took, say 30% of the total $5.46 billion in net income and used it for raises for 600,000 employees that works out to $2.81 an hour.

Or, if they raised prices by 5% they could generate another $1.38 billion in revenue (but that would be world wide) which is less than the number above.

I am have a hard time getting to $15 an hour for 600,000 half-time employees. Gonna be even tougher for full time employees.

One great thing about the minimum wage, is that it levels the playing field. McDonalds employees get a raise, perhaps forcing an increase in McDonalds prices, but Burger King employees get a raise, forcing perhaps the same increase in Burger King prices.

[wickerwoman]

22. Their profit margin is 19.1%

In 2012, a "sluggish year" for Mickey D's that's 5.13 billion. If they were content with a 15% profit margin they would have another 1.05 billion to divide between their workers leaving another $6750 for domestic workers or a $6.75 per hour raise for US workers.

And the CEO could keep his $13.8 million salary as ridiculous as it is. It's not the point. The point is the drive to maximum profitability at the expense of the people who get you there.

[hfojvt]

25. you may have more accurate numbers for their workers

going by the 600,000 that I used (and then made half time) to give them a $6,750 raise would take $4.05 billion. Either you are figuring quarterly profits or are using a mere 155,000 employees in the US.

Where I come from, a $1 raise is pretty big. It would mean $2,000 a year for a full time employee or $10,000 over 5 years.

But if they did that people here would still be complaining that their wages were too low. and they WOULD still be a long way from $15 an hour. So why give up $600,000,000 in profits to appease critics who will not be appeased anyway?

[wickerwoman]

26. Ah nope, my mistake

The 1.05 billion would give everyone a $1.75 an hour raise. But that's still at a 15% profit margin for McDonalds which is pretty damn good and could be combined with other things like lowering executive pay and raising prices.

One would hope that they weren't giving up profits to appease critics but because they actually give a shit about the people who work for them and the struggles that they are having making ends meet.

[Flatulo]

32. True enough - if everyone got bumped to $50 per hour,

that would become the new nothing.

[SomethingFishy]

33. "To appease all the critics"...

You mean to appease the people who actually do all the work and make the corporation money? Yeah fuck appeasing them.


Where you come from a $1 raise is a pretty big deal. Well yes it is if you get one every couple years or so. The minimum wage in 1983 was 3.85 an hour. Are you saying that a $4 an hour raise over the course of 30 FUCKING YEARS is "fair" and no one should be complaining?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. +1: Analysis rather than emotions

Yes, one executive's pay is not going to make the worker's pay raise the graphic demands.

Thanks for posting. I was about to do the same calculations, but you did better with more info than I had.

[fasttense]

18. Just some more crappy little jobs brought to you by capitalism.

Soon just eating at crappy little places like McDump will look like a luxury.

[Adrahil]

19. Hmmm.... wrong issue at work here, I think.

TBH, no one should be looking at a job as a burger flipper at McD's or anywhere as a long term living wage job. Such jobs have been, and should be, entry level jobs while you get trained to do something else, or on your way up the managment ladder.

It's a zero skill as they come.

Having said that, we DO have a problem in this country, and it's that we're turning out citizens who are qualified to do nothing BUT flip burgers.

We need to have a differentiated education system. KIds who are going on to college should be prepared for that. And those that aren't, need to to learn a useful skill... maybe even head down the path of the skilled trades. WE need students coming out of high school trained as welders, electricians, plumbers, framers, masons, or prepped for further training in post-secondary education in technical schools or college.


The answer is NOT, IMO to artificially force higher wages for no-skill jobs, but to get our kids trained to be qualified for higher skilled jobs.

[wickerwoman]

23. The problem is we're turning out kids

qualified to be neurosurgeons or computer programmers or veterinarians or architects who can't find work in those fields. And we're turning out welders and plumbers and electricians who can't find work in those fields either.

When all the manufacturing jobs went overseas, we were told it was no big deal because everyone in the US who lost their good union factory jobs would move into the "service economy". And then when all the IT workers lost their jobs because their employers would rather hire cheap foreign labour, we were told they just need to reskill or find a job that couldn't be offshored (i.e. the "service economy&quot .

Well now the "service economy" needs to recognise that former auto factory workers need to feed families not save up for the latest Metallica CD.

Nobody is looking for a career at McDonalds. They don't have a choice. And their crappy "at will" work schedule, often through two or three different employers, makes it impossible for them to take evening classes or save up enough to money to take some time off and get another degree.

[Rex]

46. Right, just the CEOs and upper management.

All the working poor should be looking for better pay at better paying jobs. Heaven forbid they get a decent living wage at McDs. THAT would be a tragedy to the 1% that so many love flopping all over with excuses.

[The2ndWheel]

21. Yeah, but on the plus side

he's not an old rich white guy. That has to count for something.

[grump3r]

28. Franchises

McDs also needs to stop squeezing their franchisees. Some of the smaller ones at least.

The service center franchises have ZERO excuses. Prices are jacked, and traffic is heavy at those.

[Liberal_in_LA]

29. +1

[JackRiddler]

35. You don't have to "suppose" anything...

McDonald's profit fell last year to a mere 5.5 billion!

Sounds like they could afford that raise for the workers.

[Flatulo]

42. Here's a suggestion - if they won't increase their pay rates, assess them for the cardiac

damage that their garbage food causes each year. Someone's paying for all those angioplasties and stents and bypasses, and it's all of us.

[Rex]

45. I see the trolls are out in force and toeing the CEO line

for their paymasters. Fucking idiots still worship trickle down economics and Saint Ronny.

[kentuck]

47. I'm all for raising the wages of McDonalds workers but...

....could they please act as if my burger is going to be eaten once it comes out the window? It is rather disappointing to see the burger half-way off the bun and the ingredients just shoveled on the bun as if it is going straight to the pig trough? Would it be possible to make it a little more attractive and think of your customer also?

[leveymg]

51. McD's like WallyMart are crying out to be broken up under Antitrust Laws. Let ten new smaller

companies compete with better wages and working conditions. Better, yet, turn ownership of these smaller, competing companies over their employees.

[Bay Boy]

53. Am I a bad employer?

I don't give my employees any breaks even if they work 12 hour shifts?

Of course they can use the bathroom anytime they want and go to the kitchen to grab/heat up their food to eat at their station.