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Fast-food Workers Urged to Stage Nationwide Strike......

MMC

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How do you feel about a Nationwide Strike by Fast Food Workers? To be carried out in most major US Cities? Should these Unions be pushing for a Nation Wide Strike? Should they raise Minimum Wage to 15 dollars an hour? According to some doing this Would also increase the cost of the product. Their example is.....using the 15 dollar mark. That a big Mac would go up minimum 87cents. Do you think this would hurt the Country by getting all in this field to strike and take a day off work? What is the impact of stopping the spending of money? Should the Unions be gone after for attempting to derail small business? Meaning shouldn't they be brought out to speak to all about their plans. Rather than just setting up demonstrations and strikes?


A coalition of labor, religious and other groups are calling for a nationwide strike of fast-food employees on August 29.

The call for a strike came this week from a public relations agency that counts both the Service Employees International Union and United Food & Commercial Workers as clients. Both labor groups are among dozens of local and national religious, political, and union groups supporting the call for strikes. Last month, the same groups supported walkouts in some fast-food restaurants across seven cities. Others that have supported the event are the United Auto Workers, the Presbyterian Church USA, individual churches and synagogues like St. John's Catholic Church of St. Louis, and some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison.

The groups are calling for a minimum wage of $15 an hour for fast-food workers, along with more protections for employees wishing to unionize. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage last year for the nation's roughly 505,000 fast-food cooks was $9.03 an hour, which amounts to $18,780 per year. The 2.9 million food preparation and serving workers had an average hourly wage of $9, or annual income of $18,720.

According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a single adult in New York City would need to earn $12.75 an hour to support themselves. Add a child and the number jumps to $24.69. In Chicago, a single adult would need to make $10.48 an hour, or $9.48 in Milwaukee.

The groups pushing for a strike note that fast food is a $200 billion a year industry, with enormously well compensated CEOs. Industry leader McDonald's (MCD) had total revenues of $27.6 billion and profits of $5.5 billion last year.....snip~

Fast-food workers urged to stage nationwide strike - CBS News
 
Just a new, larger group of minimum wage workers (which would include many people who make up $15 p/hr now), and a higher 'poverty' level......

I highly doubt a company is going to let that just hit their bottom line, the consumer will be the one to foot the bill....
 
Just a new, larger group of minimum wage workers (which would include many people who make up $15 p/hr now), and a higher 'poverty' level......

I highly doubt a company is going to let that just hit their bottom line, the consumer will be the one to foot the bill....

Mornin' GG
hat.gif
Check out this article.....according to them they are saying local Communities are supporting this Nationwide Strike. Do you think this is true? Surely they are not looking at those that franchise out and have to pay subsidy to whatever corporation, plus Rent. "Oh" and they are indeed calling for a Nationwide walkout too. To also include fast food workers like inside a Macys store and their likes.

Fast-Food Workers Walkout: Local Communities Support Nationwide Strike Aug. 29.....

strike.jpg


Minimum-wage fast food and retail workers from eight cities, who have staged previous walkouts this year, are calling for an official national day of strikes for Aug. 29, after receiving encouragement from area groups.

Fast-food and retail workers from stores such as Macy's, Dollar Tree and Sears, who have also received pledges of support on Facebook and through websites of local organizing groups.

Workers are calling for an increase in pay of $15 an hour and the right to form a union. According to recent NELP projections, the median hourly wage for fast-food cooks, cashiers and other crew members is $8.94 per hour.

According to the Post, the planned August walkout is expected to touch 35 or more cities and involve thousands of workers. Last month, over 500 workers walked off their jobs at fast food restaurants in New York City.

According to the Post, President Barack Obama has called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 a hour. A recent Public Religion Research Institute survey found that nearly three of four Americans favored raising the minimum wage to $10.....snip~

Fast-Food Workers Walkout: Local Communities Support Nationwide Strike Aug. 29 : News : Food World News
 
How do you feel about a Nationwide Strike by Fast Food Workers? To be carried out in most major US Cities? Should these Unions be pushing for a Nation Wide Strike? Should they raise Minimum Wage to 15 dollars an hour? According to some doing this Would also increase the cost of the product. Their example is.....using the 15 dollar mark. That a big Mac would go up minimum 87cents. Do you think this would hurt the Country by getting all in this field to strike and take a day off work? What is the impact of stopping the spending of money? Should the Unions be gone after for attempting to derail small business? Meaning shouldn't they be brought out to speak to all about their plans. Rather than just setting up demonstrations and strikes?


A coalition of labor, religious and other groups are calling for a nationwide strike of fast-food employees on August 29.

The call for a strike came this week from a public relations agency that counts both the Service Employees International Union and United Food & Commercial Workers as clients. Both labor groups are among dozens of local and national religious, political, and union groups supporting the call for strikes. Last month, the same groups supported walkouts in some fast-food restaurants across seven cities. Others that have supported the event are the United Auto Workers, the Presbyterian Church USA, individual churches and synagogues like St. John's Catholic Church of St. Louis, and some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison.

The groups are calling for a minimum wage of $15 an hour for fast-food workers, along with more protections for employees wishing to unionize. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage last year for the nation's roughly 505,000 fast-food cooks was $9.03 an hour, which amounts to $18,780 per year. The 2.9 million food preparation and serving workers had an average hourly wage of $9, or annual income of $18,720.

According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a single adult in New York City would need to earn $12.75 an hour to support themselves. Add a child and the number jumps to $24.69. In Chicago, a single adult would need to make $10.48 an hour, or $9.48 in Milwaukee.

The groups pushing for a strike note that fast food is a $200 billion a year industry, with enormously well compensated CEOs. Industry leader McDonald's (MCD) had total revenues of $27.6 billion and profits of $5.5 billion last year.....snip~

Fast-food workers urged to stage nationwide strike - CBS News

Meanwhile, college students have been brainwashed into thinking that they have to work for nothing in order to "get their foot in the door".
 
How do you feel about a Nationwide Strike by Fast Food Workers? To be carried out in most major US Cities? Should these Unions be pushing for a Nation Wide Strike? Should they raise Minimum Wage to 15 dollars an hour? According to some doing this Would also increase the cost of the product. Their example is.....using the 15 dollar mark. That a big Mac would go up minimum 87cents. Do you think this would hurt the Country by getting all in this field to strike and take a day off work? What is the impact of stopping the spending of money? Should the Unions be gone after for attempting to derail small business? Meaning shouldn't they be brought out to speak to all about their plans. Rather than just setting up demonstrations and strikes?


A coalition of labor, religious and other groups are calling for a nationwide strike of fast-food employees on August 29.

The call for a strike came this week from a public relations agency that counts both the Service Employees International Union and United Food & Commercial Workers as clients. Both labor groups are among dozens of local and national religious, political, and union groups supporting the call for strikes. Last month, the same groups supported walkouts in some fast-food restaurants across seven cities. Others that have supported the event are the United Auto Workers, the Presbyterian Church USA, individual churches and synagogues like St. John's Catholic Church of St. Louis, and some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison.

The groups are calling for a minimum wage of $15 an hour for fast-food workers, along with more protections for employees wishing to unionize. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage last year for the nation's roughly 505,000 fast-food cooks was $9.03 an hour, which amounts to $18,780 per year. The 2.9 million food preparation and serving workers had an average hourly wage of $9, or annual income of $18,720.

According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a single adult in New York City would need to earn $12.75 an hour to support themselves. Add a child and the number jumps to $24.69. In Chicago, a single adult would need to make $10.48 an hour, or $9.48 in Milwaukee.

The groups pushing for a strike note that fast food is a $200 billion a year industry, with enormously well compensated CEOs. Industry leader McDonald's (MCD) had total revenues of $27.6 billion and profits of $5.5 billion last year.....snip~

Fast-food workers urged to stage nationwide strike - CBS News

Because fast food workers do so much work, and their jobs are so hard..... :roll:
 
my bit on the subject is go ahead and strike,
and the fast "food" joints will have to close their doors,
and people will have to feed themselves, and they will discover
that individuals can do a better job, for the same or less than they
spent at the fast "food" joint and after the strike is over, the fast "food"
industry will have a net loss of customers. oops! so be it .. may ALL of the
fast "food" joints dry up & blow away!
 
Mornin' GG
hat.gif
Check out this article.....according to them they are saying local Communities are supporting this Nationwide Strike. Do you think this is true? Surely they are not looking at those that franchise out and have to pay subsidy to whatever corporation, plus Rent. "Oh" and they are indeed calling for a Nationwide walkout too. To also include fast food workers like inside a Macys store and their likes.

Fast-Food Workers Walkout: Local Communities Support Nationwide Strike Aug. 29.....

Minimum-wage fast food and retail workers from eight cities, who have staged previous walkouts this year, are calling for an official national day of strikes for Aug. 29, after receiving encouragement from area groups.

Fast-food and retail workers from stores such as Macy's, Dollar Tree and Sears, who have also received pledges of support on Facebook and through websites of local organizing groups.

Workers are calling for an increase in pay of $15 an hour and the right to form a union. According to recent NELP projections, the median hourly wage for fast-food cooks, cashiers and other crew members is $8.94 per hour.

According to the Post, the planned August walkout is expected to touch 35 or more cities and involve thousands of workers. Last month, over 500 workers walked off their jobs at fast food restaurants in New York City.

According to the Post, President Barack Obama has called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 a hour. A recent Public Religion Research Institute survey found that nearly three of four Americans favored raising the minimum wage to $10.....snip~

Fast-Food Workers Walkout: Local Communities Support Nationwide Strike Aug. 29 : News : Food World News

And who makes up these local support groups? The workers themselves, family, other close to MW workers........

Talk about shrinking the middle class, you take a MW worker, and move them up to $15, you won't be seeing people making $25 p/h getting a comparable raise, they get dropped down into the 'low income group', and further erosion to the 'middle class' gains speed......



Some people just don't look at the bigger picture......
 
When burger flippers make $15 an hour the people that make $15 know will want $25. Low skill jobs should be low pay and if you want more money get a skill or an education.

Mornin' SL. :2wave: Well, like you say. A lot of these jobs are entry level type occupations too. To be trained and given the opportunity to move to another position. Plus here some other things to consider.



But many fast-food restaurant owners and other critics of the strikes say that profit margins at franchise are so thin that higher wages would put the companies out of business, costing workers their jobs.

Fast-food workers: Have it your way -- elsewhere
80 percent of U.S. adults face near poverty, unemployment, survey finds
Even as economy rebounds, income inequality festers
Front group ups battle against minimum wage hike

The call for a strike came this week from a public relations agency that counts both the Service Employees International Union and United Food & Commercial Workers as clients. Both labor groups are among dozens of local and national religious, political, and union groups supporting the call for strikes.....snip~

What gets me here.....is why we let someone like the Service Employees INTERNATIONAL UNION take the lead and get backing from other unions here in the US. I am not familiar with this group. I know more of the US Food & Service Workers Union. Where is this Union International Union get its real backing? Where are their HQ's? If they are from overseas. Then why are they involved into our ****?
 
Maybe this will help solve the obesity problem ;)
 
Ehhh...they have every right to strike and I find it hard to criticize a group practicing their right to collectively bargain and strike.

If you're for the "market" deciding prices this is how it works. Collective bargaining is one route for labor to have leverage to get higher wages. There seems to be a lot of folks that associate "market wages" with all the power on one side of the bargaining table.
 
my bit on the subject is go ahead and strike,
and the fast "food" joints will have to close their doors,
and people will have to feed themselves, and they will discover
that individuals can do a better job, for the same or less than they
spent at the fast "food" joint and after the strike is over, the fast "food"
industry will have a net loss of customers. oops! so be it .. may ALL of the
fast "food" joints dry up & blow away!

Actually the sad part is it costs LESS to eat at a fast food joint like McDonalds than it does to buy your own food (talking about theirs and others dollar menus). It costs so much more to eat healthier.

Our food bill doubled when I decided to eat healthier about 4 years ago and if you try to go to just organic foods, plan on your food bill tripling at least.
 
Ehhh...they have every right to strike and I find it hard to criticize a group practicing their right to collectively bargain and strike.

They have a right to strike, but we have a right to criticize why they are striking as well. There is a guy on the street corner in Las Vegas that carries a sign saying the "End of the World is near, repent". It's his right to do that, but it's also my right to laugh at him for doing it.
 
Meanwhile, college students have been brainwashed into thinking that they have to work for nothing in order to "get their foot in the door".

Mornin' Maggie. :2wave: Meanwhile more and more small businesses are being put out of Business. More and more are getting rid of full time employees.
 
Because fast food workers do so much work, and their jobs are so hard..... :roll:

Heya DT. :2wave: Well.....I admit I do like the Mom and Pop Coffee Shops. Yet how can they pay a Fast Food Employee 15 dollars an hour from a Coffee Shop? We have a Donut shop that is a Mom and Pop business. Been in this part of town for over 30 years. They moved a Dunkin Donuts Right across the street. Sure it gets a lot of Business. But we have all made the effort to show DD they aren't going to run out our peoples little Business, out of Business. The DD has to stay open for 24hrs. Plus they have a drive up.
 
How do you feel about a Nationwide Strike by Fast Food Workers? To be carried out in most major US Cities? Should these Unions be pushing for a Nation Wide Strike? Should they raise Minimum Wage to 15 dollars an hour? According to some doing this Would also increase the cost of the product. Their example is.....using the 15 dollar mark. That a big Mac would go up minimum 87cents. Do you think this would hurt the Country by getting all in this field to strike and take a day off work? What is the impact of stopping the spending of money? Should the Unions be gone after for attempting to derail small business? Meaning shouldn't they be brought out to speak to all about their plans. Rather than just setting up demonstrations and strikes?


A coalition of labor, religious and other groups are calling for a nationwide strike of fast-food employees on August 29.

The call for a strike came this week from a public relations agency that counts both the Service Employees International Union and United Food & Commercial Workers as clients. Both labor groups are among dozens of local and national religious, political, and union groups supporting the call for strikes. Last month, the same groups supported walkouts in some fast-food restaurants across seven cities. Others that have supported the event are the United Auto Workers, the Presbyterian Church USA, individual churches and synagogues like St. John's Catholic Church of St. Louis, and some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison.

The groups are calling for a minimum wage of $15 an hour for fast-food workers, along with more protections for employees wishing to unionize. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage last year for the nation's roughly 505,000 fast-food cooks was $9.03 an hour, which amounts to $18,780 per year. The 2.9 million food preparation and serving workers had an average hourly wage of $9, or annual income of $18,720.

According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a single adult in New York City would need to earn $12.75 an hour to support themselves. Add a child and the number jumps to $24.69. In Chicago, a single adult would need to make $10.48 an hour, or $9.48 in Milwaukee.

The groups pushing for a strike note that fast food is a $200 billion a year industry, with enormously well compensated CEOs. Industry leader McDonald's (MCD) had total revenues of $27.6 billion and profits of $5.5 billion last year.....snip~

Fast-food workers urged to stage nationwide strike - CBS News

First of all, that would be cool to see, and if they pull it off, it would be great to see their wages go up (although I think $15 is proposed as a negotiating amount - I think $10-12 would be closer to what they'd get if they got anything), but I doubt they can pull it off ...but, come on, at $12 an hour you'd be making just over the poverty threshhold for a family of four ... that's not asking for much and your burger would go up a few pennies, and maybe nothing at all if McDonald's CEO made $10 million instead of $20 million.
 
Meanwhile, college students have been brainwashed into thinking that they have to work for nothing in order to "get their foot in the door".

Well that is kinda true. Only it's not brainwashing it's the truth.

2 years ago some guy from a well respected electronics company gave a speech at my university. He said that after you (meaning us, the students) graduate here, and go and work for an electronics company, the study isn't over. We will have to work another 2-3 years in the company before we know anything about electronics at the level required by companies.

I don't mind working for low pay if in 2-3 years I'll get the big bucks. Or if in 5 years time I'll get the big bucks. Heck, throw in a 6month long no-pay internship. I'm looking at a 40-45 years long work career ahead of me that will progressively get better as I become better and better. I'll be able to afford a good house, don't have to take loans from the bank. Own a car. Support my family and put them through college. Maybe if I'm lucky and find a good wife that knows how to handle money, we might even start off our kids with a place of their own in life when they reach maturity, have them be delt a better hand than I have.

Fast food workers will earn 7$ today, next month, 3 years from now. Or whatever the minimum wage will be. It's a limited career path where you may end up manager or smth.
 
Ehhh...they have every right to strike and I find it hard to criticize a group practicing their right to collectively bargain and strike.

If you're for the "market" deciding prices this is how it works. Collective bargaining is one route for labor to have leverage to get higher wages. There seems to be a lot of folks that associate "market wages" with all the power on one side of the bargaining table.

The market wage is simply what is required to attract applicants and to retain those workers long enough to recover hiring/training costs. In times of high unemployment do you seriuosly doubt that others would gladly fill any openings created for less than $15/hour?

Asking for gross wages of $120/day, when others are willing to work for $72/day is not likely to succeed. They obviously have the right to try, yet they must admit that their chances of success are slim. Federal minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, reached its peak in 1968, at what would be about $10.56/hour today - demanding 50% more than that is foolish, IMHO.

A history of the minimum wage since 1938 - Economy
 
And who makes up these local support groups? The workers themselves, family, other close to MW workers........

Talk about shrinking the middle class, you take a MW worker, and move them up to $15, you won't be seeing people making $25 p/h getting a comparable raise, they get dropped down into the 'low income group', and further erosion to the 'middle class' gains speed......

Some people just don't look at the bigger picture......

If fast-food chains are forced into paying a minimum wage of $13-$15 per hour, they won't be hiring wet-behind-the-ears high school kids and providing them with invaluable work skills and work ethic. They'll be hiring next ups -- seniors, moms with kids in school, etc.

Not that that's necessarily bad. But to say that a high school kid should be paid $13-$15 right out of the box (even if it's Jack-In-The-) is government interference of the highest order. If our country thinks a $13-$15 is a fair minimum wage? Enact the legislation or STFU.

This is about union's attempt to save its own life.
 
Heya DT. :2wave: Well.....I admit I do like the Mom and Pop Coffee Shops. Yet how can they pay a Fast Food Employee 15 dollars an hour from a Coffee Shop? We have a Donut shop that is a Mom and Pop business. Been in this part of town for over 30 years. They moved a Dunkin Donuts Right across the street. Sure it gets a lot of Business. But we have all made the effort to show DD they aren't going to run out our peoples little Business, out of Business. The DD has to stay open for 24hrs. Plus they have a drive up.

Sorry, my point may not have been clear, I think 15 dollars an hour for a fast food worker is utterly ridiculous. I worked on iPods, iPhones, and Macs for 12.88 an hour. And believe me, that takes a lot more skill than flipping a burger or asking if you want fries with that.
 
Mornin' Maggie. :2wave: Meanwhile more and more small businesses are being put out of Business. More and more are getting rid of full time employees.

Fast food is not a small business arena, unless you consider franchisees small businesses. McDs going out of business HELPS actual small business, mom and pop eateries.
 
First of all, that would be cool to see, and if they pull it off, it would be great to see their wages go up (although I think $15 is proposed as a negotiating amount - I think $10-12 would be closer to what they'd get if they got anything), but I doubt they can pull it off ...but, come on, at $12 an hour you'd be making just over the poverty threshhold for a family of four ... that's not asking for much and your burger would go up a few pennies, and maybe nothing at all if McDonald's CEO made $10 million instead of $20 million.

If Walmart's CEO had their pay reduced to zero then that would allow each Walmart employee to make $9/year more. $9/year amounts to a $.0043269/hour raise. Why do you think that any entry level postion's pay should be able to support a family of 4? What of those that now make $12/hour should they get no pay increase out of "fairness"?
 
The fast food workers striking all work at major chains, yes? And they are demanding increased pay for THEMSELVES, not an across the board pay increase for all workers, correct? So how exactly are mom and pop eateries going to be affected?

Also, the people striking are not union, correct? Meaning, they can all be fired with minimal punitive legal consequences, right?

So lets see what happens. Either the company desides it's cheaper to close shop for a couple days while the fire the existing staff, and train new hires, or they decide its cheaper to increase their current employees pay.

Looks like free market principles in action.
 
Actually the sad part is it costs LESS to eat
at a fast food joint like McDonalds than it does to buy your own food (talking about theirs and others dollar menus). It costs so much more to eat healthier.

Our food bill doubled when I decided to eat healthier about 4 years ago and if you try to go to just organic foods, plan on your food bill tripling at least.

We did that as well, but to offset the cost I grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, squash and strawberries ( strawberries did really well this year and nightshades are easy )
 
If Walmart's CEO had their pay reduced to zero then that would allow each Walmart employee to make $9/year more. $9/year amounts to a $.0043269/hour raise. Why do you think that any entry level postion's pay should be able to support a family of 4? What of those that now make $12/hour should they get no pay increase out of "fairness"?

It's not about fairness, it's about the downward trend in our labor market. Skilled work is being shipped out. These entry level positions are the new jobs of the future, if current trends have anything to say about it.
 
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