McDonald's Literally Cannot Imagine How Its Workers Would Survive On Minimum Wage

[cpwill]

No one wants to work 60+ hours a week.

..... well..... some of us are obsessed with our jobs


....but don't like angering spouses....

 

[Quag]

I worked in a plastic toboggan factory one summer while in college. If ever you want motivation to stay in school and work hard a minimum wage summer factory job is definitely a great motivator.

 

[MaggieD]

No apparently you missed the point--I don't want to pay my employees anything whatsoever, but that is unrealistic. If people were not willing to work for minimum wage then McD's wouldn't pay minimum wage. BTW, Obama promised to raise the minimum wage every year he was in office and didn't even raise the issue for his first term. Why isn't this his fault for breaking his promise when he had both houses for 2 years?

Well, truth be told, he only had a majority in both houses for a period of about five months. Still, they had it. And, instead of focusing every bit of energy on Obamacare, much could have been done: immigration reform; minimum wage increase indexed to inflation (if that's what he wanted to do....which is what he wants to do now; a laundry list could have been swiftly handled.

From July 7. 2009 (when Al Franken was officially seated as the Senator from Minnesota after the last of Norm Coleman’s challenges came to an end) to August 25, 2009 (when Ted Kennedy died, although Kennedy’s illness had kept him from voting for several weeks before that date at least); and

From September 25, 2009 (when Paul Kirk was appointed to replace Kennedy) to February 4, 2010 (when Scott Brown took office after defeating Martha Coakley);
For one day in September 2009, Republicans lacked 40 votes due to the resignation of Mel Martinez, who was replaced the next day by George LeMieux

So, to the extent there was a filibuster proof majority in the Senate it lasted during two brief periods which lasted for a total of just over five months when counted altogether (and Congress was in its traditional summer recess for most of the July-August 2009 time frame).

Did The Democrats Ever Really Have 60 Votes In The Senate, And For How Long?

 

[Helix]

1) You can eat very cheaply if you are willing to cook. Living for minimum wage and eating at McDonald's every day isn't really the brightest course in life.

2) They are probably talking about the employee percentage rather than the whole charge.

employees get a significant discount. however, they still left food off of the list.

 

[Helix]

Mine is even less than $20. It's called Canada.*




*PS. Our minimum wage workers in Canada make a lot more, too. In my province, it's $10.25 hr.

your health care design is vastly superior to ours. we try to deliver an essential service with inelastic demand via three tiers of for-profit entities, and primary care for the uninsured is the emergency room, which is the absolute most expensive entry point.

as for minimum wage, it will never be enough to really live on. it should exist and should be indexed to inflation, but it cannot be a "living wage." the solution to the problem is to add rungs back to the ladder so that workers have a chance to move up.

 

[Surtr]

No one wants to work 60+ hours a week.

I used to work well over 80. The money was totally worth it, but I was also making 17 dollars an hour doing skilled labor.

 

[Middleground]

the solution to the problem is to add rungs back to the ladder so that workers have a chance to move up.

Well said.

 

[Heebie Jeebie]

Apparently you missed the point. McDonalds doesn't want to pay its employees a living wage, so the rest of us have to do it via welfare and food stamps.

That's not the point at all. That's just an un-informed opinion.

 

[Quag]

your health care design is vastly superior to ours. we try to deliver an essential service with inelastic demand via three tiers of for-profit entities, and primary care for the uninsured is the emergency room, which is the absolute most expensive entry point.

as for minimum wage, it will never be enough to really live on. it should exist and should be indexed to inflation, but it cannot be a "living wage." the solution to the problem is to add rungs back to the ladder so that workers have a chance to move up.

Unfortunately for many here in Canada primary care is also the emergency room. This is partially due to a shortage of family doctors and partly due to people who should know better than going to the emergency first, doing so. My wife always picked emergency room as her first stop for anything aside from regularly scheduled exams, I have cured her of this, now she only goes when it is the only option otherwise it is the family doctor who sets aside some time every day for people who need to see her right away as opposed to stuff that can be scheduled before hand.
Still despite not being perfect I would take our system over yours any day.

As to the second part I agree with you offering the opportunities will help but here in Canada you can live on minimum wage just depend son where you live and don't expect a very great lifestyle I put myself though University living off campus with roomates with no help from parents or anyone else. Admittedly University is way way way more affordable here and I needed the roomates but it was doable just not what you want to do for the rest of your life.

 

[Josie]

Perhaps we should take Elizabeth Warren seriously when she says she wants the minimum wage to be $22 an hour.

As if that will actually solve the problem instead of just moving the goal posts. :roll:

 

[paddymcdougall]

Get an education and skills so you can get a job somewhere else.

Going to be hard to go to school when you're working 80 hours a week...and do you have a car or not? is the school located right next to those two jobs?

I agree, people need to improve their skills. But people fall on tough times, and they take any job they can get - I know a woman in her late 40s who worked McDonald's for about a year or so. (She later did bookkeeping.) Minimum wage is better than no wage; if we get rid of it, McD will pay even less. If we raise it, people get a bit more of a cushion, maybe don't have to work 80 hours a week at two jobs, and can get that education so they can do better in the future.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

If you're young and just getting started...or living at home. Here's MORE THAN LIKELY what your **** does look like:

$7.25 x 40 (I'm assuming working at McD's is 40/wk?)
That's $290 wk x 4 = 1160 (however you figure taxes - I'll say it's $1,000 take home pay per month)

$200.00 APARTMENT RENT
$70.00 PHONE
$100.00 ELECTRIC
$75.00 WATER
$200.00 TRANSPORTATION
$200.00 FUEL (a crappy car - one fill up a week - huge chunk here these days)
$75.00 AUTO INSURANCE

$920.00 TOTAL EXPENSES

$1,000 - $920 = $80 extra.

Odds are - if you're in an apartment like most other normal, young adults you don't have to pay for at least one of your utilities - usually water. That's usually bundled in with the cost of your rent and not kept up with routinely.

If you're young and taking a job at McD's it means you: Don't have any or completed higher education. You don't have a home you're buying. You're not worried about needing large sums of money to put aside because you don't have anything other than your simple self to worry about.

Have kids? Get a better job.
Have an education? Get a better job.
Have more expenses than that? Get a better freaking job that covers your cost of living.

LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS - not the other way around.

 

[Carleen]

No apparently you missed the point--I don't want to pay my employees anything whatsoever, but that is unrealistic. If people were not willing to work for minimum wage then McD's wouldn't pay minimum wage. BTW, Obama promised to raise the minimum wage every year he was in office and didn't even raise the issue for his first term. Why isn't this his fault for breaking his promise when he had both houses for 2 years?

The minimum wage act of 2012 which would raise the wage from 7.25 to 9.80 by 2014 has not been voted on by congress.

 

[Master PO]

Perhaps we should take Elizabeth Warren seriously when she says she wants the minimum wage to be $22 an hour.

As if that will actually solve the problem instead of just moving the goal posts. :roll:

that's a good idea, then we can have Ronald McDonald and the Hambugerler in the unemployment lines with people they let go.

 

[The Baron]

Well, that pretty much says it all. I'll take that as an acknowledgment that they aren't paying an adequate wage.

They are paying for the job that is being performed...not to provide a single mother (never married) of six a "living wage". If you want an "adequate wage" have skills that aren't limited to making the french-fries.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

If you're young and just getting started...or living at home. Here's MORE THAN LIKELY what your **** does look like:

$7.25 x 40 (I'm assuming working at McD's is 40/wk?)
That's $290 wk x 4 = 1160 (however you figure taxes - I'll say it's $1,000 take home pay per month)

$200.00 APARTMENT RENT
$70.00 PHONE
$100.00 ELECTRIC
$75.00 WATER
$200.00 TRANSPORTATION
$200.00 FUEL (a crappy car - one fill up a week - huge chunk here these days)
$75.00 AUTO INSURANCE

$920.00 TOTAL EXPENSES

$1,000 - $920 = $80 extra.

Young people don't eat food these days?

 

[Heebie Jeebie]

The minimum wage act of 2012 which would raise the wage from 7.25 to 9.80 by 2014 has not been voted on by congress.

And yet even the proposed minimum wage would be less than they hire you for at Mcdonalds in my area. They advertise $10/hour and the signs are always up.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Young people don't eat food these days?

Ah yes, 30% of americans are overweight so maybe that bit of extra doesn't go very far for a high-calorie diet. It wasn't a problem for me back in the day - it doesn't cost much to feed just yourself.

Odds are - no matter what you write up for a simple generic budget, someone's going to find 5 things they cover that aren't planned out. In all the apartments I lived in water was never out of pocket - so $150 for food / whatever . . . plenty if your single and childless.

The McD's near me is in a college town - everyone's at home with their parents, or living in dorms and their expenses are covered by their parents/college funding to some degree.

I don't see why they would need more than that - they don't even need transportation considering it's right across from the campus and most walk.

In cities = people can likely take public transit which is cheaper than buying/insuring/fueling your own vehicle.

 

[Deuce]

They are paying for the job that is being performed...not to provide a single mother (never married) of six a "living wage". If you want an "adequate wage" have skills that aren't limited to making the french-fries.

More libertarian fantasy.

There are millions more unemployed people than there are job openings at all. Let alone job openings paying more than minimum wage. Where, exactly, are these high-paying jobs going to come from? Companies are posting record profits. Where are the jobs? And where is someone working 74 hours a week going to find time to "get a better education?" In between looking for that $20/month health insurance, magical free heating device, and a car that doesn't need gasoline, and not eating, I mean. Better yet, where do they find the money with that laughable "savings" they wont really have?

In this fantasy land of libertaria, wouldn't the magic free market have wages go up roughly in line with worker productivity? That is what you people think, right?

Well, that hasn't happened. If minimum wage had even kept up with inflation, it would be over $10/hour. If it had kept up with productivity, it would be over $22/hour. News flash: McDonald's employees can sell more burgers per hour than they could 40 years ago. But they aren't paid more. They're paid less.

 

[Zyphlin]

Well, that pretty much says it all. I'll take that as an acknowledgment that they aren't paying an adequate wage.

Only if one believes that the "minimum wage" should be one in which a single individual should be able to live reasonably by themselves.

The story itself is rather funny. For instance, it complains about the lack of heating bill (the apartments I've lived in have had "heating" included" or it's electric based) but completely ignores that CABLE is a luxury item not a necessity and is part of the bill.

Minimum Wage is just that, a minimum reasonable way to pay people for their time. It is not, nor should it be, a "Living Wage"...ie enough for ONE person to live off of BY THEMSELVES in a comfortable fashion.

 

[Deuce]

Only if one believes that the "minimum wage" should be one in which a single individual should be able to live reasonably by themselves.

The story itself is rather funny. For instance, it complains about the lack of heating bill (the apartments I've lived in have had "heating" included" or it's electric based) but completely ignores that CABLE is a luxury item not a necessity and is part of the bill.

Minimum Wage is just that, a minimum reasonable way to pay people for their time. It is not, nor should it be, a "Living Wage"...ie enough for ONE person to live off of BY THEMSELVES in a comfortable fashion.

Hopefully that extra $100 saved from not having a fundamental communications tool (cable/phone) will make up for the fact that $20 health insurance and gas-free cars don't exist.

 

[haymarket]

Apparently you missed the point. McDonalds doesn't want to pay its employees a living wage, so the rest of us have to do it via welfare and food stamps.

And is that the arrangement which people want in the end? I think that is a question we need to talk about as a society.

When workers at McDonald's and Wal Mart and other places work hard for a living but still need things like food stamps and other forms of public assistance, two things are happening

1- government is subsidizing those companies and allowing them to pay low wages knowing that the slack is picked up elsewhere
2- citizen taxpayers ultimately pick up the bill since it is our money going to government - both state and federal.

So that cheap toilet paper... that cheap burger .... that bottomless Coke ...... the cheap patio furniture ...... is not as cheap as you would have otherwise believed it was. You have to add into it the cost of Americans for welfare and food stamps and everything else that those poorly paid employees then get from government and the taxpayers.

That is not capitalism. That is not the free market. That is not competition determining the winners and losers.

And we subsidize those companies in so many other ways as well from infrastructure to sweetheart deals to get them to locate in a community and stay there.

Is that the system we want?

 

[ashurbanipal]

$200.00 APARTMENT RENT

This seems to be an unrealistically low figure...

 

[RabidAlpaca]

the good part is after working an average of 11 hours a day at a labor intensive job seven days a week you won't have any desire to spend that money.

See? Problem solved. [/thread]

 

[mbig]

Whether or not someone should be able to live on that 2-job wage....
The Sample Budget is Bogus.
$150 a month car payment... but No gasoline?... 3 Gallons day would be $360 a month.
uh..
No Food budget? $12 a day isn't living big... that's Another $360 a month.
There goes all the moola and many more items not budgeted.
$20 Month Health insurance :^)
Hope they don't get sick or even have to make an Uncovered dental visit.