Fast food workers strike: ‘I can’t afford my shoes or rent’

[p]MSNBC ^ | July 29, 2013 | Ned Resnikoff

[kevcol]

“We’re building a movement of fast food workers in a way that has never really existed in the fast food industry,” said Jonathan Westin, an organizer for New York Communities for Change, who noted that this week is the first time the strikes have been coordinated across cities.
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus launched a campaign called “Raise Up America” which has taken efforts to associate itself with the fast food workers. Several members of the caucus, including its co-chair, Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, were present at Monday’s actions in New York.
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Similarly, Brooklyn-based McDonald’s employee Kareem Starks said he has little to lose by going out on strike.

“I don’t make much,” Starks said. “I get treated like crap. At he end of the day, should I stand up or take this? Should I stand up or live like this? … I can’t afford my shoes or afford my rent. Is that how you’re supposed to be living?”

[Truth2012]

I never have to wait very long at Chick Fil-A. The workers are always REALLY nice, they speak English, they are clean looking.. they wear belts. The food is always fast and Hot- and I have never gotten a wrong order.

Chick Fil-a even has community events, kids nights, and special father/son meetings with Football coaches.

WHATEVER to McDonalds and the others. I don’t hope the business fail, but frankly I think they are really dirty and gross. What pushed me out completely is that none of the workers in my town speak English! HELLO- ordering is now a pain in the patute- so forget it.

[kcvl]

“It’s noisy, it’s really hot, fast, they rush you. Sometimes you don’t even get breaks. All for $7.25? It’s crazy,” is how one worker described the conditions that have caused her and the rest of America’s fast-food employees to go on strike today. They demand the right to unionize and better pay - calling for a raise in the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15. Workers chanted, “Supersize our wages,” as spokespersons for the Fast Food Forward campaign explained the economic logic, “If they have more money in their pockets, they’ll spend it right here, helping to boost the entire economy.” Which leaves us asking the always awkward question - where does this new ‘economy boosting’ money come from for this 107% pay rise? With gas prices rising, rents soaring and many employees already reliant on food stamps and medicaid, “I can’t even order something off the menu with what I earn,” one worker noted, “It makes me wonder what I’m even doing there.” Indeed it does with all those benefits on offer elsewhere.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-27/when-work-punished-tragedy-americas-welfare-state

“the single mom is better off earning gross income of $29,000 with $57,327 in net income & benefits than to earn gross income of $69,000 with net income and benefits of $57,045.”

[SamAdams76]

So if we pay them $15 an hour to flip burgers, they are going to start charging $6 for a burger. Then we will have to pay them $20 an hour so they can afford the $6 burgers. Then the burgers will go up to $10 and we'll have to pay them $25 an hour...and round and round we go.

[unixfox]

They can’t understand the meaning of NO PICKLES but they want a raise?

[sagar]

“Some convicted felons may only be able to get jobs like burger flipper. “

Convicted felons belong in prisons not out on society flipping anything. The prisons themselves are resorts for these vermins; they need to work from sun rise to sun set and be discarded to a dark hole when they cannot pay their debt to society. Right now rest of the tax payers pay upwards of $50k for these pests. These should be put to work and be paying the rest of us back for their crimes.

[sagar]

Very true. Chikfila is the only fast food with respectable atmosphere. Rest of the businesses employ losers and parasites. I am sure they spit on the burgers/pizzas. Plus the “food” is nasty and cause more death than all accidents combined.

[cherry]

its one easy thing to not buy at a fast food place....

don't get me wrong....I feel bad for people not earning a lot of money, but everyone has to work lower paying jobs at some point in their lives...

[jacquej]

Dear Sam,

I have raised 4 children to maturity, and cannot ever begin to count the number of hours I spent flipping burgers over 48 years of cooking for the family, with no pay from an employer. Was I a sucker, or what!

Now, how do I calculate how many hours I spent slaving over the griddle/stove/oven. When will the community organizers start clamoring for equal pay for ‘moi’...

Where do I go to get my years of “back pay”? Can I at least get an extra stipend added to my Social Security check? (sarc)

[clamper1797]

Management ... not burger flippers

[Rebelbase]

I make an OK living and I can’t afford they’re shoes.

[Rebelbase]

They’re = their on prior post.

[Rebelbase]

Nice astorturfed signs.

[willyd]

I agree. I think McDonald’s should agree to pay everyone $20 an hour the first time they go 30 days company wide without screwing up and order.

[grimalkin]

I was a little bit taken aback to see the age of these folks. I've worked fast food, but I was a teenager/young adult and also in school full time. These are low-wage jobs and they're meant as starter jobs to get you feet wet in the workforce.

Many of these folks started behind the 8-ball and things will be harder for them. They're not going to sell a burger for a price consumers will pay if they have to pay their employees 11 dollars an hour. Maybe they should work up to management. Go to school at night. Stop blowing your money and having kids like rabbits. Whatever needs to be done, but don't expect an easy ride. That's not life and you gain nothing of real value from that sort of attitude. Unless, of course, handouts and welfare are your primary goals.

[Ellendra]

this is only the beginning. Expect to see more of this crap over the next few years. This will become the next “occupy” movement or a lame attempt to create a leftwing tea party but with people who want more government.

If so, those of us who can cook are about to become VERY popular around the office!
(About 2/3rds of the people I work with run to a restaurant for lunch every day. About 1/4th do the same for breakfast on the way to work every day.)

[Ellendra]

I’m mute, so I have to write my order down if I’m on my own. Now, my handwriting is fairly good, and I don’t even write it in cursive. But I’ve seen McWorkers look at the paper like it was written in hieroglyphics! One guy even had to call the supervisor over to help!

[ctdonath2]

Seen elsewhere today: “You don’t get payed for how smart you are or how hard you worked. You get paid for how big of a problem you fixed for somebody, and how much they are capable of paying you. That’s why good doctors and lawyers get paid so well. Dying or going to jail are big problems, and people will spend a lot of their money to avoid them.”

And flipping a burger onto a grill then onto a bun, when someone else has done most of the rest of the work involved, isn’t much of a problem to fix.

[Chode]

the first three apartments i had i HAD to share in order to live there... why should they be any different???

[dfwgator]

You get paid according to the laws of supply and demand.

If the nature of the job is such that anyone, regardless of skill level can perform the job, the supply of capable labor will be such that it will drive down the wage.

[Delta Dawn]

‘If you can’t afford shoes...move back into Mom’s basement.’

Maybe they should rent their shoes?