Posted on 07/29/2013 11:03:49 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
If Seattle fast workers demanding a big raise in the minimum wage get their way, they'll soon be replaced by robots says KIRO Radio's John Curley, who points to growing automation as a warning to those who want $15 an hour or more to flip burgers.
A group of local fast food workers recently staged a one-day walkout and are calling on the Seattle City Council to increase the minimum wage from $9.19 per hour - the highest in the country - to $15 an hour.
"We're asking for $15 because in order to support one person in a one bedroom apartment you need to make $14.88. We don't make anywhere near that and we're all on food stamps," 23-year-old Amanda Larson told KIRO Radio's Linda Thomas recently as she worked the counter at a Seattle Arby's.
But restaurant owners argue they simply can't afford it. With technology continuing to allow restaurants around the world to replace people with robots and computers, Curley says look no farther than several examples in Japan and Europe as a sign of what's to come if the Seattle workers get their way.
A noted Japanese sushi-chain has robots making food while customers order on a touch screen. A conveyer belt delivers their food and a computer tracks customer purchases and automates their bill payment at the end.
"There are no managers in this restaurant," Curley says. "The managers are all in a centrally located place that are just simply watching video screens. So they've been able to cut out almost all the help."
Several years ago, McDonald's installed thousands of touch-screen kiosks at stores across Europe, replacing cashiers entirely. The company has reportedly also tried out automated burger flippers to further cut back on employees.
It's not far fetched. A Chinese restaurateur has developed a robotic chef now found in a number of noodle bars, further eliminating the need for humans. With the robot chefs costing just $1,500, they're far cheaper than employees and don't demand raises or breaks.
Curley says the workers here demanding higher wages for a job that should be entry-level should think twice before raising too much of a fuss - before they find themselves completely obsolete.
"The saddest thing for this story, if you follow it, is robots will replace human beings in these McDonald's and fast food restaurants and low skill workers will have really no place to go."
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Part of the problem is that Americans feel these types of jobs are beneath them. So they turn to welfare and/or crime and the illegals gladly take their low-skill jobs.
Starting a small business these days is tantamount to economic suicide. The amount of regulations involved is beyond staggering. Virtually no one who is currently only qualified for burger-flipping is going to navigate their way through that maze.
Farming likewise is fraught with oversight obstacles, as you point out.
Small engines (such as those on lawnmowers, garden tractors, and the like), are still pretty basic. Ditto locks. These are areas that would probably be useful. Learning appliance repair would also be a good route (most appliances these days are so modular that no real skill is required). I suspect this will be a growth market for jobs, as the economy slows further and folks try to squeeze longer lives out of their stuff.
I think its kind of sad. Is it such a bad word? Why is there no radio station with the call letters WORK?
Meanwhile Bill Gates told Congress that degreed engineers wanted too much money to do computer work and that more HB1 visa Indian scabs were need so he could pocket 33 billion because there wasn't enough to pay workers and remain profitable.
Mr. Gate lie to Congress affected the entire industry, not just his little kingdom.
I say let's get more Indians in America flipping burgers. That seems to be the solution to everything.
Those pizza machines are opening up all over town here in Russia. The thought of buying a pizza from one of them is disgusting.
Betcha those robots don’t spit in the food the way Je$$e Jack$$on used to do.
Seriously. I believe even a paraplegic can contribute to the community -- and many of them are truly gifted intellectually and should be given the opportunity to contribute.
Not so sure about that.
The future can be a scary place, Dave.
My thoughts on it exactly. More than likely there’s a few illegals in that joint that would be happy to give something back to America. Spit on the side with your burger.
“No reason robots couldn’t replace these useless breathers.”.....
Not only that, a robot can be programmed to speak ENGLISH.
That would be a novel idea.
You realize since the left would be upset it will called “controversial”
And a “bonus” would be that a robot can be programmed to understand and speak ENGLISH. Wouldn't that be a novel idea?
plus robots don’t spit in your food or take selfies of their weiners on your buns
I'm Not Sure.
It was bound to happen and I can’t think of an argument against automating the Fast food workers if the company feels that the are to much of an expense vs. the labor received.
But on the other hand what happens when there aren’t the people available to buy your products because they don’t have jobs, because they were all automated out of existence and there aren’t the jobs left to earn the money to do so? EBT cards? Fine let’s say that’s the official answer. where’s the Government going to get the money to keep loading them every month? Taxes? You got to earn money to be able to pay income taxes. Property taxes? Well people, there is a HUGE revolt building up there too.
Continue to ‘borrow’ money? Not to much of that left either, unless you want hyper-inflation. Even then there is the feeling of being on a piece of s... going down the toilet bowl.
Reduce the population so that ‘everything’ balances out again? I wouldn’t bet the farm on that one. Way to many ‘known unknowns’ and ‘unknown unknowns’ there.
Can we get us some robutt politishuns then, as well?
The answer is we need to stop de-educating half the people in the country so they can do better jobs than flip a burger.
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