Posted on 03/29/2015 8:41:47 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Eighteen-year-old Alicia Donaldson works at a busy McDonald's in East Oakland. Her job is more complicated than anyone might think.
"When you do the grill and the chicken by yourself, it's not easy," she admits. "You have to put down the meat on the grill, and then put chicken in the grease. People get burned a lot."
That's a lot of pain for only $9 an hour. Today it's still hard work, but now Alicia is making $12.25 instead.
"When I worked 56 hours my check was about $480," she remembers.
This month the highest minimum wage in the nation went into effect in Oakland, Calif. Today if she works those same hours, Donaldson estimates she'd make about $170 more every two weeks. Laughing with a dreamy look in her eyes, Alicia says that for her the extra money could mean a few new toys.
"I'd buy an iPhone 6," she laughs. "I couldn't buy that before, but I'd definitely buy that now."
Opponents to the increase are concerned that it will slow job creation and that businesses will reduce hours. The Oakland City Auditor's report on the financial impact of the new law notes that the increase could force the city to reduce its workforce training programs, which would leave more youth unemployed.
For Alicia Donaldson at McDonald's, she's already seeing shorter shifts.
"I do think it's because of the pay that they're cutting hours," she says.
That means she may have to save a little longer to get that iPhone 6.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
It’s starting in other parts of the world. And here, restaurants are dabbling with the concept of putting in your order with a touch screen or some type of automated process. Eventually restaurants will figure out they could do more with fewer employees.
And those businesses who can’t or won’t automate will eventually close.
Sad part is people who advocate for higher wages don’t make the connection between higher minimum wage and job loss. They’ve been told by their leaders that job loss results from corporate greed.
“You have to put down the meat on the grill, and then put chicken in the grease. People get burned a lot”
Awww-poor thing-plenty of 18 year old young women-myself included-did that and more every day when fixing dinner, sometimes while balancing a baby on one hip-after getting home from college classes-and we had part-time jobs to pay for college, rent and food-not smart phones. That is what real women did, and we considered ourselves equals to men-I guess now women have to be weak to be equal...
Would Alicia care for some cheese with that whine?
I wonder how many years and excuses the left will have until this idiocy of a “living wage” finally dies on the hugh dung heap of other failed stupid libtard ideas....
Doesn’t this violate the Child Labor Laws since you are a child until age 26?
But I thought they were pressing for an increase of minimum wage because they were suffering in poverty, not being able to pay rent and buy food and necessities. Was that a lie, or are those people stupid? (I know, yes on both counts.)
Pretending that Americans should compete with the lowest wage labor on the planet instead of protecting American jobs any way we have to is a crock
JMHo
You mean, like people all over the world who cook at home? Just be more careful, princess.
Yup
Adjusted for inflation my pay rate then is now worth $6.92. That’s only 77% of the current CA minimum wage.
The point is not that I was underpaid, or that now folks are overpaid.
The point is that these are entry level jobs and not careers. Yet somehow every job must pay a “living wage” in our progressive PC world.
It SHOULD be tough to make ends meet flipping burgers. That’s part of the incentive to either move up or move on. Now we have people living their lives at the entry point. The secondary effect years from now will be that the youth will have gained no skills because adults will be entrenched in these kinds of positions.
I see it. thanks.
wait...I worked that angle, it still can’t be right. she got paid every 2 weeks, so I’m guessing there’s no overtime involved if the 56 hrs are for a 2 week period. If it’s 56 hrs a week then it’s 32 hours of overtime.
Oh well, I still don’t get it and the story as passed...
Keep saving!
Maybe she has kids and gets EITC, in which case all shed pay was SS.
I missed the part about 2 weeks...
Apologies.
Making ends meet on minimum wage is difficult.
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