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New York Acts to Mandate $15 Minimum Wage in Fast Food

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If I were an evil conglomerate fast food CEO, I would convert all servers to be waiters instead, thus avoiding this wage requirement and relying on tips instead. After all, McDonalds patrons are known to be extra generous tippers and should more than make up the difference.
 

entremet

Member
One of the ways the class system oppresses the working classes, is by encouraging the working classes to fight amongst themselves.

"Oh that's too much money"
"Oh those workers aren't worth that much"
"Oh they didn't go to college"
"Oh that's almost as much as I make!"

Don't get mad because the working poor will be slightly better off. Get mad because your corporate masters are paying you as little as they can get away with!

I would agree.

One of the reasons why blue collar industries tend to have stronger unions is that they have more solidarity.

White collar workers are inherently competitive by design since you're competing against each other in jobs and promotions.

The corporate masters have used this against us pretty well.
 
Good news for all those gaffers always saying they could live like kings on 30k a year.

Move to New York and flip burgers.
Depending where you live 30k a year is more than enough to support a family of 3. To someone living out in the rural/semi-rural parts of New York this is great.
 

Laekon

Member
I'm totally for this but how will a wage hike on a single part of an industry hold up in court?

Can't wait to see even more threads about how McD's sucks cause you can't get a sandwich for a $1 any more.
 
D

Deleted member 284

Unconfirmed Member
I'm totally for this but how will a wage hike on a single part of an industry hold up in court?

Can't wait to see even more threads about how McD's sucks cause you can't get a sandwich for a $1 any more.
Oh Nos! My dollar burger is going to cost $1.50 now. ;)
 

zulux21

Member
I'm really hoping someone does a good economical study on this.

I am really curious how other jobs that will be making less than $15 an hour react to this, and how quickly the raise their wages.

I mean fast food work isn't glorious, but if you are in need of money you will likely end up signing up to flip burgers for $15 an hour instead of ring up items at a store for $9 an hour.

this will likely lead to more quality workers in fast food as with the pay increase the demand to work there will likely increase as more people would be after the extra pay, again not a glorious job though so the quality would only remain there if other industries didn't play catch up because once you are offered $15 to go stock shelves in a store you likely won't stay flipping burgers. but still it will be an interesting thing to watch.

It'd be nice in general if wages were increased across the board though. It's crazy how many people I know work a full time job and part time job just to be able to provide for themselves.
 

Guevara

Member
I would agree.

One of the reasons why blue collar industries tend to have stronger unions is that they have more solidarity.

White collar workers are inherently competitive by design since you're competing against each other in jobs and promotions.

The corporate masters have used this against us pretty well.

That's true, maybe when we realize fast food workers make $30k, and many "white collar" workers make $60k or $80k or whatever, they have a lot in common and are fighting a similar struggle.
 
Automation will definitely enter the picture. Nearly half the chain restaurants I go to here in Japan already takes orders using a touch panel. It's actually pretty cool and quite convenient. No need to look around and wait for your server to notice you. The servers are only around to bring the food.
 

Rootbeer

Banned
I always find it funny when people say that this will cause the automation of their jobs. People can barely function with ATMs or anything more complex than hungry hungry hippos, I doubt many will be able to order food.

Good. the more automation the better. Nobody wants to work in fast food. They do it because it's what they can find. The sooner we can eliminate as many jobs nobody wants to do, the faster we can move towards a society where nobody has to. This isn't a bad thing, because we ultimately want a society where people only do the jobs they want to do, and the jobs nobody wants to do are automated.

But in the meantime, pay people a wage that will allow them to afford housing, food and other essentials.
 

OEM

Member
This is fucking terrible. Why do people who didnt go to school and flips burger for living deserves more money than someone busting their ass off in steel factory labor work.

Do it for all or dont.
 

zulux21

Member
This is fucking terrible. Why do people who didnt go to school and flips burger for living deserves more money than someone busting their ass off in steel factory labor work.

Do it for all or dont.

it's been said quite a few times that they couldn't do it for all, and logically doing it for fast food alone is way way way better than doing it for none (as it should make other industries at least play catch up a little to retain quality workers)

absolute worst case scenario and no one else plays catch up... you stop busting your ass off in a steel factory job and go and flip burgers for more money. At least that option will be out there.
 
I would agree.

One of the reasons why blue collar industries tend to have stronger unions is that they have more solidarity.

White collar workers are inherently competitive by design since you're competing against each other in jobs and promotions.

The corporate masters have used this against us pretty well.

I don't think this is inherently true. Highly competitive industries like professional sports and acting are unionized. Lots of white collar work is unionized. Teachers, writers, communication workers, etc.
 

Partition

Banned
Brittany Thomas, 20, who works at a Lady Foot Locker store, said it would not be fair to raise wages only for fast-food workers given that “there are a lot of jobs that require more work than serving food.”

As someone who's worked in the food industry for 4 years at several places from fast food, to on the line @ at restaurant, to fast casual, I really doubt this, but I understand why only raising the wage for certain jobs can be unfair.
 

Mengetsu

Member
Honestly even $15.00 a hour might not be enough for most pending on the situation. Let's say you gotta go to work using the MTA that's automatically $119.00 out one of your checks for a monthly Metrocard to travel. Then you have lunch 5 days a week, shopping for the month and paying bills like Cable rent ect. All of that could add up to well over $1700.00 in living cost a month if you and that's if you live in a studio apt out here. I didn't add in if you have kids or a spouse and even more factors.

People are moving from Manhattan to Brooklyn each day because cost is becoming to much even for the middle class in the city which is fluxing prices out here to go higher. It's a bad time to be on minimum wage in NYC.
 

zulux21

Member
Seatle is doing it right now.

ah cool, that would be an interesting read.

As someone who's worked in the food industry for 4 years at several places from fast food, to on the line @ at restaurant, to fast casual, I really doubt this, but I understand why only raising the wage for certain jobs can be unfair.

hands down I am going to go with a fast food worker has to work harder on average than a lady foot locker worker.
 

entremet

Member
I don't think this is inherently true. Highly competitive industries like professional sports and acting are unionized. Lots of white collar work is unionized. Teachers, writers, communication workers, etc.

Your'e right. I don't really count entertainment industry that much since it's much smaller compared others in terms of participants.

Government workers also tend to be unionized as well.
 
Your'e right. I don't really count entertainment industry that much since it's much smaller compared others in terms of participants.

Government workers also tend to be unionized as well.

It really comes down to how effective employers can be about convincing workers they're not better together. (I think absent anti-union drives workers would overwhelmingly unionize, meaning that I don't think the lack of unionization is based on a dislike of Unions but a fear of the process and consequences )

I think there is something to say about say, bankers, who have a culture which is based on fucking others over but its an interesting thing to explore who certain industries have more success than others. I don't think it comes out to simple answers.
 

Horns

Member
Now every time a fast food place closes in NYC, I expect to see a story from Breitbart, Daily Caller or the Washington Times.
 
I lol'd at people on Facebook who say Fast Food workers are lazy freeloaders and that my job deserves a raise even though the Fast Food workers worked hard for their raise by protesting and acting, while these people just sit around and complain about the Fast Food workers. Whose the real lazy one here?
 

KHlover

Banned
Good news for all those gaffers always saying they could live like kings on 30k a year.

Move to New York and flip burgers.

Well that depends entirely on where you live. Earning 30k/yr in Bumfuck, Nowhere will get you a lot farther than 30k/yr in NYC.
 

Arkeband

Banned
Depending where you live 30k a year is more than enough to support a family of 3. To someone living out in the rural/semi-rural parts of New York this is great.

It's not 'more than enough' but it keeps the lights on.

You're super fucked if your car breaks down.
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Maybe I missed it, but what is defined as "fast food"?

Counter service.

I lol'd at people on Facebook who say Fast Food workers are lazy freeloaders and that my job deserves a raise even though the Fast Food workers worked hard for their raise by protesting and acting, while these people just sit around and complain about the Fast Food workers. Whose the real lazy one here?

I'm not seeing it on my fb, but I'm seeing backlash on social media.
 

quickwhips

Member
Fast food workers making slightly less than I make with a job that required a degree. I'm happy for them, but what is this conflicting feeling I have inside of me?

Time for you job to show they appreciate you or for you to find a new one.
 

snap0212

Member
I actually think it'd be sweet to just order my food on a touch screen and have it be right every time.

Surprised it's not around yet
We have that in Germany at some MC Donald's locations and it sucks.

Self service sucks at grocery stores as well. Every time I try it someone working there has to come up to the machine and fix it.
 
Good news for all those gaffers always saying they could live like kings on 30k a year.

Move to New York and flip burgers.

I wasn't living too badly in 2008 on $26k (equivalent of $28.5k in 2014 dollars). I admit that I lived with my parents, but the majority of my income went to savings, and that extra money would have easily paid for an apartment rental with utilities and all and still have extra going into the bank (or into video games). It's hard to say, but I believe that both my parents generally made around the same amount of money or less throughout most of their lives. This is in Nassau County, an area considered by some to be the highest cost of living non-city county in the nation, I recall. In 2014 dollars, I consider $30k to be well above a living wage, and I know boatloads of people in the area who suffice on much less.

Granted, in 2020 dollars, that amount I was making will probably be higher in equivalence, so I don't know how well I could speak to that.
 
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