Someone Has to Work at McDonalds (Page 2)

[lumos]

If you think that you should be able to make a living off of serving people food you put together in less than a minute, think again. Working at McDonald's as a student is good I guess because then you might have lower bills to pay and the working hours are pretty flexible from what I can tell. But as an adult, there's no way in hell you should get 15 dollars an hour for flipping pre-made burgers. Maybe you should aim for a better career before making a family and suddenly having an extra mouth to feed. It's true that McDonald's is a job just like any other technically, but there's no way in hell their employees deserve as much money as the people who actually do something good for society by saving lives. You shouldn't be able to make a living off of it, it's not that kind of job.

[vishna]

Minimum wage should reflect the times. Wages should be equivalent to the cost of living. 7.25 is not reflective of the cost of living in America.

In America people are being paid less than minimum wage legally and that's not right either. Waitresses can legally be paid $2.13 an hour, which is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

They're paid minimum wage because that's what the job is worth. If they provided more value, they'd be paid more. But it's low skill work... and many workers still suck at it.

It isn't McDonald's job to make sure that the cashier earns enough for rent. That's the employee's problem. If they want to make more money, they should learn a skill that's actually valuable and get higher paying work.

Their economic problems are their own damn fault.

[myTake Owner]

So, in mytake I mentioned the EMS worker who also does not make 15$ an hour and saves lives everyday. Is it also their damn fault that they don't earn enough? There is something definitely wrong with a system that hasn't increased its minimum wage.. mind you, like a lot of other countries already have and have not exploded, in decades.

[Opinion Owner]

The EMS worker ALSO isn't doing difficult work. It doesn't take years of complicated schooling. You can learn quickly, and the medical responses are limited and simple.

They get paid appropriately.

It isn't the government's job or the businessman's job to make sure an employee earns a livable wage. That's the employee's responsibility. Key word: responsibility.

If they don't take responsibility for themselves, then they have only themselves to blame.

[myTake Owner]

so am I to understand that someone who may potentially keep you or your family from dying is at fault for choosing this job? Wow. I'm sure they'd love to hear that one. That's a really black and white way of looking at the situation. A job and earning a living are not someone's "fault" and they shouldn't be blamed for choosing whatever job they choose. An employer isn't setting the MW in this country but it is the minimum that they have to pay and many if given a choice probably would pay people less, but we establish a bare minimum standard, but that standard needs to change with the times. It's the reason we don't pay people 2$/hr like they did in the 1930s. Why, because standards of living have changed.

[tl656]

@EMS4Life how is that hard work? What you describe doesn't sound hard, maybe sad and gross but not hard.

[Xoxoxooo123]

Oh I agree 100%. You're economic problems and your money problems are yours and I wish people would stop blaming their shit on others lolol. Like be a real grown up and if you want a better paying job go back to school

[nickstaa]

The Minimum wage is only $7.25 in America? That's really bad, I'm from a poorer country where the minimum wage would be about $10.00 USD an hour and that's considered low here.

Big companies especially ones like McDonald's which pollute the world with their crap should be at least paying a couple of dollars more than minimum wage.

And if workers are still lazy and slack just get rid of them.

[SonicDare]

There is no standard in the U. S, as in each State can vote to pay more if they so choose. The Federal Minimum is the minimum rate of minimum wage. The City of Seattle has the highest minimum wage in the country.

[Red_Arrow]

@SonicDare - There is a standard in the US. "The Fair Labor Standards Act requires a minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped workers with the expectation that wages plus tips total no less than $7.25 per hour. The employer must pay the difference if total income does not add up to $7.25 per hour." So whether tipped or not, the minimum is to be a total of $7.25 an hour. Many states set a higher minimum, but they cannot go lower.

[SonicDare]

@Red_Arrow NO, that is the minimum to which they have to be paid. In Seattle they chose to pay more, therefore it varies by region/state.

[Red_Arrow]

@SonicDare - As I have already said, there is a national minimum wage. I quoted the law to you. $7.25 is the national minimum wage. States and regions can set higher, but the minimum by US law is 7.25 and hour.

[myTake Owner]

@SonicDare @Red_Arrow you can see what each states MW rate is. Not 100% on this, but I do believe even if the states MW is lower or non-existent in the few states, FLSA law supersedes state law with the exception of state exemptions.

www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Louisiana

[ThisAndThat]

For start, if someone working at Mc Donald's made as much or more than someone with a higher education that worked as a paramedic, what would be the point of going to school to become a paramedic? That would eventually lead to a shortage of paramedics because you'd think they'd all be working at Mc Donald's or similar. But then again probably not be working at Mc Donald's because Mc Donald's is fast food IE cheap menu and that menu would drastically change to a very expensive menu in order to be able to pay $15.00 per hour and that would quickly detour customers, hint's bye bye Mc Donald's.

[VampireEmpress]

this is interesting because I just read on the news that the mcds company is doing really badly and may be closing a lot of stores soon... and also that they're replacing some workers with kiosks that you can order from instead. either way, if the new min wage really kicks off, so many people will be pissed. even lots of business managers these days only make 15/hr now, after working for their companies for years!

I think people may seriously try to shoot anyone who works @ a 15/hr mcds. a lot of people will feel like the went to college, or stayed @ a bad company for years for nothing.

[Anonymous]

This country has trained itself into thinking that all hard working jobs have lower pay. Unions are being torn apart and people are getting fired for even thinking of starting a union. EMT workers in poorer regions should still make 16 dollars an hour and McDonald's workers should make at least 9 or 10. The wage disparity is a joke. CEO'S making 5 thousand to 15 thousand an hour while their workers that are sweating and busting their ass are not even making enough to pay all their bills. I am all for capitalism but treating the poor like dog shit is not too cool.

[EMS4Life]

I am an EMT. I have worked in both public and private EMS services here in the south.

My pay as a new EMT has been anywhere from $9.00/hr to $11.25/hr. Paramedics don't make much more than that. Even with massive overtime, my annual pay has been around $25,000 a year at most. It is a good thing I am going to be starting uni (at a late age of 21), but at least I can get a decent education to advance in my careers.

I agree this is utterly disgusting and inexcusable. To pay a fast food worker $15.00 an hour while we are risking our lives and our health to save lives.

[Ihav2fart]

Minimum wage WILL be $15 dollars in San Francisco by 2018...
I think it's ridiculous! I am all for improving lives, but they gotta be deserving of it.
I can't stand shitty employees not doing shit, while their co-workers work their ass off only to get paid the same..

[Anonymous]

$15 / hour at McDonalds is not a solution. That would just jack prices up and drive cost up. McDonalds is no doubt a shit job. Yes I believe its a job and I respect the worker and I appreciate the effort but its not a job I would like.

Solution is...
1) Stop taxing people who make that low.
2) If they are making low income... provide them with free or nearly free education.
3) People earning that low need to learn to live together (share aparment or home) or if suitable the governemnt can help them.

[myTake Owner]

1) I think people are trying to implement this now
2) this would not go over well. I can hear the cackling now... why does my child have to pay 50 grand a year whilst so and so gets a free ride for the same education. Cue the elitist melodrama
3) The government isn't really helping them now, and count yourself lucky if you can find a roommate or family to live with, but not everyone has that option and making it mandatory, would I think be pushing us towards socialism. Again, cue the melodrama.

[Opinion Owner]

2) Your child has to pay 50 grand cause he can afford it. Anyway... its already called scholarhsips aka discounted education. Increase the number of scholarships for low income students. Problem solved.
3) Everyone rooms / finds a roommate. I know many people who do this. I don't see why this is a problem. If nothing else subsidize rent like the goverment does with other things like food, education etc. At some point that $7.50 hour will amount to something with all these savings. I am sure they would be fine.

[hellionthesage]

Yes its a crap job that doesn't pay the bills but then again raising the minimum wage won't help. The second it was brought up McDonalds cut jobs and replaced them with machines (computer ordering). You raise the minimum wage and you won't get fair wages you'll just lose more jobs or hours to compensate. The problem is the people up top are not going to sacrifice their paychecks for the people at the bottom.

[M_A_X]

Yes, someone has to work at Mcdonalds. The problem is that people don't realize that all of the economy and this is graded on a curve. You don't have to make the most money in the world, you just have to be making more than the people working the worst jobs.

These people, after high school, forget that they're in competition with one another... or maybe it's high school that makes them think otherwise

[Anonymous]

I work in mcdonals and even I think this is outrageous... yes we need a increase in wage but Jesus 15 dollars... maybe a bit cause well our pay sucks balls maybe they should force them to give all emplyes 40 hours plus instead? cause mcdonalds always gives their employes 36 hours max to not pay cerntain contributions to the goverment for full time employees.

My suggestiong would be

- take away the contributions fast foods need to pay for full time employees (change it to part time to force them to do the opposite)
- increase the wage but maybe by like a dollar at most.
make them give the employes sick days with pay (they dont at leats in mine)

but I know this is probably more complex than that but I disagree mcdonalds should pay 15 dollars an hour thats more than what a soldier makes!

[VampireEmpress]

you're right. I googled and that is more than a soldier can make. holy shit.

[Opinion Owner]

yes more than a soldier which is pretty fucken crazy... I'm sorry but if people in mcdonads want to make 15 dollar the hour they should go to college (myself included)

[Accipiter]

I live in a state that inflates the minimum wage every year. It pays about $9.25 per hour and it will go up again in January. I think that wage increases should be given as rewards for hard work and dedication to the job, not just because the government says it should.

The lowest wages would be livable if we had less taxes and federal spending that constantly rob from every hard working American.

[QuteQueen]

I think it depends on the overall professionalism and reputation of McDonald's workers. I feel like everywhere is a stepping stone until you can improve in life and I believe McDonald's is more like a stepping stone to get back on your feet or more of a teenager job.

[Moose2coolvargas]

Well the McDonald's where I live, have the most ghetto people working there you shake a stick at. Orders always wrong, they can't ever hear ya. Would you like fries whiff dat etc. Don't get me started on walmart, how something works or where it is in the store! You better hope you know what you want or where it is before you go, they won't help

[Alexismk]

First please dont fall into the trap. All it would do is cause massive inflation and hurt people who work in semi-skilled jobs. I wish i had more time to look it up but i bet the cost of mcdonalds meal is pretty close to minimum wage. Jobs like mcdonalds are not meant to be a living wage,

Second, i wonder if people that try to justify this ever eat at mcdonalds. Hlaf the time its slow service from gumpy people who dont know how to put food in a bag.

[Botchie]

Rather than increase wages, why don't we decrease the cost of living?

[myTake Owner]

can we get you a podium and a mic sir, b/c I don't think enough people heard you

[Botchie]

We can't afford one due to budget cuts hahaha. I'll just speak up a little louder.

[myTake Owner]

lol!

[tynamite]

People's wages are falling every year as wages are not keeping up with inflation. I can give you graphs showing this. The government should stop printing more money devaluing the currency as inflation is theft. In the 1960s people's money went much further.

[VampireEmpress]

yeah, i think it's a shame people are getting more accustomed to making lower wages while the prices of everything go up more and more.

[tynamite]

@VampireEmpress When the industrial revolution happened, billions of poor people were lifted out of poverty thanks to trains and cars to get to work, advances in agriculture and computer technology. People got rich due to innovation and people collectively increasing their intelligence. Now what we're seeing is a new type of capitalism where money is shifted from the poor and middle class to the rich.

In the 90s Kodak was the biggest technology company with hundreds of employees, but now Instagram gets acquired for 1 billion despite having 13 employees.
In the 90s people brought music and record labels would pay bands to go on tour as sales were so high, but now we have Spotify which pays people hardly anything giving all music for $10 a month.
America used to have hundreds of media companies on tv, radio and magazines, but now it's just six.

The government prints more money so that they inconspicuously get more tax money despite the tax rate being the same percentage.

[VampireEmpress]

I've heard that the mcds corp may be closing down lots of their stores soon too. I don't totally believe it, but either way you're right: the usa just doesn't produce much anymore. if all the retail and fast food jobs go away... where will anyone work?

[echoaj]

We certainly need to raise minimum wage. Wages in the USA have not keept up with inflation. They are at an all time low.

[ElvenMr]

Same stuff in a lot of European countries too by the way.