US fast-food workers staging nationwide strike

[Cricket2]

How about you first learn what absolute poverty really is and then we’ll be on the same page.

Let me help…

No one in the US is severely deprived of these basic needs unless they so choose not to use the resources made available to them. If a charity doesn’t provide these services, our government does.

You are sadly mistaken. No one chooses to be deprived of these resources. Our system sucks in this country. Wait lists are endless, and while you are waiting what do you do? I have seen and worked with too many people who suffer just this kind of deprivation. One of my neighbors does and if they have food it usually runs out within the last week of the month.

People have a horrible misconception about the poor in this country. I guess that’s what they call “a fools paradise.”

 

[Cricket2]

Really? I worked several minimum wage jobs through high school and early college. I would not claim that I was in poverty

Then again, all I considered those jobs for were to build skills, they were not intended by me nor my employer as careers.

I worked fast food also. They paid 2.35 at the time. It paid for college. In the late 70’s a person could live on that if they had to, even working part time. By the mid 80’s not so true. So I guess it depends on when you were there.

I really am starting to think a lot of people really don’t understand how much poverty there is in this nation. Just because it looks pretty does not mean people are not going without medications, care, heat, food and clothes. The vast majority can only afford their rent and food. Heck, by the late 90’s my job wouldn’t even cover the gas I needed to get to work anymore.

We have no spending power now. If you make a mere $10.00/hr that is $1600/month before taxes. So maybe you are left with $1,200.oo/mo. The average cheap rent in my area is $700.00/month in a one bedroom apartment. That leaves 500.00 Which goes for gas, insurance, phone, and food. There is nothing left as a rule for medical care, the flat tire, new clothes, shoes, the extras. People used to buy homes with that much money while mom stayed at home and raised three or four kids. We are not as well off in this country as we used to be. And there is plenty of poverty out there.

 

[Dawnia]

You are sadly mistaken. No one chooses to be deprived of these resources. Our system sucks in this country. Wait lists are endless, and while you are waiting what do you do? I have seen and worked with too many people who suffer just this kind of deprivation. One of my neighbors does and if they have food it usually runs out within the last week of the month.

People have a horrible misconception about the poor in this country. I guess that’s what they call “a fools paradise.”

I don’t disagree that the system sucks and that people struggle to make ends meet, but it’s not absolute poverty. Absolute poverty is not the same as being poor. It is far more severe than simply running out of food a few days before the end of the month or having to wait for assistance. If we live in a “fool’s paradise” it is because people have a very warped idea of what being severely deprived of basic needs is.

 

[HappyCatholic01]

I worked fast food also. They paid 2.35 at the time. It paid for college. In the late 70’s a person could live on that if they had to, even working part time. By the mid 80’s not so true. So I guess it depends on when you were there.

I really am starting to think a lot of people really don’t understand how much poverty there is in this nation. Just because it looks pretty does not mean people are not going without medications, care, heat, food and clothes. The vast majority can only afford their rent and food. Heck, by the late 90’s my job wouldn’t even cover the gas I needed to get to work anymore.

We have no spending power now. If you make a mere $10.00/hr that is $1600/month before taxes. So maybe you are left with $1,200.oo/mo. The average cheap rent in my area is $700.00/month in a one bedroom apartment. That leaves 500.00 Which goes for gas, insurance, phone, and food. There is nothing left as a rule for medical care, the flat tire, new clothes, shoes, the extras. People used to buy homes with that much money while mom stayed at home and raised three or four kids. We are not as well off in this country as we used to be. And there is plenty of poverty out there.

EVEN IF everything you have claimed (without proof) in this topic were true, unless I am confusing you with someone else, didn’t you vote for President Obama? Anyone complaining about the plight of the poor who voted for the man who has done more to prolong and magnify their misery than any other president (Hoover had one term), as well as encumber the US economy in ways we’ll be digging out of for decades doesn’t get much sympathy.

 

[ProVobis]

I worked fast food also. They paid 2.35 at the time. It paid for college. In the late 70’s a person could live on that if they had to, even working part time. By the mid 80’s not so true. So I guess it depends on when you were there.

I really am starting to think a lot of people really don’t understand how much poverty there is in this nation. Just because it looks pretty does not mean people are not going without medications, care, heat, food and clothes. The vast majority can only afford their rent and food. Heck, by the late 90’s my job wouldn’t even cover the gas I needed to get to work anymore.

We have no spending power now. If you make a mere $10.00/hr that is $1600/month before taxes. So maybe you are left with $1,200.oo/mo. The average cheap rent in my area is $700.00/month in a one bedroom apartment. That leaves 500.00 Which goes for gas, insurance, phone, and food. There is nothing left as a rule for medical care, the flat tire, new clothes, shoes, the extras. People used to buy homes with that much money while mom stayed at home and raised three or four kids. We are not as well off in this country as we used to be. And there is plenty of poverty out there.

As Dawnia says, the system sucks. But small businesses aren’t doing much business these days or if they do, it’s not for long. I live next to a mall (where there is an unemployment office of all things) and there nothing so depressing about seeing shops other than the UE closing their doors after a few years or so. I attend village meetings in attempt to help the the owner of the mall find tenants. I even looked at perhaps taking over a bread shop which employed three people but couldn’t find ways to market the products better than the current owner. I guess the point is not to blame businessmen; they want prosperity just as much as the poorest.

 

[TheWarriorMonk]

My brother is a member of a Union where he works. They do a great deal to make sure people are payed adequately for what they do, and certainly for safety at the work place. I totally believe in unions, as often they are the only reason people have any power at all regarding safe and fair working conditions.

Unions have their place, notably in certain (usually remote) areas where a company can have a monopoly on a certain business and job opportunities are limited. Otherwise, they often have an adverse effect, and can often dumb down the industry. Interestingly enough, in my profession, there are many that are calling for a union. The people that are calling for a union just so happen to be the least skilled (as indicated by their licenses level…the lowest possible to work independently), and many are unwilling to take the steps necessary to upgrade their license. The rest of us (the majority) don’t want a union nor want our incomes decreased.

Yes we have much less spending power now. You get less for more all the time. I will never believe in anything but a living wage for all people. This garbage of paying people so little that they can’t possibly do more than live in a run down apartment building, can never own a home or even a car is rubbish.

I don’t believe in paying people a living wage for no skill set, resulting in a unprofitable and failed business where in the end it results in everyone being out of business. We live in a global economy, and we must compete with other nations. The other choice is to have a communist economy (North Korea, Mao’s Chinese, Soviet Union, etc.) where the country shuts themselves off from the world, and everybody gets the basics to survive.

In my own thinking a strong, moral nation will never accept the notion that people don’t deserve to be payed a sufficient amount to live on, and I don’t mean by the skin of their teeth. This planet was given to us by God for all of us to enjoy and benefit from. Not just a handful healthy enough, strong enough or rich enough to make all the gains and trickle down what is left to the remaining population.

The living wage experiment has actually been attempted in various areas in the U.S. You should study those situations and observe the results. I can only work in very specific situations; e.g., in government situation where they just tax the people to make up the difference. It doesn’t work for the population as a whole, because the is no other population to tax to make up the difference (just like the ObamaCare experiment, BTW).

 

[TheWarriorMonk]

Is it about skills or living? Even if what most people would consider an easy job is the only job I can get or can do, why should I have to be forced into poverty? Why has it never been possible for this country or any nation for that matter to pay people a sufficient amount to live on instead of barely scratch by?

If the situation has never occurred, the first thought that should enter one’s mind is “why hasn’t the situation occurred.” Continuing to insist on a situation that has reputedly never occurred or worked is simply unreasonable. Isn’t it a possibility that the answer is maybe because you can’t? It would be better to work in reality rather than outside of it.

Fact is, it actually has worked…with very specific circumstances. North Korea, Mao’s China, the Soviet Union all set up a situation where everyone makes a living wage. It was necessary for them to cut themselves off from the world to do so. In the case of the Soviet Union and China, they were able to get away with it because of their large natural resource base, and the ability to force distribution of the resources. In other cases like North Korea that have limited resources, they depend on other nations (notably China) to foot the bill.

There are also temporary situations where this can occur in other countries with difference economic systems, specifically countries with a HUGE amount of natural resources relative to their population; e.g., certain Middle East countries, Canada, and Australia. Effectively it’s drawing on a “natural-resource” bank account to make up the difference to artificially inflate the wages. The situation obviously changes when resource availability becomes limited.

Here is a challenge: Restrict your self to $1,200/mo wages for the next year and see if you like it and how you do. (Even if you have a family of 4)

That was about what I was making from my first real job out of college. It encouraged me to work harder and change careers.

 

[Cricket2]

Suppose you were the employer who didn’t have more than $1,200 worth of business on top of other costs (rent, supplies, etc.). Should you close the place?

1,200 a week, a month, ??? If you can’t pay people a living wage then maybe you should close.

 

[ProVobis]

1,200 a week, a month, ??? If you can’t pay people a living wage then maybe you should close.

One of the owners of the businesses in the mall I mentioned above is crippled herself so closing the business may not be a viable option.

 

[freeRadical]

1,200 a week, a month, ??? If you can’t pay people a living wage then maybe you should close.

Were is the compassion for the people who will lose their jobs when the business closes? Surely, some income is better then no income?

 

[Farsight001]

Is it about skills or living? Even if what most people would consider an easy job is the only job I can get or can do, why should I have to be forced into poverty? Why has it never been possible for this country or any nation for that matter to pay people a sufficient amount to live on instead of barely scratch by?

Here is a challenge: Restrict your self to $1,200/mo wages for the next year and see if you like it and how you do. (Even if you have a family of 4)

Dude, I have lived on less than 1200 dollars a month for the last decade. Its not hard. $150 for food. $30 for bus. $30 for phone. $600 for rent. No cable, no car (no gas or insurance as a result), no internet (go to the library). That’s just under $400 in the bank every month, and people could probably spend less on food if they wanted to. One of my roommates shops only at Aldis and spends about $70 a month. Having roommates cheapens rent as well. Right now I pay about $400 a month with water, gas, electric, and internet shared with two roommates. If you want entertainment, go to a free museum or the park, or "rent’ a movie from the library.

So $400+ a month saved living on $1200 a month, which you can use on emergencies if you need to. $1200 IS a living wage. A simple living, but living nonetheless, and better than most of the world does.

This is not hard. People just don’t want to be responsible adults anymore. You can describe all the sob scenarios you want. Most of us have been through them. You GET through them with hard work, not by demanding better pay for absolutely nothing in return.

 

[TheWarriorMonk]

1,200 a week, a month, ??? If you can’t pay people a living wage then maybe you should close.

This way everyone can be out of work. Tell your family that you decided to shut the business down because you couldn’t pay someone more than $1,200 a month, and that they’ll have to have to fend for themselves.

BTW, what businesses have you started, and what do you pay your employees?

 

[DoGodsBidding]

Dude, I have lived on less than 1200 dollars a month for the last decade. Its not hard. $150 for food. $30 for bus. $30 for phone. $600 for rent. No cable, no car (no gas or insurance as a result), no internet (go to the library). That’s just under $400 in the bank every month, and people could probably spend less on food if they wanted to. One of my roommates shops only at Aldis and spends about $70 a month. Having roommates cheapens rent as well. Right now I pay about $400 a month with water, gas, electric, and internet shared with two roommates. If you want entertainment, go to a free museum or the park, or "rent’ a movie from the library.

So $400+ a month saved living on $1200 a month, which you can use on emergencies if you need to. $1200 IS a living wage. A simple living, but living nonetheless, and better than most of the world does.

This is not hard. People just don’t want to be responsible adults anymore. You can describe all the sob scenarios you want. Most of us have been through them. You GET through them with hard work, not by demanding better pay for absolutely nothing in return.

 

[HappyCatholic01]

1,200 a week, a month, ??? If you can’t pay people a living wage then maybe you should close.

As others have said, this makes no sense, and shows a severe ignorance of economics and how a business works.

Do you have any idea what the profit margins are for many industries? Do you have any idea how much money is spent up front to get a business going? How many out of pocket expenses are fronted, often to the detriment of the business owner and their family, by the owner?

I own my own business, and all the time and money spent on research, payroll, lawyers, timecard management, benefits comparison, not to mention recruiting, marketing, and looking for new business was time and money I did not spend with my wife and young daughters. If I fail, I have no fallback other than my savings, which places a sever burden of stress on me. I can’t rely on a larger business that float me on overhead regardless of economic conditions.

Oh and thanks to onerous regulations by the current administration, which has been the worst to happen to small businessman and entrepreneurs in US history, I offer no benefits, but hire W-2 hourly employees only. There are too many restrictions on benefits (see the ACA for the most obvious example) such that I can’t even tailor the business and benefits to the people I hire. I’d like to give them a say in what we offer, since as a small business I can do that, but it has become too burdensome thanks the benevolent dictatorship in the White House and Congress. So, our benefits are gone. I traded them for a higher hourly rate, which many people would much rather have anyway. Keeping my benefits would have meant fewer new hires.

The point is, you speak of how businesses should structure themselves without knowing what goes into the businesses or the decisions they have to make. You speak of people on here as though no one has been poor, or worked for minimum wage or had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. You speak of wage considerations for people as though many of those people bear ZERO responsibility for the situation they are in. The reality is many do in fact bear responsibility for where they are in life. That doesn’t eliminate the need for compassion and fair treatment, but doesn’t eliminate the consequences for each of us either for the decisions we have made in life. God does not remove consequences simply because they are unpleasant.

We should each treat one another life Christ, and strive to care for our fellow men. That does not mean nor has it ever guaranteed equality of outcome or a perfect life, and to expect that is to disbelieve Christ Himself and the scriptures.

 

[PaulinVA]

I echo what HappyCatholic just said.

When I hire people, I am generous. It helps develop loyalty and is a way that I can use my position for good. I also hire what the C level executive I work for calls strays and mutts. I hire for salaried positions that require a degree, but I have hired several people that are not degreed but interviewed well and were willing to work, and really needed a break.

As a Catholic, that is how I use my position to help people’s lives. I don’t hire totally unqualified people and give them an exorbitant salary. I give people a chance. I can’t do that for every position, because I have deadlines and work that needs to be done, and I can’t carry too many people who are working their way into the position. But I can help a little.

I grew up in the South, and I know that there are pockets where there is no hope and everyone is on assistance. It is truly sad. I don’t know what to do about that situation.

 

[KyrieEleison17]

How stingy, 9.13/hr. indeed, why not 119.13/hr.; what justification is there to keep unskilled- labor in slave pay. Where is the liberal outrage over the economic rape of the untrained, untalented and mostly not to bright labors flipping our burgers?

You certainly meant not too bright fast-food workers.

In Canada, 1/2 the people flipping your burgers are doing so because they need the money to pay their expenses for school to keep themselves from going into the most irresponsible debts. Another 1/4 are giving most of their money to their family, especially as often happens their single mothers to help feed their siblings. The remaining quarter are elderly people who have often been thrown out of work or “laid off”, being no longer economically expedient to their businesses that they had often worked decades for.

Any other fast-food worker is working not for the money but because they don’t want to be welfare cases but productive members of society.

I stand with the fast-food workers.

 

[Geist]

There are many poor who can’t get to food, despite many programs. My sisters Food Stamp amount is $15/month. If she did not have help from my dad she would run out of food within the first week of the month. Food banks are running out of food to supply for the growing number of families living on the streets. So ya, people in this country go without food everyday.

Then why are the “poor” in America generally obese?

They sure seem to be eating plenty since they’re driving up healthcare costs by having diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and renal failure. All expensive chronic lifestyle illnesses.

 

[Geist]

I echo what HappyCatholic just said.

When I hire people, I am generous. It helps develop loyalty and is a way that I can use my position for good. I also hire what the C level executive I work for calls strays and mutts. I hire for salaried positions that require a degree, but I have hired several people that are not degreed but interviewed well and were willing to work, and really needed a break.

As a Catholic, that is how I use my position to help people’s lives. I don’t hire totally unqualified people and give them an exorbitant salary. I give people a chance. I can’t do that for every position, because I have deadlines and work that needs to be done, and I can’t carry too many people who are working their way into the position. But I can help a little.

I grew up in the South, and I know that there are pockets where there is no hope and everyone is on assistance. It is truly sad. I don’t know what to do about that situation.

How dare you use sound morals and free market methods to create wealth?

You’re supposed to support the government in forcibly redistributing wealth!

 

[stinkcat_14]

You’re supposed to support the government in forcibly redistributing wealth!

Most people support the government forcibly redistributing wealth when they are on the receiving end. For example, social security and medicare recipients don’t complain when other people are forced to sacrifice for them. Physicians don’t complain when occupational licensing laws keep out competition and forces their customers to pay more.

 

[Geist]

Most people support the government forcibly redistributing wealth when they are on the receiving end. For example, social security and medicare recipients don’t complain when other people are forced to sacrifice for them. Physicians don’t complain when occupational licensing laws keep out competition and forces their customers to pay more.

Entitlement programs obviously fall under redistributed wealth.

Licensing has some ethical merit in fields where real harm due to incompetence may occur such as medicine, law, or accounting, however in most industries it’s just a tax.