Minimum Wage

[Sportello]

http://livingwage.mit.edu/

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

The reason I brought up minimum wage is because upstate asked if people were willing to pay $10 for a head of lettuce if we stopped using immigrant labor.
The same question is posed by people who are against raising the minimum wage. I just find that funny.

The difference between the farmers and fast food companies is that almost all of the large corporations like McDonalds CAN afford to pay their employees more without significantly raising their prices, they simply choose not to.

 

[Brownslave688]

The reason I brought up minimum wage is because upstate asked if people were willing to pay $10 for a head of lettuce if we stopped using immigrant labor.
The same question is posed by people who are against raising the minimum wage. I just find that funny.

The difference between the farmers and fast food companies is that almost all of the large corporations like McDonalds CAN afford to pay their employees more without significantly raising their prices, they simply choose not to.

They could but profits would shrink big time.

 

[Sportello]

They could but profits would shrink big time.

Not necessarily true.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-...ge-107-percent-without-losing-jobs-or-profit/

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

They could but profits would shrink big time.

Would that necessarily be a bad thing? They're a hugely profitable company. Even cutting their profit in half would still give them billions in profit.
How much profit is enough? There's a balance between wages and profit that is totally out of whack here.
I also don't think we have to take an absolutist approach to the problem. They could spread the hit out between raising prices and taking in less profit.

The way it seems now, it's almost like income redistribution from the working class to Wall Street.

 

[Catatonic]

Would that necessarily be a bad thing? They're a hugely profitable company. Even cutting their profit in half would still give them billions in profit.
How much profit is enough? There's a balance between wages and profit that is totally out of whack here.
I also don't think we have to take an absolutist approach to the problem. They could spread the hit out between raising prices and taking in less profit.

The way it seems now, it's almost like income redistribution from the working class to Wall Street.

If frogs had wings, they wouldn't bump their butt.

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

If frogs had wings, they wouldn't bump their butt.

Maybe the frogs should unionize.

 

[Catatonic]

Maybe the frogs should unionize.

And then they wouldn't jump?

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

And then they wouldn't jump?

Nah, but maybe they could catch bigger flies and see a doctor for those butt problems.

 

[moreluck]

And then they wouldn't jump?

 

[Brownslave688]

Would that necessarily be a bad thing? They're a hugely profitable company. Even cutting their profit in half would still give them billions in profit.
How much profit is enough? There's a balance between wages and profit that is totally out of whack here.
I also don't think we have to take an absolutist approach to the problem. They could spread the hit out between raising prices and taking in less profit.

The way it seems now, it's almost like income redistribution from the working class to Wall Street.

You cant look at overall profit though. That can be very misleading. If I make a billion dollars profit on 100 billion in sales my margins are razor thin.

 

[realbrown1]

They want $15 an hour, because these minimum wage jobs can't support their families. Minimum wage is what it is due to who fills those jobs. Unskilled people with no other options, due to a lack of skills, and are not motivated to improve their positions.

I worked in a body shop for years, startibg at 9 bucks an hour wirh ZERO skills, and worked my way up to maybe 16 an hour by working hard, and bwing able to learn more of the painting process and INCREASING production.

These goofs DO NOT deserve $15/hour to slap a patty on a bun, or drop fries for 8 hours a day. Drop fries, when the buzzer goes off, pick them up. Minimum wage might be TOO much for them

Never thought I would see the day when union members talk down another worker's wage.

They make 1/3 of what we do, and they have no benefits.

And you JUSTIFY it by calling it UNSKILLED.

Hard work is hard work.

It should be compensated fairly with a wage a person can live off of.

Or, keep their wages so low, and they will be on welfare, food stamps and public housing.

I choose paying them a livable wage.

 

[Babagounj]

Domino’s Pizza is paying more to hire right people
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Domino’s Pizza Inc. Chief Executive Patrick Doyle said Monday the company is paying more to new hires as the economy improves and competitors raise wages.

“The great news is that the economy is moving and getting better, and it’s getting harder to hire people,” Doyle said in an interview on CNBC. “That’s why you’re seeing these announcements around pay.”

The reality is the labor market is tightening up and we’ve got to respond to that,” he said. “We’ve got to do what the market demands to get the right people for our business.”

“Don’t forget that the jobs we’re talking about are mostly delivery positions, and with tips our drivers already make, on average, well over the minimum wage and over the amounts that you’ve recently heard from other retail and restaurant companies,” spokesperson Tim McIntyre said in an emailed statement.

 

[superballs63]

Never thought I would see the day when union members talk down another worker's wage.

They make 1/3 of what we do, and they have no benefits.

And you JUSTIFY it by calling it UNSKILLED.

Hard work is hard work.

It should be compensated fairly with a wage a person can live off of.

Or, keep their wages so low, and they will be on welfare, food stamps and public housing.

I choose paying them a livable wage.

Yes, hard work is hard work.
Dropping frozen potatoes into 350° oil is HARDLY "hard work"

They're on welfare and food stamps because they have crumby jobs and too many kids. So your answer to that is FORCING companies to pay them a higher wage? What's to say that if they get $15/ hour they'll stop there? Why not $20?

The bottom line is that if they want to support a family, perhaps instead of doing the bare minimum, they strive for something better and work harder?

That's crazy talk!!!

 

[MrFedEx]

Yes, hard work is hard work.
Dropping frozen potatoes into 350° oil is HARDLY "hard work"

They're on welfare and food stamps because they have crumby jobs and too many kids. So your answer to that is FORCING companies to pay them a higher wage? What's to say that if they get $15/ hour they'll stop there? Why not $20?

The bottom line is that if they want to support a family, perhaps instead of doing the bare minimum, they strive for something better and work harder?

That's crazy talk!!!

I never thought I would agree with realbrown1, but he's right...hard work is hard work. Go into a busy McDonald's sometime and spend 15 minutes observing the staff at work. It's Taylorism and micromanagement together...at a very fast pace. Kind of like UPS with food.

They deserve more money than what they're getting. For some minorities (like Hispanics), McDonald's can be a step-up over working in agriculture, landscaping etc. And yes, many are probably not here legitimately.

I don't really care...everyone has a right to make a decent wage...if they work hard. McDonald's is usually hard work.

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

Yes, hard work is hard work.
Dropping frozen potatoes into 350° oil is HARDLY "hard work"

They're on welfare and food stamps because they have crumby jobs and too many kids. So your answer to that is FORCING companies to pay them a higher wage? What's to say that if they get $15/ hour they'll stop there? Why not $20?

The bottom line is that if they want to support a family, perhaps instead of doing the bare minimum, they strive for something better and work harder?

That's crazy talk!!!

I didn't hear him say anything about forcing them to pay a higher wage. In some ways minimum wage laws are a part of the problem. In some circumstances they can have an adverse effect and actually keep wages lower than they should be. There is no perfect solution to this problem.

However, whether you agree with minimum wage laws or not, this is a conversation people should be having. Let me put it this way:
If I owned a business and I couldn't afford to pay my workers a living wage, I would question myself about whether or not I should be in business at all. If I owned a business and I could afford to pay a living wage, but chose not to.... well then I would have to question my morality. Companies like McDonalds and Walmart are undeniably in the second group, and if they won't face that question, we as a society, and more importantly as consumers should.

 

[superballs63]

I never thought I would agree with realbrown1, but he's right...hard work is hard work. Go into a busy McDonald's sometime and spend 15 minutes observing the staff at work. It's Taylorism and micromanagement together...at a very fast pace. Kind of like UPS with food.

My first job was at a mom and pop fast food shop, believe me, I know how busy it can get when a major rush hits, still, not worth $15/hour.

He didn't say anything about $15, but whenever people "go on strike" their signs that they're picketing with call for $15 bucks.

They don't HAVE to get paid minimum wage, which you guys are stuck on. If they prove to be an invaluable asset to their bosses, then they could ask for a raise and SHOULD get it. They should not, however, just expect to get $10/ hour just because they're there.

 

[BrownArmy]

My first job was at a mom and pop fast food shop, believe me, I know how busy it can get when a major rush hits, still, not worth $15/hour.

He didn't say anything about $15, but whenever people "go on strike" their signs that they're picketing with call for $15 bucks.

They don't HAVE to get paid minimum wage, which you guys are stuck on. If they prove to be an invaluable asset to their bosses, then they could ask for a raise and SHOULD get it. They should not, however, just expect to get $10/ hour just because they're there.

Erm, there's a lot of substantial research that suggests that raising the minimum wage in these 'burger' flipping jobs wouldn't hurt the employers, and would actually be a substantial boom to the economy.

I don't go to McDonalds, but if I did, as a consumer, I would be willing to pay $0.15-$0.20 extra for my Big Mac or whatever to offset the raise in wages.

One thing you're possibly missing is that 'minimum-wage' jobs used to be just that, stepping stones on the way to better paying jobs.

For better or for worse, mostly worse, for a significant segment of the population, these 'burger-flipping' jobs are these employees' main jobs. Sometimes they work two or three of these jobs. With every single cost-of-living rising and wages stagnant and major cuts to education subsidies, there are 'burger-flippers' that are sincerely trying to better their lives, and simply can't get ahead.

I would think that you would be in support of the working citizen. Honestly, in this day and age, it's almost easier for these workers to go on welfare...they wouldn't make as much, but certain things would be 'covered', so to speak.

Raising the minimum wage would give these folks, who are clearly trying to make a go of it, a much better situation.

 

[superballs63]

I would think that you would be in support of the working citizen. Honestly, in this day and age, it's almost easier for these workers to go on welfare...they wouldn't make as much, but certain things would be 'covered', so to speak.

Raising the minimum wage would give these folks, who are clearly trying to make a go of it, a much better situation.

I support the working citizen, but at the same time I'm not going to give them a $3 raise just because they can't get a better job. You said they sometimes work 3 low/no skilled jobs. How about just really applying themselves at just ONE job, and trying to climb the corporate ladder?

You want to GIVE them a better situation, where as I believe they should EARN themselves a better situation

 

[oldngray]

Minimum wage jobs are supposed to be entry level and not intended as a career to support a family on. People are supposed to move on from them to better paying jobs after they gain experience working.