Posted on 07/31/2013 6:00:17 AM PDT by IbJensen
More than 100 people were protesting outside a McDonald's in south St. Louis at lunchtime Monday, the first in a series of wildcat strikes and walkouts that are planned to ripple across the region over the next two days.
The protests are part of a national campaign to push for higher wages for fast-food workers and are expected to hit dozens of stores between now and the end of the day Tuesday, culminating in a rally downtown in Kiener Plaza. Workers are advocating for wages of up to $15 per hour, a hike to Missouri's $7.35 per hour minimum wage and the right to form a union without retaliation.
In an interview Monday morning, one of the strikers, 19-year-old Doneshia Babbitt, said she hopes the protests will draw attention to the challenges of making ends meet on jobs that pay less than $8 an hour with no benefits.
"I hope this helps people understand, I hope they get the picture," said Babbitt, who'll be a senior at Jennings High School in the fall, along with her 20-year-old sister, helps support three younger siblings on a job at McDonald's. "A lot of people working these jobs really need the money."
The fast-food protests are being organized by local labor and church groups and are taking place in six other cities this week as well. Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat from the Atlanta area, flew in to lend his support as well and said federal legislation is needed to reform an industry that profits handsomely off the backs of low-wage workers.
"It's obscene," he said, pointing to profits and executive pay at big fast-food companies. "And it's not the kind of system that's working for people."
A spokeswoman for McDonald's referred questions to the National Restaurant Association, which had no immediate comment Monday afternoon.
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Activists and fast-food workers are planning more protests for higher wages this week.
Less than two months after workers walked out of dozens of fast-food restaurants in May, a new round of walkouts and street marches are set to start Monday in the St. Louis area. Organizers say there could be walkouts at as many as 50 stores, and have a rally planned for Kiener Plaza downtown Tuesday afternoon.
The push is part of a broader national campaign for higher wages and better working conditions for fast-food workers. Similar protests are planned this week in at least six other cities, including Chicago and Kansas City.
I wonder where Guam-tipper Hank Johnson thinks he exudes so much influence...he’s the laughing stock of the country, and dumb as a rock.
Doneshia needs to look around at her co-workers. The average age is not that of a high school or college age kid, it is more of a 30 to 40 something who didn’t value education. I had to explain that to my students who were complaining that there are no jobs out there for them. She also needs to realize that raising siblings is not her responsibility - although I praise her for stepping up and doing the best she can.
I don't even think reading is required anymore. I was recently at a Mr. Hero and they had picto-graphs posted of each sandwich and how to assemble them!
I dunno. He's the elected representative of the black gerrymandered Democratic district mostly in DeKalb county because he DOES represent the views and intelligence of the majority of the voters there.
The wealthiest person in my community owns several McDonalds franchises. He also owns the largest house and interests in other local businesses. He started working for McDonalds part time when he was 16 years old and full time when he was 18. Through hard work he moved up to store manager, saved his money, and bought a franchise. As additional franchises became available he bought them with the cash flow he saved from the original store. He is married and has a beautiful family with model children. He is admired by his white neighbors.
This man is African American and he grew up in a poor family in a bad neighborhood. He could not afford to go to college. His entire story demonstrates the progressive story line about minorities is a lie:
1) Hard work can pay off.
2) There can be a future and decent living in fast food for those who apply themselves and produce.
3) It isn’t necessary to be a college graduate to be successful in America.
4) Poor black people can work their way out of the ghetto without affirmative action. In fact they can do it on their own.
5) Behavior does make a difference.
6) A positive attitude instead of a victim mentality is everything
7) Whites are not inherently racist.
Its sad that these people werent taught much about vaulue and what an education could mean from their parent(s)...
With reasonable respect for libery and individual freedom, what do you imagine would be the mechanism for keeping those jobs here?
Only those with an IQ over 80. Those who voted for 0bama don't think he's an idiot.
Socialism’s failures should have showed everyone that such arbitrary numbers games in the market just clogged it up and made it unable to deliver consistently. Why do they think the surrounding realities differ any more here? They’re buying lies, including apparently the lie that it isn’t worth digging a bit to get the truth.
Thanks for your post Bert...
I have a feeling that the income of Doneshia and her sister isn’t what’s really paying the bills for that family. Just going with my gut on this. I’d also bet that there’s a game console and flat screen tv in the home, and that nobody is suffering from malnourishment, or anything close to it. That said, I do commend her for at least being employed, though she’s complaining about it.
Punish success. The left knows with absolute certainty that all businesses are created with the sole goal of paying all employees $50/hr. regardless of what they contribute.
I went on to school after High School, but many of my classmates went directly into the job market. They were far more advanced in learning than those that tumble out of government schools today.
After all, they could read, write and had a great understanding of their history.
Think Progress came up with the "An extra 68 cents per Big Mac at McDonald's will double the wages and benefits for all its workers including the manager." calculation. ..... "according to a new report by the University of Kansas."(source)
How can we not solve the dire economic plights of these poor people by a simple 68 cents?
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The irony is that greater productivity and use of robots and computers will mean a greater ability of society to support more inefficiency in other areas, such as a larger unemployed, unproductive, uneducated class.
On a different but related topic, it also means a larger state sector - more production means that taxes can grow and the FED can print more money. The average worker will not see the benefits of productivity in terms of higher real wages - that will be siphoned off to support a larger state sector.
That happened some time ago back home with a fairly large trucking company called Fox and Ginn.
Their truckers (who were doing pretty darn well at the time, if memory serves) threatened to strike. Company owner said "If you go on strike, I close down the business."
Truckers said "You don't have the (guts)." and struck. Owner shut the company's doors, that day. Kaput. Tout Finis.
Interestingly, I just googled "Fox and Ginn" and they're now a moving company. Looks like they're based in the same location. Can't be the same owners; they'd be long since retired (or passed away).....wonder if its their kids?
LOL! Doneisha is 19 and hasn’t begun her senior year of high school?
I guess $15 an hour is what one would expect for 14 years of educashun
The guy who runs despair.com has a video in which employees at the call center are complaining about the working conditions. So instead of fixing the problems, he conveniently lays out brochures on outsourcing to India. The employees get worried and shut up. So, if I owned a fast food restaurant, I would conveniently place in the break-room brochures on Chinese Robots making burgers and Taco.
Excellent advice, and valuable, only you will have to reduce the message into a slogan of less than 20 words or the effort will not reach their short attention span..
At that age, I worked all manner of menial jobs. Taught me responsibility, how to move up in the world, how to deal with people - particularly those I didn't like. Most of all, it taught me that it's better to work with your mind, than work with your back.
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