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Posted on 10/15/2013 12:44:45 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than half of low-wage workers employed by the largest U.S. fast-food restaurants earn so little that they must rely on public assistance to get by, according to a study released on Tuesday.
This ends up costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars a year, the study said.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and public benefit programs show 52 percent of fast-food cooks, cashiers and other "front-line" staff had relied on at least one form of public assistance, such as Medicaid, food stamps and the Earned Income Tax Credit program, between 2007 and 2011, researchers at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Illinois said.
The Berkeley study was sponsored by the two universities and received funding from the pro-labor organization Fast Food Forward.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
I’ve always wondered how the fast food workers can afford to live. With the economic downturn I see more people in their sixties manning the drive-thru.
Majority of U.S. fast-food workers need public assistance
That’s because the majority of fast food workers are not the people those jobs are meant for.Fast food jobs in all but the management are primarily meant for those just entering the workforce to learn skills, students working part time and others seeking part time employment. The jobs were not intended for or at a pay scale for those raising a family. But what we have now are a majority of low skilled people, legal and illegal who will never work to develop the skills or schooling to advance past these low level low paying jobs but demand wages and benefits that come with higher skills and training.
Fast food jobs were never meant to be a career choice.
Leave your flippin fast food job and work elsewhere. One of the smartest moves in marketing by McDonalds was about 20 years ago when they went after the retired people as employees. They showed up on time, worked hard, were friendly and appreciated the work.
It will cost the government a lot more if these living wage bills go through. People are not going to pay the prices necessary to keep these businesses afloat paying these living wages. $20 McDonald’s hamburger, anyone?
People will then lose their jobs and be on public assistance. Is that what these cretins want? (Probably).
So.... add in all of the freebies and in the end, someone working for minimum wage has more disposable income than they would if they made thrice that in wage.
And these are the same ones who will be screaming for someone’s head on a pike when they lose one or more of their entitlement checks because they’re now making too much to qualify.
?
What this is really an indicator of is how bad Obama and his policies have destroyed the economy and middle class. Many of these people would be in higher paying jobs. But we must not talk about that.
Labor is at most 25% of the cost of fast food. Check your numbers.
It can be a career choice, but if that’s your career you gotta work the ladder. When I was at McD our regional manager lived in one of the nicer neighborhoods in town, down the street from a cardiologist I knew, not cheap, and he started as a regular crew member. Nobody should stay a crew member for more than 2 years, move up or move out.
A study funded by union-front groups, what a shock
lol and lol
Not long ago, we had to wait 3 hours for a Pizza Hut delivery... it’s 4 miles away.
They are overpaid, lol
Since fast food jobs ARE a career choice, I don’t want fast food!
Another smart move is our local Wendy’s who employs a friendly, pleasant autistic girl. She may not be capable of running the cash register and taking orders (yet), but she is perfectly OK at keeping the place clean, filling the ketchup, napkins and all those things which get chronically neglected in most fast food joints.
it’s called an “entry level job” for a reason.
it wasn’t intended to be your career for life after having 3 kids by age 21.
This year five minutes before midnight Dec. 31st call in your order for pizza. When it’s delivered you holler “I ordered this pizza LAST YEAR!!”
In other news- the sky is still Blue and the sun is predicted to rise in the east.
So for those willing to go to work everyday, don't bother paying them a wage that at least covers the basics, like food, gas and rent?
Are the bare bone basics now considered luxuries in America?
How is it McDonald's franchise owners have a right to profits, the customers have a right to low priced food, but the workers only have a right to qualify for food stamps?
There’s a simple DEMOCRATIC SOLUTION to this problem. Pay each worker $100,000 year plus full benefits. Raise the price (tax) of each food item by 1,000%. Problem solved. HELLO GOVERNMENT.
The workers are supposed to be high school or college kids working for spending money. That is how the fast food system was set up.
If adults really can’t get a better job, then they need one or two more jobs. I am perfectly serious. I have worked more than one or two jobs at the same time when I needed to. I don’t think it is up to the owners to change their system of doing things. Most fast food places don’t give employees more than 20 hours so one full time job + fast food part time or three fast food type jobs are doable.
My step son is dating a girl from Germany that works three jobs that all were entry-min. wage jobs- one was fast food in fact. She has a nice apartment, nice car and is now after only 6 months in the US job market being put in manager training at one of her jobs. She took the jobs that she could get, busted her butt and is getting ahead. That is what I did years ago as well. I had two jobs- even three for a while when Carter was president, I managed to survive.
Why is it that it’s always McDonald’s that is at the forefront of complaints? Do we live in the United States or not? Do we live in a market driven economy or not? Who is forced to work for any company? This is America not a socialist country, you can advance here through hard work and and schooling, not government dictates. My parents came here with seven dollars and change in their pockets, they managed to raise three children and pay for three houses without any help from the government, and were actually prohibited from asking for aid for the first five years. My grandparents came here with nothing in their early fifties,no schooling and not knowing the language and they were able to pay for two homes. but the people coming here now just can’t better themselves. maybe if these folks didn’t have I phones, cable and such and lived modestly and schooled themselves they could advance. If you want socialism your in the wrong place. And I can assure you that the “profits” the owners receive come at the risk of capitol they made.
I don’t eat any where near as much fast food as I used to.
but I confess, I drove thru taco bell today..
I’ll have a 6 pack in penance or is it solidarity?
who cares? pass me the chips.
The welfare system in our state requires those on assistance to either work at least 20 hours a week or attend school at least half-time to qualify for assistance programs. I imagine these people have to work a part-time job to qualify for all the programs. Fast food normally works their employees 20 hours or less a week so it stands to reason many would work fast food. I think it is a chicken/egg thing but many think fast food should just raise wages out of sight in fast food jobs. If fast food places did raise wages many employees would likely lose their assistance and would still make less money. Many would quit when they realized what happened. We would likely end up paying more taxes for those that quit and pay more for burgers to cover the high wages as well.
I personally do not think anyone has any business telling owners of fast food places how much to pay their help or how many hours to give their employees. If people can’t get enough hours or money they need to get another job or two.
I worked 5 years in fast food... all during highschool and a year into college. In those days a restaurant had one or two "adults" in it. Managers. Everyone else was a kid earning spending money etc. Choosing fast food as a career choice is what it is.
The owners don't have a right to profits, the customers don't have a right to low priced food, and the workers don't have a right to get paid more than what the market sets as the price for their labor at that job.
The owners may earn profits by their successful operation of the store, in large part because the customers value the low priced food and choose to buy it. Without the customers of course there would be no revenue for the workers or the owner. The owner bears a large risk, since he or she has invested a large amount of money and can't easily or quickly choose to go elsewhere. The customers and workers can of course leave whenever they want to.
Nobody is forcing the workers to stay at McDonalds, or even to take the job in the first place. There are plenty of other things they can choose to do, many which pay much more. They can, for instance, choose to work in a higher priced type of restaurant where they can earn more money. Or they could work as roofers, painters, laborers, or other jobs which pay more per hour. Or the workers can start at McDonalds, gain experience, and then go on to higher paying jobs.
I was a service station/quick stop worker in high school, I had a couple friends that worked the fast food and such, one pulled long hours as a cook at a holiday inn.. I preferred it when he worked at tastee freez, loved the bbqs..
We made decent money for ‘kids’, nothing approaching what is paid today.. but times have changed.. ask the democrats why is my advice to these folks that can’t get by.
Beat me to it. To think I could have skipped college and had an easy, no responsibility, no stress job flipping burgers.
So for those willing to go to work everyday, don’t bother paying them a wage that at least covers the basics, like food, gas and rent?
Are the bare bone basics now considered luxuries in America?
Certainly the study authors aren't suggesting that society should take away benefits intended to help the poor when a poor person gets their first job. Or maybe they are. Or maybe they really just want to increase the minimum wage so that there is less competition for those jobs, thereby excluding the less fortunate, but making more money for themselves. That is the typical strategy of a union.
Nothing guarantees that just because you go to work everyday you'll have a wage that covers the "basics". If you are willing to go to work everyday and work hard, or work smart, you can of course earn more than enough money for the "basics" and lots of extras too.
The money you earn for a particular task or job depends on what the rest of the people who are interested in that job are willing to take to do the task or the job. The owner of a McDonalds or any other business pays the price necessary to attract workers. If a lot of people are willing to take the job at $5.00 per hour, then that's what the pay will be.
The business doesn't set the wage, the market does. If you don't like how much money a particular job offers find something else to do with your time to earn more money.
Ya think?
This isn't complex. As I said, for millions in the U.S. today, they're not even paid enough to cover the very basic of things after working all week. And this also applies millions outside the restaurant industry....Such as warehousing, service industry, retail etc., etc.
And we how the problem can be solved for future generations of kids. Stay in school, don't cut classes, don't fool around in class and concentrate on your studies, do your homework, focus on a future skill and career, and become proficient at that skill!
Instead, they think it's so kool 2 txt ech othr whil misspelin wrds. Future fastfood workers needing welfare assistance.
If you double the cost of labor and labor accounts for 25%, then the cost goes to 125% of the original cost. So a $2.00 burger goes to $2.50.
What’s inevitable is that labor costs will be pushed high enough that most tasks will be automated and the only humans in a fast food place will be there to service the machines.
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