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California fast-food workers launch new union: ‘They have to listen to us’
The Guardian (UK) ^ | Fri 9 Feb 2024 | Michael Sainato

Posted on 02/11/2024 10:13:38 AM PST by Salman

Hundreds of fast-food workers met in Los Angeles on Friday to kick off the launch of the California Fast Food Workers Union, a statewide union aimed at organizing cooks and cashiers at fast-food companies across the state.

The new union comes in the wake of a victory at the end of 2023 to boost pay for California’s more than 500,000-strong fast-food workforce to $20 an hour.

...

In California, over 80% of fast-food workers are people of color and two-thirds are women. In recent years, workers at fast-food chains throughout the state have held strikes in response to poor workplace conditions including excessive heat exposure in the workplace, sexual harassment and retaliation against workers, child labor violations, and wage theft.

“I’m very proud to say that we’re going to have a union. This is like a dream come true for me to be able to say this,” said Angelica Hernandez, who has worked at McDonald’s for 19 years in Los Angeles, California. “McDonald’s and other brands like Carl’s Jr, Chipotle – they have to listen to us. They’ve been making millions and millions of dollars in profits, and they want to keep their employees working at minimum wage.”

...

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: unions
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To: NewHampshireDuo

Think of the advantage of robots—they can be rainbow colored so even lefties will learn to love them.

Lol.


81 posted on 02/11/2024 12:02:23 PM PST by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
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To: SauronOfMordor
For middle class white teens, these jobs were for pocket money while still in school, not a career.

My first job (high school) was McDonald's. Hardest job I ever had. Couldn't stand idle for more than 5 seconds - "Hey you, go pick up the parking lot." No automation and the receipts had to be totaled by hand.

82 posted on 02/11/2024 12:05:45 PM PST by NewHampshireDuo ( )
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To: Salman

it is a visious cycle that never ends.

You raise the wages of those who serve the fast food, so you have to raise the price of the fast food and then the people who need to buy the fast food need to earn more to afford it.

Rinse and repeat, until all the workers are replaced by machines.


83 posted on 02/11/2024 12:11:33 PM PST by TexasFreeper2009
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To: Salman

Try the Big Mac value meal combo.

$200, with 0% financing for three years.

For a limited time only.


84 posted on 02/11/2024 12:21:12 PM PST by rottndog (What comes after America?)
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To: where's_the_Outrage?
It seems to me that a FF restaurant will promote a black manager and soon all the employees are black.

That's a reality. Not just for blacks. FF restaurants around here, can have an all filipino staff, all hispanic staff, all black staff, you name it. But no all white staff. Funny how that works. The white workers are the minority. I don't care as long as they can speak English, which seems to be a problem at all hispanic FF restaurants. We don't use FF restaurants except for when relatives with children want it. Mom & pop restaurants are much better.

85 posted on 02/11/2024 12:25:41 PM PST by roadcat
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To: Salman

Invest in Robotics.. These Union Marxists will be replaced by stainless steel, plastic, hydraulics and silicon faster than you can say “$20 per hour”.


86 posted on 02/11/2024 12:27:17 PM PST by CarmichaelPatriot (Recovering Kalifornian... Loving Alabama!)
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To: Ronaldus Magnus III
Here is a cherished memory. Drive up A&W Fast Food, with the waitresses on roller skates.

We also have memories similar to that. Born and raised in San Francisco, the Mel's Drive-in restaurants had waitresses on roller skates. My girlfriend and I would enjoy sharing meals under $3 that were filling. One popular plate was the South-of-the-Border plate that had enchiladas rice and beans for $3. The main Mel's Drive-In restaurant we went to is featured in the movie "American Graffitti". Most were boarded up and torn down in the 1980's except for a couple sit-down locations.

87 posted on 02/11/2024 12:36:54 PM PST by roadcat
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To: Trump Girl Kit Cat

I too once belonged to a Union while attending college. I got above average pay so that was good. But, WOW, many died in the wool Union guys (Carpenters) sat around waiting months on a job because they cost twice as much as an open shop carpenter.

Unions do more harm than good.


88 posted on 02/11/2024 12:47:40 PM PST by Cen-Tejas
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To: Salman

California fast-food workers launch new union: Unemployment
office line get longer.


89 posted on 02/11/2024 12:51:45 PM PST by Vaduz
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To: Salman
Brain-dead idiots... demanding a UAW level of wages for an ENTRY-LEVEL job!... DUMBA$$ES!


90 posted on 02/11/2024 12:56:35 PM PST by VideoDoctor
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To: moviefan8

“It is like this where I work. The management team tend to hire people like themselves (race and/or sex). They lie about their belief in diversity, equity, and inclusion even though that is what the company I work for preaches.”

It’s almost like a pyramid scheme.
Starts at the very top(whoever is running this country)
He has five people he controls completely either through
Blackmail or voluntary.
And they have five friends and they have five friends.
It’s apparently down to the McDonald’s level now.


91 posted on 02/11/2024 1:01:40 PM PST by missthethunder
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To: Salman

Why not $50 or even $100 an hour ... won’t make much of a difference when you have no customers.


92 posted on 02/11/2024 1:14:14 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (We used to be a Republic, we are now a Fascist Klepto-Thugocracy.)
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To: Salman

Goodbye Fast Food establishments. This should be the final straw that nails the coffin shut! We’ll see.

In the meantime, food trucks will become even more popular and expand their presence.


93 posted on 02/11/2024 1:17:24 PM PST by Pox (Eff You China. Buy American!)
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To: RetiredTexasVet
Why not $50 or even $100 an hour ...

Serious answer: They would go for $100 an hour if they thought they could get it.

94 posted on 02/11/2024 1:35:40 PM PST by Salman (It's not a slippery slope if it was part of the program all along. )
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To: dfwgator

“It’s also why college graduates, who never worked those summer jobs are so ill-prepared for their first jobs in the real world”

Those jobs teach valuable lessons:

Showing up for work is good.
Showing up on time is better.
Talking back to your boss is a bad career move.
Punching him out is worse.


95 posted on 02/11/2024 2:02:53 PM PST by SauronOfMordor (Either you will rule. Or you will be ruled. There is no other choice.)
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To: SamAdams76

I can get a good breakfast in a local joint for half of a McDonalds crap fest.


96 posted on 02/11/2024 2:07:54 PM PST by HYPOCRACY (This is the dystopian future we've been waiting for!)
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To: dfwgator

When I was a kid, I never heard of an adult working for the minimum wage. The minimum wage WAS, in effect, a teenager’s starting wage for a part-time job after school.


97 posted on 02/11/2024 2:35:30 PM PST by Alberta's Child (If something in government doesn’t make sense, you can be sure it makes dollars.)
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To: Alberta's Child

When I was a kid, I never heard of an adult working for the minimum wage. The minimum wage WAS, in effect, a teenager’s starting wage for a part-time job after school.

^^^^^^^^

This


98 posted on 02/11/2024 2:35:51 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: HYPOCRACY

Yes, like a mushroom and swiss cheese 3-egg omelette with a side of bacon and unlimited coffee.


99 posted on 02/11/2024 3:08:32 PM PST by SamAdams76 (6,575,474 Truth | 87,429,044 Twitter)
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To: Salman

Newton’s Laws of Motion. For every action there will be an equal but opposite reaction.

Market forces will force these fast food places to switch to automated equipment or close down. In the meantime the staff will be reduced to skeleton crews doing the work of full crews so they can actually earn that $20 an hour.

The places along heavily traveled corridors and tourist destinations will probably survive but the rest will just fade away along with those jobs.

The dollar menu won’t be coming back. It’s now the $5 menu.


100 posted on 02/11/2024 3:10:20 PM PST by Boomer (The Long Winter is coming...)
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