I wonder if next week’s headline will be “Unemployment Applications Rise” followed by “Fast Food Restaurants Advertise For Lots of Newly Opened Positions”
(Raleigh N&O) About 50 Triangle fast-food workers joined a nationwide strike Thursday, rallying outside several chain restaurants in Raleigh and Durham for a $15-an-hour wage.
Organized largely through social media and word of mouth, the walkout took place in about 60 cities, forcing restaurants in some locations to shut down without enough staff. It was the largest protest yet in the movement for higher wages and the right to unionize.
Fast-food restaurants locally were operating normally Thursday, though a targeted Taco Bell in Charlotte closed its dining room. Triangle workers started the morning in Durham, protesting at Burger King and McDonald’s restaurants where some of the strikers work. By lunchtime, the protest shifted to Raleigh, where the picketing continued in front of a Little Caesars Pizza on Capital Boulevard.
“Cancel the burgers, cancel the fries, make our wages supersize,†the group chanted.
How cute. I would have been out there yelling something back, but I was working.
Brandi Pegram said she was eager to wave a sign in front of the downtown Durham McDonald’s where she has worked for five years. She said she still makes the minimum wage: $7.25 an hour.
“I’m getting ready to have a baby, and it’s hard for me to survive,†she said, adding that she was scheduled to work Thursday but joined the picket line instead. “It was only going to be $50 anyway.â€
I don’t mean to pick on Brandi, but, hey, she agree to appear in the article, and like so many others appearing in this and articles in news sources around the country, it should be pointed out that many are like Brandi: having kids they can’t afford, working a job that is meant as entry level and low skilled, and one in which they knew exactly what the wages were going to be. Furthermore, many, like Brandi, have worked these jobs for years, and if you’re still making minimum wage after being their for 5 years, don’t blame the company, blame yourself. Obviously, the work skills are not present. These people could have parlayed the skills into management/supervisory positions at the same or other companies, yet they’re still slaving away in a job meant for teens and people who want to earn a little extra cash. Again, this says something about themselves, not the companies.
Let’s also note that the franchises aren’t owned simply by Evil Republicans, but by Democrats, too, who are going to pay what the positions are worth. I remember a few decades ago when it was tough to get people to work at fast food places, at least in NJ where I grew up, so they were offering very good pay. Nowadays, there is no need: there is a large pool of unskilled workers, partly due to….the Democrats reliance on bringing unskilled workers to the US, along with refusing to do anything about illegal aliens. They drive down pay. For all you liberals supporting amnesty, think that will help increase pay? Good luck with that.
The Rev. William Barber II, the N.C. NAACP president, made a similar point, speaking after a march Thursday afternoon at the Kentucky Fried Chicken on New Bern Avenue.
“The fastest growing jobs in the United States are the lowest paid,†he said. “That ain’t right.â€
Welcome to the Obameconomy, which you support, Barber.
Pegram, the Durham McDonald’s worker, hopes she’ll still have a job Friday. “I’m going in there to work at 7 a.m. with my head held high,†she said, adding that if wages don’t change soon, “I’ll come back out here and do it again.â€
Conversely, she could spend the time looking for a better job with more pay, or perhaps go to her store manager and profess an interest in bettering herself and moving into management. She could educate herself and make herself valuable, learn about business, develop jobs skills. Nope, instead, like so many on the Left, she thinks she’s entitled to more pay for…doing no more work.
I feel for them, I really do! Interesting that their signs say “I am worth more”..of course you are, but your job is not…
No, it’s not, and thanks to the Obama policies, don’t expect anything to change anytime soon.
Bruce McQain has an interesting post saying these low wage workers could be replaced with automated machines, like they’re trying in Europe. The machines don’t need pay, vacations, personal days, or mandated health insurance.
I agree greatly with your assertion that if, after 5 years you are still making the same wage as a person off the street, that is on you.
The other problem I see is that people have lost the idea of doing the job right for the sake of doing the job right, and not for some rate of pay.
We have lost pride in what we do.
True, true. I have two Burger Kings on the way to work. I will usually stop at the one closer to work because, of course, means it’s still hot for when I get there.
More importantly, the service is awesome. They are nice, get my order right, and many know to get me 2 ham egg and cheese croisandwiches without asking. Any time there is an issue is an aberration. The other store messes up my food 4 out of 5 times. And are blase. Not really rude, just laxsadasical.
I worked at my first big post college job and the pay stunk.I knew the owners were ripping off the reps. I knew the money values and other stuff. So, I worked my way up, then got a better job.
Why doesn’t Rev. William Barber II and the NAACP pool their money into creating their own restaurants and pay their workers “living wages”? The reason is they wouldn’t be able to make money and food would cost more.
If the minimum wage increased for everyone in the country, the immediate cost increases would keep people out of places like McDonalds and Burger King which would immediately lay off people. There certainly is no economic reality with people these days.
Exactly right, eeyore. And, consider, if the minimum wage was raised, or at least the pay, the companies would be demanding much, much better work out of these people, and would can their asses and replace them with quality employees in a heartbeat.
Artificially increasing the cost of labor always comes back to bite those in entry level jobs right in the butt.
As you mentioned in your post, when workers were in short supply companies offered well above minimum wage to get the employees they needed. I saw that here where I live, a summer/winter vacation spot. At the time the minimum wage was around $5.50 (I don’t remember the exact minimum wage), but restaurants and resorts were offering up to $10/hour to get the people they needed.
Exactly. I remember there was this Roy Rogers on Hwy 35 in Pt. Pleasant, NJ when I was growing up, and they paid big time because labor was scarce, especially for fast food. A buddy of mine didn’t care that the jobs were considered to be low class, he liked the $$$$.
After thirty years as a manager I found the entry level types, especially those under thirty generally aren’t worth the $$$ they are paid.
Come in late, take long breaks/lunches, leave early and think nothing of sassing the boss. They have zero incentive to do the job correctly and are only interested in putting in time and collecting a check.
The US school system is so focused on teaching them ‘Self-worth’ they forgot to teach them how to follow instructions and earn an honest days pay.