Right now – in the second year of the pandemic – fast food restaurants are absolutely scrambling to get enough people to work for them. It has nothing to do with the fact that people don’t want to work; it’s that people are tired of working for slave wages at irregular schedules with no benefits. Fifteen bucks an hour is better than the Federal standard of $7.25, but it’s still not a living wage. There are trillions of dollars available when someone wants to start a war or give tax breaks to the richest 400 people in the nation, but repair a bridge or provide healthcare for all? That’s *socialism*! We live in a failed state.
yes. I can exist decently on $16 an hour, but I live outside of the city I work in. apartments in the city that are the same size as this one, are almost 2x the price. and I’d have to park on the street, which would raise my car insurance rate. Plus my renters insurance would go up because now i’m in the city, where the crime rate is higher.
I think we also need to take into account location. 15$ an hour in a cozy Iowa town is very livable. Same wage in or around major cities you won’t have the same standard of living available. Either way, I say if a job offers full time hours, the hourly rate needs to be a livable wage, whatever amount that may be.
“Living wage” is the calculated hourly rate you’d need to afford basic essentials, and it not only varies from region to region, but also household status (the living wage for someone single is a lot lower than a married couple with a single child).
MIT put together a Living Wage Calculator website that breaks it down by county. For my county, the living wage for a single person is a bit more than $19, while for two adults (1 working) with a child its $33.57 an hour. The county west of me, the living wage for a single person is $13.50, while the county east of me is almost $20 an hour.
“Slave wages at irregular schedules with no benefits.” Not to mention dealing with nasty customers, stupid guidelines, spineless managers and disgusting messes. Add the threat of COVID-19, and many people decided they really didn’t want to deal with the whole snafu, and I honestly cannot blame them.
Yes, we do live in a failed state. It’s supposed to be a democracy, but it’s quickly turning into oligarchy / corporate feudalism.
That has been proven repeatedly to be false. Stop spreading your pro-slavery lies.
For comparison, the wage at McDonald’s here in the UK is £9-12 an hour which is about $12-16. And a Big Mac and fries is about £4. Or £1.99 with a coupon.
And here in famously high-cost Norway, the minimum wage for food service jobs is about 175 kroner, or about US$18. One of the large McDonald’s burgers runs around 55 to 70 kr, and a burger, fries, and drink meal runs around 100 to 110 kroner. More expensive than the US, but not even close to “twenty bucks”, even with higher taxes and higher food costs in addition to the higher wage.
Right now – in the second year of the pandemic – fast food restaurants are absolutely scrambling to get enough people to work for them. It has nothing to do with the fact that people don’t want to work; it’s that people are tired of working for slave wages at irregular schedules with no benefits. Fifteen bucks an hour is better than the Federal standard of $7.25, but it’s still not a living wage. There are trillions of dollars available when someone wants to start a war or give tax breaks to the richest 400 people in the nation, but repair a bridge or provide healthcare for all? That’s *socialism*! We live in a failed state.
Actually $15 an hour is a living wage. Source? My personal experience. I was able to both live well and save up at that rate.
I think it depends on where you live.
yes. I can exist decently on $16 an hour, but I live outside of the city I work in. apartments in the city that are the same size as this one, are almost 2x the price. and I’d have to park on the street, which would raise my car insurance rate. Plus my renters insurance would go up because now i’m in the city, where the crime rate is higher.
I think we also need to take into account location. 15$ an hour in a cozy Iowa town is very livable. Same wage in or around major cities you won’t have the same standard of living available. Either way, I say if a job offers full time hours, the hourly rate needs to be a livable wage, whatever amount that may be.
“Living wage” is the calculated hourly rate you’d need to afford basic essentials, and it not only varies from region to region, but also household status (the living wage for someone single is a lot lower than a married couple with a single child).
MIT put together a Living Wage Calculator website that breaks it down by county. For my county, the living wage for a single person is a bit more than $19, while for two adults (1 working) with a child its $33.57 an hour. The county west of me, the living wage for a single person is $13.50, while the county east of me is almost $20 an hour.
Yes, but if you ever had to move out of your parents basement and start paying your own bills, then what?
“Slave wages at irregular schedules with no benefits.” Not to mention dealing with nasty customers, stupid guidelines, spineless managers and disgusting messes. Add the threat of COVID-19, and many people decided they really didn’t want to deal with the whole snafu, and I honestly cannot blame them.
Yes, we do live in a failed state. It’s supposed to be a democracy, but it’s quickly turning into oligarchy / corporate feudalism.
insert that “always has been” meme here
Capitalism will kill you slow, because that pays better
Fifteen bucks an hour sounds great – if you like your Big Mac and fries order to come out to twenty bucks.
That has been proven repeatedly to be false. Stop spreading your pro-slavery lies.
For comparison, the wage at McDonald’s here in the UK is £9-12 an hour which is about $12-16. And a Big Mac and fries is about £4. Or £1.99 with a coupon.
Sorry to use facts.
And here in famously high-cost Norway, the minimum wage for food service jobs is about 175 kroner, or about US$18. One of the large McDonald’s burgers runs around 55 to 70 kr, and a burger, fries, and drink meal runs around 100 to 110 kroner. More expensive than the US, but not even close to “twenty bucks”, even with higher taxes and higher food costs in addition to the higher wage.