I’m making $21 an hour at McDonald’s. Why aren’t you? | The Great Debate 8/29/14 9:37 AM Safari Power Saver Click to Start Flash Plug-in RECOMMENDED VIDEO Whole organ 'grown' inside animal for the fir… U.S. Navy releases video it says shows aircraft t… I "Shaun" the sheep could be the world's woolliest work for McDonald’s and I make $21 an hour. No, that isn’t a typo. It’s really my salary. Girl shoots instructor during shooting lesson You see, I work for McDonald’s in Denmark, where an agreement between our union and the company guarantees that workers older than 18 are paid at least $21 an hour. Employees younger than 18 make at least $15 — meaning teenagers working at McDonald’s in Denmark make more than two times what many adults in America earn working at the Golden Arches. To anyone who says that fast-food jobs can’t be good jobs, I would answer that mine isn’t bad. In fact, parts of it are Sponsored Financial Content (?) just fine. Under our union’s agreement with McDonald’s, for example, I receive paid sick leave that workers are still fighting for in many parts of the world. We also get overtime pay, guaranteed hours and at least two days off a week, unlike workers in most countries. At least 10 percent of the staff in any given restaurant must work at least 30 hours How CashPro has helped Shure achieve a week. seamless cash efficiency Bank of America Estimate how much you’ll need for retirement with My Retirement Plan® Wells Fargo Meet Warren Buffett's Worst Nightmare Motley Fool Use Free 2-Step Reverse Mortgage Calculator For Cash Estimate, Today! Liberty Home Insurance One Smart Penny Ridiculously Easy Way to Pay Off Mortgage Faster One smart penny MORE REUTERS NEWS But in New York last week, I met fast-food workers from around the world who aren’t as lucky as I am. We marched through Midtown Manhattan demanding a China investigates senior legislator amid fair wage and respect at the workplace. corruption crackdown Many of the U.S. workers I met make less than $9 an hour. And unlike in Denmark, where most fast-food workers Separatists say will allow 'trapped' are young people looking to make extra money while in school, the vast majority of U.S. fast-food workers are adults trying to support their families. Roughly 70 percent are in their 20s or older, according to a recent study, and more Ukrainian forces to withdraw than a quarter are raising kids. Pakistan leader distances himself from I met Jessica Davis, for example, who works at a McDonald’s in Chicago and has two daughters— one 4 years old army as crisis drags on and the other 4 months old. After working four years at McDonald’s, she makes $8.98 an hour and has no stable U.N. says 43 Golan peacekeepers seized work schedule. by Syria militants, 81 trapped How can fast-food companies expect employees to work hard but not pay them enough to live on? All fast-food Tragedy-hit Malaysia Airlines to lose workers should be able to support themselves while helping large companies like McDonald’s make huge profits. 6,000 jobs in bold revamp Employees also deserve a voice in their workplace — as we have in Denmark — and McDonald’s should respect the right of employees in all countries to organize and speak for themselves. McDonald’s didn’t give us our union. We had to fight for it. It was a five-year struggle that involved many demonstrations like the ones that will stretch across the globe on Thursday. In Denmark, I will be in one of them. PHOTO (TOP): Protesters march outside McDonald’s in Los Angeles, California, December 5, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/05/15/fight-for-15-try-21/ Page 2 of 10 I’m making $21 an hour at McDonald’s. Why aren’t you? | The Great Debate 8/29/14 9:37 AM PHOTO (INSERT): A customer exits a McDonald’s restaurant as members of ‘MoveOn’ shout slogans against McDonald’s in front of the restaurant in Times Square, New York, December 4, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz « Previous Post Next Post » More From Reuters Fitch Affirms Denmark at 'AAA'; Outlook Stable | 22 Aug Experimental U.S. hypersonic weapon destroyed seconds after launch | 25 Aug Texas police chief shot dead during traffic stop | 24 Aug 'Men in green' raise suspicions of east Ukrainian villagers | 26 Aug Mum's the word on soaring Swedish household debt as poll nears | 24 Aug Sponsored Financial Content (?) 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We might start with exactly what is the middle class, besides wages, there are benefits, education(s), experience and skill sets (AKA what can you do productively). Might also include real wealth, since credit is the emperors clothing of most who think of selves as “middle class”. We can for now ignore reality, AKA what you own, as “middle class” in reality “Owns” very little, as clothes/TV/trips etc you do not really “own” until paid off. 2.Fast food-related type work AKA little education or skills required, highly replaceable needs to be evaluated.Are these actually “real jobs” or simply the last bastion of the lower end, uneducated, low end hourly workers. We must remember that not that far back, fast foods, paper routes, such jobs were nearly 100% staffed by HS/College kids, they were NOT adult, family supporting jobs. Not that far back hard to find anyone over 21 in such occupations. These jobs were simply a stop along the way for education, car, clothes and such for kids. Now if they are career adult jobs, along with lots of “new USA economy, mfg, other “services”, semi skilled labor, semi-functionally literate, all with limited to no REAL upward mobility, we then can discuss wages for adults,seniors, etc. We decide on the wages after we decide what these jobs are really worth and how that was based. 3 Is a semi-literate HS drop out with zero chance of upward mobility/30 hour part-timer worth 8/10/15/20hour. Since these part timers min wages-10-15 cancel, make most items unfordable, rent/HC/Retirement/food/utility/auto-ins and education/home ownership and other like items. Now we ask, since wages, and in truth qualifications for job so low, and the corporations only concern is profit for WS, who must pay these bills? MCD/WM/ and all, even small business (but profits there never asked when owners whine, justifiably or not, we never know). How can nation survive when 1/3 do not finish HS or graduate illiterate in most skills? Dare we ask? 4 Dare we ask, WHO IS GOING TO PAY THESE BILLS for life supporting functions? Please no more of the right’s Ver. 1.0 of either dodging the issue, or attacking such workers (but never their corp owners) of “just pull selves up by bootstraps as others do. What is omitted form the discussion is reality today is made up of wealth via legislation (AKA buy/employee the elected for profits). 5 Other big’gy, never discussed. that as “investment” bleeds off more from the economy, less goes to workers, less to Competitive world class R&D, updated mfg- worker upgrades/education/high tech, exports to compete at world class levels. That costs money which takes form WS”investors”. We have a sorry history since 80′s of bleeding companies with NO updated HW or workers training. Regan told us in 80′s ship mfg offshore, everyone will work at home with a PC, “keyboarding” was a hit, until reality burst that bubble as last mfg plant left. But we still hear the manta of “USA Business doing great in China” not said, Chine by law must own (profits?) 50+ of each business along with all the technology for free for “USA Co.