In April fast-food workers in Cali will get $20 an hour

[HereticBD]

The wages have a lot to do with each other. Especially jobs that require skills that have wages in the $20 range.

According to zip recruiter, the average construction job in CA pays $22/hr.

Why would someone work construction when they could just take orders at Wendy's for $20/hr? There's almost no thought or physicality involved so it's a no brainer for a lot of people to take a mild pay cut for a much easier job.

I've worked both. I wouldn't say fast food is "easier" work. It fucking sucks, and is probably the worst industry I've worked in. On "skills" it really depends on the job. If you're talking construction, a lot it is just menial labor not requiring much skill at all, and can have certain jobs given to "no qualifications necessary" young folks the same as a fast food joint.

 

[RoastBeast]

I've worked both. I wouldn't say fast food is "easier" work. It fucking sucks, and is probably the worst industry I've worked in. On "skills" it really depends on the job. If you're talking construction, a lot it is just menial labor not requiring much skill at all, and can have certain jobs given to "no qualifications necessary" young folks the same as a fast food joint.

There's no arguing that it's physically less taxing to work at a fast food joint. Try hod carrying for a day and it'll take everything you've got to last 8 hours and probably a 50/50 chance that you won't show up the next day.

Someone who has worked a lifetime of low level skill, physical construction work is going to be broken down by 50 vs. a fast food worker. It's a no brainer IMO and that's with having to deal with the A holes that frequent fast food restaurants.

 

[sickc0d3r]

Good for them. Big corps can support their employees instead of tax payers.
10 year high profits the last two years at places like Mickey D’s.

 

[HereticBD]

There's no arguing that it's physically less taxing to work at a fast food joint. Try hod carrying for a day and it'll take everything you've got to last 8 hours and probably a 50/50 chance that you won't show up the next day.

It depends on the person. Personally, I preferred physical labor back then, because I found the days went faster and it was good exercise. I found no redeeming qualities in fast food, other than occasionally working with some hot chicks.

That all said, one is not more "skilled" than the other at the ground level, so you're not really basing your opinion on "skills", as you are physical stress.

Someone who has worked a lifetime of low level skill, physical construction work is going to be broken down by 50 vs. a fast food worker. It's a no brainer IMO and that's with having to deal with the A holes that frequent fast food restaurants.

I think you're being a bit dramatic over the wear and tear of construction work. Your body adjusts to the work and you'll probably be healthier and more fit working it for a long time. It's not like they're working the diamond mines for a bowl a rice a day, or anything. A lot of people do harder physical work at the gym for decades.

 

[RoastBeast]

It depends on the person. Personally, I preferred physical labor back then, because I found the days went faster and it was good exercise. I found no redeeming qualities in fast food, other than occasionally working with some hot chicks.

That all said, one is not more "skilled" than the other at the ground level, so you're not really basing your opinion on "skills", as you are physical stress.


I think you're being a bit dramatic over the wear and tear of construction work. Your body adjusts to the work and you'll probably be healthier and more fit working it for a long time. It's not like they're working the diamond mines for a bowl a rice a day, or anything. A lot of people do harder physical work at the gym for decades.

I don't think I'm being dramatic at all about it. These guys that have done physical construction work all their lives are not in good shape later on. They might have muscles but their bodies are worn down. I think I only know one family member who did stucco his whole life and didn't wind up with a bad back and on pain pills later on. The rest of my family and friends who worked a couple decades in the business are all messed up because of it.

There is a huge difference in lifting weights and doing physical work. Try digging a hole in your backyard for a half hour and your body is going to be hurting way more than it would be after 2 hours of lifting weights. If you go to the gym, look at the older guys who are still really muscular. They don't really look or move all that healthy either though for the most part.

If I had my choice in my 20s I'd be like you and pick the physical labor job but knowing what I know now, I wouldn't if fast food was paying the same or if I could just work at a retail store for similar pay.

 

[AbominableJoman]

But don’t you think children are better off in school focusing on their education? I don’t want my daughter doing some awful job that distracts her from her grades and extracurricular activities. These places are also usually open 24/7. We really want children staying up 3 to 4 in the morning?

Yes, I never suggested otherwise.

Maybe you should start a campaign to speak to kids about dropping out. Then they don’t have to have children’s jobs, as adults…

 

[Zazen]

Yes, I never suggested otherwise.

Maybe you should start a campaign to speak to kids about dropping out. Then they don’t have to have children’s jobs, as adults…

But how can children work jobs in the middle of the day and through the night? You still haven’t provided a solution.

 

[HereticBD]

If I had my choice in my 20s I'd be like you and pick the physical labor job but knowing what I know now, I wouldn't if fast food was paying the same or if I could just work at a retail store for similar pay.

Not a chance on my end. It would have to be a substantial raise to switch to FF, as it's absolute hell on all fronts.

Main point being, I don't think it's a huge deal for fast food to get paid the same as no skill menial labor jobs, that have been paying pretty damn good wages for decades. I only think it gets complicated with the independent joints, who don't have as deep pockets as the multi-billion dollar chains who can more than afford it. It will push more small restaurants out, and funnel all jobs to the big boys. Although, I don't really know what the umbrella of "fast food" is, as pertains to this change.

 

[UFCUCF]

Why not make the minimum wage $100/hr? Or $1000?

Also I don't think that the money will be taken from the McDonalds shareholders. The particular franchise owner is the one who pays wages out of that particular store's profits. And the average McDonalds franchise owner makes $150k.

$100 would have too great an affect on businesses and the economy. That is NOT a reason to not make a modest increase in some places to $15 or $20 per hour. I am a small business owner and I'll go $20 easily for an unskilled person who is motivated, (semi) bright and ready to work most days.

Boo hoo about McDonalds. They will adapt and the market will correct or they will go out of business. I don't care which. If they couldn't make it using tens of thousands of workers whose standard of living WE TAXPAYERS subsidized for a generation let them die. Not fair (but on-brand conservative) to scape goat shitty wage poicy for millions of people on a few McDonald's franchise owner's makeing $150,000 per year.

 

[Barteh]

Good for them. Big corps can support their employees instead of tax payers.
10 year high profits the last two years at places like Mickey D’s.

You think it's good for fast food workers that they'll lose their jobs? Or do you just lack any kind of critical thinking skills and haven't thought about the consequences of this law at all?

 

[DiddlyDoodly]

And so it begins.

 

[Scheme]

You think it's good for fast food workers that they'll lose their jobs? Or do you just lack any kind of critical thinking skills and haven't thought about the consequences of this law at all?

It's funny, the government taxes businesses and their workers, then they on top of that print money that they don't have to spend, then when inflation inevitably happens because of their actions they decide to force the very businesses they already have taxed to pay their employees higher. The business then has to adapt and everyone blames the business, not the government who has out of control spending and money printing that caused all of this in the first place.

 

[ShadowRun]

No one could of predicted this

 

[Jack V Savage]

$100 would have too great an affect on businesses and the economy. That is NOT a reason to not make a modest increase in some places to $15 or $20 per hour. I am a small business owner and I'll go $20 easily for an unskilled person who is motivated, (semi) bright and ready to work most days.

Every single discussion of the issue has some moron saying that. "Durr, if $X/HR is good, why not $NX/HR?" Clearly, this is a level that would cause widespread disemployment among affected workers and associated deadweight loss. The question is just what the right level is.

 

[ObsoleteSoul]

I don't think I'm being dramatic at all about it. These guys that have done physical construction work all their lives are not in good shape later on. They might have muscles but their bodies are worn down. I think I only know one family member who did stucco his whole life and didn't wind up with a bad back and on pain pills later on. The rest of my family and friends who worked a couple decades in the business are all messed up because of it.

There is a huge difference in lifting weights and doing physical work. Try digging a hole in your backyard for a half hour and your body is going to be hurting way more than it would be after 2 hours of lifting weights. If you go to the gym, look at the older guys who are still really muscular. They don't really look or move all that healthy either though for the most part.

If I had my choice in my 20s I'd be like you and pick the physical labor job but knowing what I know now, I wouldn't if fast food was paying the same or if I could just work at a retail store for similar pay.

Agree with your pov. The physical cost of doing manual labor and trades absolutely should be reflected in the wage. Fast food work has a lower skill-level needed too. Maybe a "gopher" or site cleaner is on the same level, but even those green in their respective construction jobs need more skill than a fast food worker. Really trying to think of a trade or construction job that requires less skill, but I am coming up blank.

 

[sickc0d3r]

You think it's good for fast food workers that they'll lose their jobs? Or do you just lack any kind of critical thinking skills and haven't thought about the consequences of this law at all?

Some job loss certainly is possible. And I can't compete with your vaunted critical thinking skills, of course. Luckily, though, this isn't the first time a MW has been raised, which means there's plenty of data for simple minded folk like myself to reference.
Just looking at it from 30k feet, we're experiencing one of the lowest unemployment rates in history right now, despite MW increases in every state since forever. How can that be? Maybe it's more complicated than just "wages go up, people lose jobs".

Anyway, is it better for tax payers to subsidize giant corps? I'm absolutely fine with that approach, given a sufficiently progressive tax policy.

 

[RoastBeast]

Agree with your pov. The physical cost of doing manual labor and trades absolutely should be reflected in the wage. Fast food work has a lower skill-level needed too. Maybe a "gopher" or site cleaner is on the same level, but even those green in their respective construction jobs need more skill than a fast food worker. Really trying to think of a trade or construction job that requires less skill, but I am coming up blank.

That's basically what I mean. If you have two jobs and neither one requires work history or skills but one is physically more taxing, then the physically taxing job should pay a little more.

 

[AbominableJoman]

But how can children work jobs in the middle of the day and through the night? You still haven’t provided a solution.

Yes I did. Read posts to their completion

 

[Barteh]

Some job loss certainly is possible. And I can't compete with your vaunted critical thinking skills, of course. Luckily, though, this isn't the first time a MW has been raised, which means there's plenty of data for simple minded folk like myself to reference.
Just looking at it from 30k feet, we're experiencing one of the lowest unemployment rates in history right now, despite MW increases in every state since forever. How can that be? Maybe it's more complicated than just "wages go up, people lose jobs".

Anyway, is it better for tax payers to subsidize giant corps? I'm absolutely fine with that approach, given a sufficiently progressive tax policy.

Corporatism is a cancer to society but it's always tricky to tax corporations because they can easily move countries for tax purposes in lots of cases.

Not sure what exactly the right approach would be but in theory I obviously support taxing them.

 

[method115]

Thought this headline was interesting, simply because just one pizza chain has over 1,200 delivery drivers in just 3 counties. So much pizza lol

I wonder if this is going to hurt or help them. I know it would just make me switch to any other pizza chain that delivers. They will 100% lose business because of this. Will it be enough to change their minds I guess is the bigger question.