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The International Brotherhood Of Burger Flippers Will Not Take It Any More
Having unsuccessfully lobbied its slave-driving masters with one-day strikes and angry tongue-lashings, Thursday sees the fast food workers’ movement wants to broaden its reach as it pushes for a $15-an-hour wage (that restaurant companies say is unrealistic). In addition to 150 strikes across the US, NY Times reports, support protests will take place in 80 cities in more than 30 countries, from Dublin to Venice to Casablanca to Seoul to Panama City. "Fast food workers in many other parts of the world face the same corporate policies — low pay, no guaranteed hours and no benefits," warned one union leader but judging by the response from the restaurants association, "These are made-for-TV media moments - that’s pretty much it." Workers generally have the same message - "I don’t make enough money to take care of my kids," but as we have noted before (and as Motoman Robot below indicates) raising the minimum wage will have unintended consequences few strikers consider, "it would have consequences on hiring patterns for Main Street businesses across the country."
The push for a minimum-wage hike to $15 per hour continues...
“The reason I’m going on strike is I don’t make enough money to take care of my kids,” he said. “We need to go on strike and protest — that’s the only way we’ll get them to improve things.”
...
“Fast food workers in many other parts of the world face the same corporate policies — low pay, no guaranteed hours and no benefits,” said Mary Kay Henry, the president of the Service Employees International Union.
As the unions go international... (as Reuters notes)
On Thursday, fast-food workers in more than 30 countries across six continents will take coordinated action on an unprecedented scale. In the United States, they will walk off their jobs in 150 cities — the largest strike ever. Workers around the world will join these protests in 80 cities.
The protestors are set to take over a McDonald’s during lunchtime rush hour in Belgium; hold flash-mobs at McDonald’s restaurants across the Philippines, and conduct a teach-in at McDonald’s headquarters in New Zealand.
The spread of the fast-food movement to the global stage is notable for the speed at which it has happened. What began as a single strike in New York City in November 2012, with roughly 200 workers participating, has in 18 months spread across the country and now across national borders.
But...
“The vast majority of these protesters are not actually restaurant workers, and if they are, they’ve taken the day off in advance,” he said, adding that the efforts did not fit the description of a strike.
And, as the NY Times notes, the strikes appear to be having no impact...
Businesses have generally opposed the $15-an-hour proposal, saying it would cut into their profits, reduce hiring and force them to raise prices. Mr. DeFife warned of harmful repercussions if wages climbed to $15 an hour. “It would have consequences on hiring patterns for Main Street businesses across the country,” he said.
...
Even with the new overseas protests, Jake Rosenfeld, a labor relations expert at the University of Washington, doubted the movement would achieve its $15 goal unless the employees were unionized. “I don’t think they’re any way close to getting there,” he said of the effort.
Of course - what workers should really worry about is...
Motoman...
Momentum Machines is revolutionizing the $70bn burger and fries industry. Our robot allows restaurants to sell gourmet quality burgers at fast food prices. We have created a robot that makes customized hamburgers from raw ingredients to packaging, with zero human intervention. The machine can receive orders from any POS system, as well as a customizable mobile app. A Momentum Machine robot streamlines operations, saving the average fast food location $135k/year in labor.
So be careful what you ask for on that minium wage?
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True, but if their wages go to $15/hr 500,000 of them will lose their jobs according to the CBO.
My 2 cents: If you're warm and happy in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.
Would that be the same CBO that predicted in 2000 that the US National debt would be $0 by 2012?
This is why Min wage needs to be swiss levels. Further incentive for automation. I almost always support increases in the minimum wage because of this.
But where is all that leisure time that we were promised that the robots would bring us? Why is everyone still working so hard?
The funny thing is, Robots will have a tougher time fully replacing McJobs compared to your average retail pharmacist making 90-130k a year. That is a vocation that automation will absolutely crush, but will only exist in the retail setting due to regulations protecting that class (as are most inefficiciencies in the labor side of medicine).
So how much does the person who loads the robot pharmacist get paid?
Someone will probably still need to be at McD's, but the customer can order themself and the robot make it. Cashless, no problem. Just need a human to override if there is a mistake, or the machine isn't taking a bill, not spitting out correct change, etc.
Someone was working on a 3D Printer type thing where you just have cartridges full of precursors, and then you enter all the patient info and you can make custom pharmacuticals specific for that person, on demand, at lower cost. Should be pretty exciting.
The lack of knowledge on here regarding labor economics and the history in the US is appauling. What matters is PPP and not inflation and the people touting how 'robotification' of the work force is the most pressing issue in the near future are missing the boat entirely. We have a lot more pressing and urgent problems including deal with hundreds of millions globally who want to live a Western lifestyle level of consumption and a planet that doesn't remotely have the ability to deliever that unless there are near magical technological innovations in agriculture, medicine (for people not keeping up bacteria are kicking our a$$ and rapidly outpacing antiboitc development and making whole classes of antibiotics useless), transportation, and power distribution/distribution/generation.
There are so new lands/resources to exploit except in the Arctic and possibly Antartica and what the 21st centry holds for man is what is generally has held I bet which is less times of abundance & more scramble for survival.
Same 'ole, Same 'ole.
Paddy's Lamentation - Gangs of New York (6/12) Movie CLIP (2002)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns-qtoxnAS8
It boggles my mind how people on here are apparently so anti-organized labor and yet bemoan constantly big business/outsourcing/etc. Almost as if people wish for this pollyanish vision of a world where anyone worked either for themselves or small businesses that only compete either locally or on a regional basis. Nevermind the fact that such a capitalstic society existed nor would ever exist.
Yeah, welcome to ZeroHedge. Where the articles are less entertaining than the commentary. You can actually assemble the cross section of a pig's ass by applying statistical analysis and fact-checking the comments section. Some of the most picturesque scattergrams I have ever seen come from this place.
Only big businesses can deal with big government and big labor.
So last year, McD's CEO got a $9M pa salary increase from $4M to $13M. They also bumped up the outbound CEO's salary plus retirement package by $19M. I guess trickle down is alive and well.
Oh, but that guy earned it. Through Steve Jobsian doggedness, he got his food chemists to reduce the beef content in each burger to just 2%. The rest is shredded chinese newsaper and salt. Job well done sir!
Weird, I'm reading this in a McDonald's in hong kong. So many people that a really hot chick is walking along the line with a handheld taking orders. She's probably 20 times more talented than the CEO.
"Trickle on" effect. And I am so surprised at how many people accept being "trickled on".
What a waste - using surgical grade robots to serve heart attacks in a bun.
"The protestors are set to take over a McDonald’s during lunchtime rush hour in Belgium" I actually worked for the first McDonald's in Belgium back in 1979. The wages were triple what they are in the states. (of course everything cost 3x as much, too) So, they are already making more than $15 an hour there.
Japan has a Mechanized Robot army tucked away inside one of the dormant volcanoes. They’re outfitted with Fukushima fallout. If the enemy happens to destroy a MR Fukushima, a mini nuke explodes.
Bangin7GramRocks: I hear you about Subway. Soggy turd sandwich! But not a good analogy with the 1975 sandwich. I hope it was awesome because inflation adjusted would be 17 bucks today!
Maybe so, but I never met a single person that could make it through a Toms Deli Sub, after 1/2 you were a beached whale, ready for the fellow beach goers to push you back into the surf.
What did a loaf of REAL bread cost in 1900? What does a GMO non nutritious loaf cost now?
I need to visit this Toms Deli! Real food is getting hard to find.
MeBizzarro: It boggles my mind how people on here are apparently so anti-organized labor and yet bemoan constantly big business/outsourcing/etc. Almost as if people wish for this pollyanish vision of a world where anyone worked either for themselves or small businesses that only compete either locally or on a regional basis. Nevermind the fact that such a capitalstic society existed nor would ever exist.
Ummm, kinda what I do, work for myself, by myself and have customers from AU / EU, Singapore / ASIA, and all over CONUS. Strange days. Still kinda crazy that I pay $1000.00+ for a gallon pf paint though.
People think gasoline is expensive. Pull my finger. $300 a gallon for quality clear coat.
LOL
Acrylic urethanes?
Yes, i would like a job with expenses, health benifits, at least $50/hr, and 367 days of paid vacation a year please.
Then you want to work for the US Federal government.
Spumoni: Acrylic urethanes?
Yupperz, goes with the territory, I garantee my work for as long as you own it.
Assuming that they get a bump in the minimum wage. I can eat at home more, but where are they going to eat?
$15/Hr is selling themselves short. 1964 Min Wage was $1.25...in silver quarters that's about $17.50 today (at depressed/manipulated pricing).
Lets try it one more time!
http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2014/feb/24/second-ma...
Restore the purchasing power of US$!
Unions will disappear.
Instead, businesses want humans to disappear.
Many of those human employees are customers, idiots!
Robots don't eat burgers, morons!
Ah good fucking luck to 'em, I say. They won't get anything, but I hope they disrupt these assholes as much as possible.
Go across the border in Canada and you would have seen the flesh robot - the no questions/easy to threaten foreigner - who was imported to be indentured labour when the McFucks couldn't find locals to do the job.
When they have a surplus of workers it's all about driving down wages and conditions, but when they can't find workers it's never a consideration to up wages and conditions. The scumbag rent seeker then runs to the government and begs to bring in poor, easily manipulated serfs from the 3rd world.
"Oh waaaaah, I can't find local workers to work in my greasepit or serve my Timmys and I don't want to increase my wages."
Well guess what, asshole. If you don't have an incentive for workers to turn up, you can go out of business.