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 [7], 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) [8]
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...
[11]
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?