I don’t ask this question to be uncaring or crass. It’s simply a question that some want to know. Well, at least those who work those jobs. And this Thursday, those folks will join in solidarity to demand what they believe is a fair hourly wage – $15.00.
In 150 cities, fry cooks, burger flippers, sandwich artists and a host of other fast food employees plan to strike. Their demands are simple: An increase in hourly wages to $15.00/hour and the right to form unions without retaliation.
But simplicity and reality are two different things.
Personally, I could care less if a KFC worker made $15.00 an hour and two-piece chicken dinners increased in price. I don’t eat that garbage to begin with, and if that company wants to pay someone $15.00 an hour to do that work, that’s their call.
I also don’t care if these workers join together and strike. Certainly that’s their right. But here’s my question. . .
How did they come up with $15.00/hour? What’s the formula? Who figured it out?
I get that it’s nearly impossible to live well on minimum wage. If you do earn only minimum wage, you actually live below the poverty threshold of $23,000 a year for a family of four. I don’t even know how you can provide for a family of four on $23,000, much less $18,500 a year – which apparently is what the median yearly income is for fast food workers on minimum wage.
But poverty has nothing to do with the monetary value of a given job.
So is $15.00/hour appropriate for a fast food worker? I don’t know. So I looked around online to see what other jobs out there pay $15.00/hour to get a better idea as to what $15.00/hour can get you.
Here’s a short list. . .
- Entry Level Regional Pilot
- Nurse’s Assistant
- Police Officer
- Farmer
- Firefighter
- Electricians
- Welder
- Plumber
Obviously compensation varies for these careers based on location, demand and experience. Still, I find it hard to believe that someone who takes orders for Happy Meals and Gorditas should be commanding the same compensation as some of these other workers that I would argue have much more important jobs.
Again, it really doesn’t bother me at all if McDonalds wants to start paying their employees $15.00/hour. And I would also remind those reading this that when these giant corporations pay poverty wages, it is you and I dear taxpayer, who have to subsidize the poor.
This, by the way, isn’t necessarily a criticism of corporate practices, but rather a small detail that many of my fellow conservatives tend to overlook. The corporations are simply working within the confines of the law. It’s the politicians who facilitate corporate and social welfare systems that leave many Americans hungry, broke and frustrated.
In any event, I don’t think these strikes will amount to much. For every fast food worker that goes on strike this Thursday, I’m sure there’s another unemployed individual that would be more than happy to take that job. And it’s not as if the world will stop turning if you can’t get a bucket of chicken or a pail of soda on Thursday.
