General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Fast-Food Strikes Expand Across U.S. to 50 Cities [View all]Flatulo
(5,005 posts)hard work. I also worked in shitty, dark and dangerous factories for min wage. And back in the day at least, most of the people I worked with were doing it until something better came along, or to make money for school. It wasn't a career path for any but the few who wanted to get into a management trainee program. Shit, my 24 y/o son is working at a Boston Market until he can find employment in his chosen profession.
But the reality is that, even though it is hard work, it's work that any physically capable person can perform. You don't need to understand math or physics or medicine or law to be able to do the work. Plus, there's a nearly endless supply of young people willing to do the work, so there's no supply shortage whatsoever except perhaps in energy boomtowns in N. Dakota or wherever, where there's been a rapid growth in population..
When you have a situation where there are plenty of people to do the work, and no special skills required, that is a recipe for low wages. It always will be.
Having said that, I do agree that the minimum wage needs to be corrected for inflation, which, I'm told, would be around $15. But it should be that for all workers, not just food service. It still won't be a living wage, but at least it would keep pace with inflation. Two people sharing expenses could make a decent life.
Let me ask this : if we paid food service workers $150,000 per year, why would anyone spend years of study and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become doctors or engineers? There's a relationship between training and skill level, market demand, and wages that some here want to deny.