Fast Food Workers Strike--USA Today
Wage Strikes Planned at Fast Food Outlets
On Thursday of last week thousands of retail and fast food workers went on strike across the U.S. on Thursday because of the dissatisfaction with the wages they are earning in fast food outlets such as McDonalds for example. President Obama cited the strike as a means to push Congress once again to increase the minimum wage up to $10.10 an hour. The Senate introduced the measure to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Senate Republicans oppose the measure. In the strike last Thursday in Chicago, demonstrators chanted for the minimum wage to be increased to $15 an hour.
The answer to the nation's economy isn't to increase the minimum wage. All that will do is drive up the price of goods and services and the it won't help those who are to be benefitting from the minimum wage increase. What benefit is it to increase the minimum wage to 5%, for example, if the price of goods and service is increased to 5% or higher. How does that benefit those who are supposed to be the beneficiary of the wage increase? It doesn't. I know what I'm saying isn't politically popular but it's true. First of all, fast food outlets such as McDonals are entry-level jobs which doesn't require any skills prior to working there. Working as a cashier at McDonalds or flipping hamburgers isn't worth as much as jobs that require skills prior to entry or a college degree, for example.
What concerns me are those 60% of college graduates who can't find jobs in the fields they specialized in while attending college. That greatly concerns me. It's very frustrating, to say the least. There are graduates who worked very diligently to prepare for their future in college and what do they receive in return for all the diligent work they performed in college? No job. We need to be concerned about that. I recognize the private sector can't just create jobs out of thin air. However, if the government will stop stifling job growth with their foolish mundane regulations, then the economy would grow and more higher paying jobs would be created for those who went to college to prepare for their future. What we need is for the economy to function like it should so more highly skilled jobs can be created. We can't invest our future in fast food outlets. I have no problem with fast food outlets because I once worked at McDonalds myself. However, I never intended for McDonalds to be the place to make my living. One factor many of those protestors need to take into account in Chicago and in other places is if the minimum wage goes up to $15 an hour at a McDonalds, for example, they they can outprice themselves and fast-food chains could shut down. How many consumers are willing to pay higher prices for hamburgers? It could come to a point that McDonalds will lose numerous customers if the price of its food and drinks escalates because of the minimum wage increase. It could backfire on McDonalds employees and other fast food and retail outlets. If customers refuse to purchase the product in great numbers, it will cost many employees jobs. Those are things the protestors need to consider.
I have posted a few links you can read about last Thursday's strike.
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