52% of Fast Food workers rely on Welfare in US

seanie_c

"52% actually rely on some form of public assistance to support themselves or their families..."

"Public assistance is part of the business model for the fast food industry. It's not an exception, it's not something only a few workers need in order to make ends meet, it's part and parcel of the industry itself."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwJNotwKKzg

Just think it's worth pointing out for those calling to abolish the minimum wage here in Ireland, they would end up with most workers depending on public assistance.
It would really only benefit private interests.

Rented Mule

These jobs pay minimum wage for a reason. They are about as unskilled as you are going to get. They are not meant to be career paths unless they are training to try and move up within the franchise/business.

Tiddlypeeps

I'd like to see what those numbers are here in Ireland. I know a fair few people who work minimum wage jobs are get the welfare top up (no idea what it's official name is) to make ends meet. My perception of it could be way off the norm tho.

Khannie

Rented Mule wrote: »

These jobs pay minimum wage for a reason. They are about as unskilled as you are going to get. They are not meant to be career paths unless they are training to try and move up within the franchise/business.

You should still be able to earn a living from a job.

wendell borton

How many are getting supplementary welfare here, it wouldn't be too far off the US figures id imagine.

wazky

You get to sly a few chips when the boss isn't watching though?

jimgoose

Khannie wrote: »

You should still be able to earn a living from a job.

^^^
This. A full-time job should pay a week's wages.

c_man

seanie_c wrote: »

Just think it's worth pointing out for those calling to abolish the minimum wage here in Ireland, they would end up with most workers depending on public assistance.

Was that the case here in Ireland before the minimum wage was introduced in 2000?

K-9

The state shouldn't be subsidising wage costs of what are often very profitable multi nationals.

Mr.McLovin

Rented Mule wrote: »

These jobs pay minimum wage for a reason. They are about as unskilled as you are going to get. They are not meant to be career paths unless they are training to try and move up within the franchise/business.

too bleedin' right, fcuk that, better off on the dole me aul flower :rolleyes:

MonaPizza

Rented Mule wrote: »

These jobs pay minimum wage for a reason. They are about as unskilled as you are going to get. They are not meant to be career paths unless they are training to try and move up within the franchise/business.

They pay minimum wage because that's the lowest the corporations can get away with paying. There are many other jobs that require as little or even less skill but theu pay more because unions have negotiated it or because despite being an unskilled job it's a job that few want to do. Janitor, street-sweeper, labourer spring to mind.

Karl Stein

I honestly think the US needs a revolution at this point.

Chucken

wendell borton wrote: »

How many are getting supplementary welfare here, it wouldn't be too far off the US figures id imagine.

You probably mean FIS?
This article is a year old but gives a vague idea.
http://www.thejournal.ie/fis-payment-delays-681870-Nov2012/

The department confirmed that at the end of last month there were 15,131 applications awaiting decisions. This included 7,267 new FIS applications and 7,864 renewals.

Guy:Incognito

jimgoose wrote: »

^^^
This. A full-time job should pay a week's wages.

It does. At the minimum of at least the rate the government deem the lowest allowed.

Whats "a weeks wage" btw? is there an actual figure?

goose2005

K-9 wrote: »

The state shouldn't be subsidising wage costs of what are often very profitable multi nationals.

Why not? We already give billions out to farmers even though land is very profitable, and huge subsidies to landlords in the form of 'rent allowance'

goose2005

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

It does. At the minimum of at least the rate the government deem the lowest allowed.

Whats "a weeks wage" btw? is there an actual figure?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_wage

Guy:Incognito

goose2005 wrote: »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_wage

Presumably, the government decided a decent weeks wages is 39 x €8.65

K-9

The McDonalds index would be a good measure considering the thread!

K-9

goose2005 wrote: »

Why not? We already give billions out to farmers even though land is very profitable, and huge subsidies to landlords in the form of 'rent allowance'

Funny that you mention subsidies, the biggest recipient a couple of years ago was Greencore, another multinational and subsidies are as you point, payments to farmers, that often help them just about make a living because of profiteering from the likes of Tesco.

Rental Allowance, the scheme that was cut repeatedly over the last few budgets and again yesterday, is a payment to help those on welfare, the Government or dole recipient can't really pay it to somebody else who isn't the landlord/agent!

That's a bit like arguing that Mortgage Interest Supplement (scrapped yesterday) was a scheme to subsidise banks!

It's funny that we don't seem to get the same shock and rage from right wingers about companies happily letting the state top up their wage bill as they foam in the mouth about single parents and people signing on.

rubadub

Khannie wrote: »

You should still be able to earn a living from a job.

goose2005 wrote: »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_wage

K-9 wrote: »

The McDonalds index would be a good measure considering the thread!

Or the chicken fillet index, remember its apparently €7.50 for 3 according to one woman supposedly struggling to make ends meet.

wazky wrote: »

You get to sly a few chips when the boss isn't watching though?

Anyone I knew in McDs got free food, there was an allowance, I think in BK you got more. I doubt they factor this in with the complaints of course. Not that its decent food mind, some apparently will only eat the finest organic free range chicken, hand reared by comely maidens.

K-9

rubadub wrote: »

Anyone I knew in McDs got free food, there was an allowance, I think in BK you got more. I doubt they factor this in with the complaints of course. Not that its decent food mind, some apparently will only eat the finest organic free range chicken, hand reared by comely maidens.

Great, obese fast food workers for the health system to treat! :cool:

UCDVet

It sounds like either a b.s. statistic or one that is taken greatly out of context.

In the US, you can pay a lot of taxes and qualify for some government benefit. For example, your might pay $12k in taxes, but get 4k in food stamps.

That's exactly the same as paying 8k in taxes.
But if you want to make it sound like everyone is getting government benefits - you just count them as a recipient.

I used to work in the US and my girlfriend qualified for food stamps. She had a low paying job, but she paid a lot more in taxes than she received as a benefit.

It's also worth noting that the majority of fast-food workers in the US are part-time workers (some numbers say as high as 70% of non manager positions are part-time). I can't find any specific numbers, but a large number of them are also high school or college students.

darkpagandeath

Multinationals being subsidized by the government what blasphemy is this ?

seanie_c

UCDVet wrote: »

It sounds like either a b.s. statistic or one that is taken greatly out of context.

The UC Berkeley report said it was 52%

On Page 3.

It's also worth noting that the majority of fast-food workers in the US are part-time workers (some numbers say as high as 70% of non manager positions are part-time). I can't find any specific numbers, but a large number of them are also high school or college students.

70% of non manager positions are part-time?
Where did you get that statistic from?

Fast-food jobs are also more likely to be part-time jobs. Even restricting to the core workforce, we find the median fast-food employee works 30 hours per week, compared to 40 for the workforce as a whole. Nearly half (46 percent) of core front-line fast-food jobs provide between 20 and 35 hours of employment per week. This combination of low pay and limited work hours results in median annual earnings of $11,056

Bog Standard User

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

It does. At the minimum of at least the rate the government deem the lowest allowed.

Whats "a weeks wage" btw? is there an actual figure?

a weeks wages should be enough to cover a modest rent, enough food to eatfor your family and yourself, enough to cheap clothes for your family, and enough to cover essential utility bills such as electricy, heating, and soon to be water, for a week

seanie_c

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Multinationals being subsidized by the government what blasphemy is this ?

Yes, they are similar.
A lot of those jobs created over the last 3-4 years for example were only created because of the Employee Subsidy Scheme.

Idbatterim

You should still be able to earn a living from a job.

Maybe the government should address the outrageous cost of living and minimum wage might not be too bad....

calanus

I read the title as "52% rely on fast food for their welfare in US"

First thought was that number must be much higher!

K-9

Idbatterim wrote: »

Maybe the government should address the outrageous cost of living and minimum wage might not be too bad....

Yeah, Government should intervene to bring down rent and food costs, the 2 biggest costs minimum wage workers would pay.

This would reduce the profits for landlords and supermarkets would see reduced profits thus having to cut wages to stay competitive. Meanwhile fast food chains would have to cut prices to stay competitive, would cut wages and way we go again...........

Greenmachine

From my experience although it is a long time since I worked in the industry virtually all the non management positions are part-time. It allows for better time management, the number of staff hours on a given day are based on estimates of expected income on a given day. Further to this the industry has a very high staff turnover. As a result they will continually take on new staff and reduce existing staffs hours accordingly.

kneemos

Employers can get a subsidy for taking on an unemployed person now so there is no reason not to pay well.

Rented Mule

Khannie wrote: »

You should still be able to earn a living from a job.

You can earn a living from these jobs. I just wouldn't expect to raise a family while flipping burgers in a McDonald's. This reminds me of people getting mortgages for houses that they knew they couldn't afford and then blaming the banks.

If you want a better standard of living then I recommend that you work towards improving your skills/education to be employable somewhere else.

Rented Mule

Rented Mule wrote: »

These jobs pay minimum wage for a reason. They are about as unskilled as you are going to get. They are not meant to be career paths unless they are training to try and move up within the franchise/business.

Really hate this attitude that if someone is working in an unskilled area then they don't deserve anything but the bare minimum. I'd wager that many of the people working a 40 hour weeks in McDonalds are doing far more work than your average government employee or accountant.

seanie_c

Rented Mule wrote: »

This reminds me of people getting mortgages for houses that they knew they couldn't afford and then blaming the banks.

Yes, expecting people working in finance to understand risk is absurd, isn't it?

I mean, if the owner of a business went bankrupt selling his inventory at a loss to customers, it would clearly be the customers fault, wouldn't it?

Why would a bank going bankrupt be the banks fault, it's clearly the people that borrowed the money, they're to blame...

Great use of logic there.

darkpagandeath

seanie_c wrote: »

Yes, they are similar.
A lot of those jobs created over the last 3-4 years for example were only created because of the Employee Subsidy Scheme.

I think your sarcasm detector is broken today:p

smurgen

The idea of the working poor depresses me to no end.

Lu Tze

Deleted User wrote: »

Really hate this attitude that if someone is working in an unskilled area then they don't deserve anything but the bare minimum. I'd wager that many of the people working a 40 hour weeks in McDonalds are doing far more work than your average government employee or accountant.

Their worth is measured by the skills they have, and how in demand those skills are. I dont have a major problem with a minimum wage, the social welfare is an effective minimum wage regardless, but when it comes down to it, if you have lots of people able, and willing to do a job of which there is a limited supply, then their value is less. Equally if you have rare or in-demand skills, the value is greater.

Anything else undermines the system of meritocracy.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Really hate this attitude that if someone is working in an unskilled area then they don't deserve anything but the bare minimum. I'd wager that many of the people working a 40 hour weeks in McDonalds are doing far more work than your average government employee or accountant.

I'd wager the government employee or the accountant could do the fast food workers job, but the fast food worker couldn't do theirs. Hence the wage gap.

No idea why you've decided to have a go at accountants either..

darkpagandeath

AdamD wrote: »

I'd wager the government employee or the accountant could do the fast food workers job, but the fast food worker couldn't do theirs. Hence the wage gap.

No idea why you've decided to have a go at accountants either..

Yeah working in a back office answering phones all day and typing is really hard. Most of what is called I.T related skills today could be done by anyone that can use the internet. Not talking High end. just most of the stuff these so called job for life civil servants do

Lu Tze

Lu Tze wrote: »

Their worth is measured by the skills they have, and how in demand those skills are. I dont have a major problem with a minimum wage, the social welfare is an effective minimum wage regardless, but when it comes down to it, if you have lots of people able, and willing to do a job of which there is a limited supply, then their value is less. Equally if you have rare or in-demand skills, the value is greater.

Anything else undermines the system of meritocracy.

There's this misconception that people working in fast food are unskilled. Quite a lot of the people serving in fast food outlets have 3rd level qualifications and are only working there to make ends meet. The current state of the country means that quite a large number of highly skilled people are having to take menial jobs simply because work is so scarce.

AdamD wrote: »

I'd wager the government employee or the accountant could do the fast food workers job, but the fast food worker couldn't do theirs. Hence the wage gap.

No idea why you've decided to have a go at accountants either..

I'm fairly certain that most government employees have jobs that are easier than working in fast food. Sitting behind a desk answering a few phones or checking paper work is hardly challenging or skilled. That there are many government jobs being advertised on jobsbridge says a lot about how skilled you need to be to work in one. Hell, I know one lad who svrapped by in the leaving cert with mostly D's at pas level working in the department of the environment. He can't even spell environment but has a cushy job where he does nothing.

If you want you can replace accountant with bank employee, insurance salespeople, etc. it was merely an example of a skilled job where a lot of people can take it easy. Hell my drunken French housemate is now working as an accountant for a rather respected company and still finds the time to head home for a few cans of Guinness most lunchtimes that he sleeps off in his office.

darkpagandeath

larry_fink wrote: »

its tough being on low income in America , many work two and three jobs just to make ends meet and are still without medical insurance

while everything is relative , by comparison the lower paid have it great in Ireland

No it's called social responsibility. most people don't want to see someone starve to death if they cant afford food or what not. Look at the amount of American Veterans on the streets freedom is not free and all that.

Killer Wench

Gain more education? That's the solution?

The jobs that we see being created are those low paying service jobs. There are many people with BA degrees working as baristas or clerks at Walmart.

tayto lover

AdamD wrote: »

I'd wager the government employee or the accountant could do the fast food workers job, but the fast food worker couldn't do theirs. Hence the wage gap.

No idea why you've decided to have a go at accountants either..

He is probably of the opinion that accountants were partly to blame for the big bust we had as many of them assisted the developers.

tayto lover

tayto lover wrote: »

He is probably of the opinion that accountants were partly to blame for the big bust we had as many of them assisted the developers.

As I said after, you can replace accountant with any number of positions. It was just the first one off the top of my head. Personally have no issue with accountants