"I Can't Pay My Bills" - McDonald's Employees Furious As Company Renegs On Wage Hikes | Zero Hedge
Description: As it turns out, McDonald's widely lauded "wage hike" was little more than a publicity stunt.

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# "I Can't Pay My Bills" - McDonald's Employees Furious As Company Renegs On Wage Hikes

When the initiative was first announced, McDonald's decision to raise its employees' wages to $1 above minimum wage (albeit only at corporate-owned stores, a minority of the company's total count) was hailed as a radical example of corporate accountability - a direct repudiation of the far-left notion that "quarterly capitalism" and employers accepting responsibility for their employees were mutually exclusive.

As any steely eyed realist might've expected, McDonald's widely lauded "wage hike" was little more than a publicity stunt. In the three years since McDonald's announced the wage hike in 2015, the firm has essentially frozen employee wages, often leaving them just a few cents above minimum wage, as Bloomberg has discovered.

But the company doesn't expect to experience any blowback from this decision: After all, McDonald's never said it was pegging employees' wages to $1 above minimum wage. The company, it appears, deliberately equivocated during its initial announced - and what's worse, nobody in the media has called the company out.

Until now, that is.

> In Milpitas, California, north of San Jose, where the local minimum wage rose to $12 an hour on Jan. 1, several workers’ February paychecks show they received $12.35 or $12.45. In Los Angeles, where the minimum wage for large employers has been $12 since July, some checks show hourly pay of $12.69 or less.

Employees and members of the "Fight for $15" coalition - which had successfully pressured McDonald's to assent to the wage hike (or so we had thought) - are understandably angry at the company, possibly having planned to receive higher wages in the near future, and based some major financial decisions on that.

"They need to give us the dollar that they promised us," said one of those employees, Fanny Velazquez, who’s worked for the corporation for a decade. "I can’t pay my rent or my bills."

The Service Employees International Union - most likely the initial anonymous source who brought the story to Bloomberg - blasted the company in an on-the-record statement. It's also organizing workers to organize and exert whatever pressure they can.

> The Fight For $15, a 6-year-old effort by the Service Employees International Union to organize fast food workers and secure more stringent wage laws, seized on the paychecks as evidence that the McDonald’s 2015 announcement was a “publicity stunt.”

> "If McDonald’s wants to play semantics with its workers and continue to drive a race to the bottom instead of giving us real raises, it is going to continue losing workers to the growing number of employers who are leading the way to a better economy for all," said Betty Douglas, a McDonald’s worker in St. Louis, in a statement on behalf of the Fight for $15.

> Fight For $15 criticized McDonald’s pay announcement from the start, because it didn’t apply to the majority of the chain’s stores, which are owned by franchisees, and didn’t meet the group’s signature demand of $15 hourly pay.

> The group plans to launch a hotline Monday that workers can call to report their wages, and will hold rallies in three cities on Tuesday to press its case that workers need a union in order to hold the company accountable.

What's worse than McDonald's not following through with the wage hike, employees say, is that recent changes to McDonald's menu - primarily the "Experience the Future" suite of customizable menu options - have made the job harder.

> Burger chains like McDonald’s are facing record-high turnover as workers depart for better jobs options in a tightening labor market. Last year, McDonald’s lagged behind peers like Wendy’s and Burger King in average drive-through times. Some employees complain that the chain’s "Experience of the Future," a suite of changes to menus, technology and food delivery, has meant performing more tasks without commensurate staffing expansions or pay increases.

> "It’s going to get increasingly challenging to attract the talent you want into your business," Easterbrook said earlier this year, "and then you’ve got to work really hard through training and development to retain them."

Of course, that McDonald's did this shouldn't come as a surprise to any long-time Zero Hedge readers. The company has been rapidly adopting kiosks in its dining rooms that allow customers to order without interacting with a cashier. Analysts believe these machines will eventually lead to the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of fast-food service jobs.

As we've said before, McDonald's employees, while you're agitating for a $15 minimum wage, don't forget to thank your corporate overlords when they fire you and your comrades and replace you with this guy...

Tags
Labor
Restaurants & Bars - NEC
Quick Service Restaurants

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MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:11 Permalink

mcdonalds is learning from trump how to say one thing to appease the people and then do the exact opposite to please the rich and the establishment

edit--oh, look, the MAGAtards are voting me down! Hey, tards, I VOTED for trump, but I wised up...howcum you have not done the same?

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Pandelis MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:13 Permalink

tough luck --- get two jobs pal

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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El Oregonian Pandelis Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:19 Permalink

You deserve a break today... er, to be broke today!

If this is a career choice, then yes, you absolutely deserve what you get.

In reply to tough luck --- get two jobs… by Pandelis

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DillyDilly El Oregonian Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:21 Permalink

Turn that [double] frown upside down [TWICE]

In reply to You deserve a break today… by El Oregonian

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overbet DillyDilly Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:21 Permalink

Minimum wage shouldnt exist. Improve yourself and bring some value to the marketplace and you will get above zero

In reply to Turn that [double] frown… by DillyDilly

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Stan522 overbet Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:26 Permalink

First, a McDonald's job is a starter job, so your bitching about making a living is moot. Second, if McDonald's renig's on their promise, then quit.....

In reply to Minimum wage should be zero… by overbet

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The_Juggernaut Stan522 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:33 Permalink

It's a job designed for children. Of course it doesn't pay your bills.

In reply to First, a McDonald's job is a… by Stan522

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Ophiuchus The_Juggernaut Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:35 Permalink

May I suggest going Galt?

Real men are choosing to reject the cacophony (Emphasis added) that's being forced upon them which tells them to be anything but MEN. What the Satanists want is for you to accept your slavery, to throw away your souls and toil away. Real men have been going Galt for at least 18 years.

When the boys quit whining like little girls and take a stand against the destruction that's being fostered upon them, then men will return to being men, but not until.

It's not going to happen so prepare.............

In reply to It's a job designed for… by The_Juggernaut

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vega74 Ophiuchus Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:48 Permalink

Like Hugh Akston who ended up flipping burgers himself?

For those who don't know or need a refresher:

https://atlassociety.org/commentary/commentary-blog/3827-atlas-shrugged…

In reply to May I suggest going Galt? by Ophiuchus

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Bes vega74 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 13:00 Permalink

slave labor

#winning

#maga

In reply to Like Hugh Akston who ended… by vega74

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Uncle Sugar vega74 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 13:00 Permalink

Great book

In reply to Like Hugh Akston who ended… by vega74

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IH8OBAMA The_Juggernaut Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:39 Permalink

I think I would prefer a mechanical burger flipper. It won't spit in your food if it's having a bad day or give you the flu.

But, on the other hand, a machine may never get cleaned or sanitized either. Or recognize bugs or mice dropping in the product. Ummm, yummy! LOL

In reply to It's a job designed for… by The_Juggernaut

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My crotch itches IH8OBAMA Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:59 Permalink

Can you imagine touching the screen of one of the self ordering kiosks? Look ahead of you at the people who touched it and now just imagine where their hands have been.

The kiosks can't be voice activated either, because have you ever tried to understand what comes out of these peoples mouths?

In reply to I think I would prefer a… by IH8OBAMA

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ZENDOG IH8OBAMA Mon, 04/02/2018 - 13:00 Permalink

If you are eating at McDonalds, you have bigger problems than a few bugs in your Burger.

In reply to I think I would prefer a… by IH8OBAMA

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Professor Fate Stan522 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:38 Permalink

I call "bullshit" on this entire minimum wage thing. Based on the number of tattoos and gold teeth prominent on the employees working the pickup window at my McDonalds, I say McDonalds employees have a plethora of discretionary income. Additionally, I have yet to see one that looks malnourished.

Fate the Magnificent
"Push the Button, Max"

In reply to First, a McDonald's job is a… by Stan522

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greven40 Stan522 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:40 Permalink

It isn't just a starter job, but is a "career" for the otherwise unskilled, irresponsible, hard luck with a record, etc. That's not the employer's problem though, as long as they're paying what the labor is worth. Unfortunately good bosses have become rarer just as good employees have.

In reply to First, a McDonald's job is a… by Stan522

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vega74 Stan522 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:43 Permalink

For some, McDonald's is still a starter job. Increasingly it's becoming a survival job for many others. Quitting isn't an option for most people since they have no savings and live paltry paycheck to paycheck. The peasants, arguably the majority, are trapped. And the powers that be know this, exploit this, and use it as leverage for their advantage. No judgment-just sayin'; it is what it is.

In reply to First, a McDonald's job is a… by Stan522

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greven40 vega74 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:45 Permalink

Being at the mercy of an employer's market can be a nightmare.

In reply to For some, McDonald's is… by vega74

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Stan522 vega74 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:58 Permalink

I'm not denying the fact that there are those who make this a career. What I am saying is that there are starter jobs that allow the unskilled a place to get an initial job and then move up from there as they learn and prove their worth. We have made this a career choice by those who support wage laws and then you get the indignant attitudes from those employed that follows.....

In reply to For some, McDonald's is… by vega74

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The Ram Stan522 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:52 Permalink

Sad state of affairs, but I bet this person will father/mother 2-4 children, who of course, will be new slaves in the system. The 'poor' have not ever understood that they have fed the cycle of poverty by having children. If you are not at least solidly upper middle class, then don't have kids unless you want to subject them to McDonald's level work. Hell, even upper middle class families produce new slaves...they just happen to be a little higher order slaves. The upper middle class slaves get to come to cubicles and small offices every day and don't have to contend with the french fry lard or whatever they use. I am happy to have not had children...I refuse to give the overlords new slaves, even upper income slaves.

In reply to First, a McDonald's job is a… by Stan522

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SRV Stan522 Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:57 Permalink

Fewer "starters" all the time, as moms and grandpa join in to help a strapped household... the state of working class in a heartless America.

And they are mocked in public...

Fortunately the current POTUS has one... great man, sick nation.

In reply to First, a McDonald's job is a… by Stan522

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Ghost of Porky overbet Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:26 Permalink

The peasants are revolting.

In reply to Minimum wage should be zero… by overbet

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Megaton Jim Ghost of Porky Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:40 Permalink

You got that right!

In reply to The peasants are revolting. by Ghost of Porky

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pods overbet Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:27 Permalink

Anyone (besides the manager) at McDonald's or any fast food joint shouldn't really have any bills besides "money to give to someone older than 21 to buy them beer."

That model worked perfectly.

Who the fuck changed that to a "career at McDonald's" model?

pods

In reply to Minimum wage should be zero… by overbet

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rockstone pods Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:32 Permalink

Illegals, that’s who. I remember the first time a 40 something w incredibly poor English skills handed me my order. “WTF? What happened to the kids with the bad acne?”

In reply to Anyone (besides the manager)… by pods

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wetwipe Pandelis Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:20 Permalink

TBH these plebs should be grateful for what they can get, most are not worth the minimum wage. Most don't give a shit, to them its a sort of adult day care where they pay you. If the minimum wage was abolished what would 'the market' think would be a fair remuneration. My guess would be less than minimum wage.

Sooner or later those with a low IQ will need to be culled as they are responsible for much of what is wrong in society today.

In reply to tough luck --- get two jobs… by Pandelis

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greven40 wetwipe Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:43 Permalink

Low IQ has nothing to do with it. There are plenty of high IQ, low common sense losers dragging society into the pits. Perhaps you just want to murder a bunch of people.

In reply to TBH these plebs should be… by wetwipe

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MagicHandPuppet Pandelis Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:20 Permalink

Why would they raise wages when there is a convoy of failed-venezuelan-socialist refugees headed this way... with no wall to stop them?

In reply to tough luck --- get two jobs… by Pandelis

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chubbar MagicHandPuppet Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:29 Permalink

Not only that but the irony of ironies is that these same people whining about their wages are FOR open borders. They are truly stupid people with no concept of how all this shit works.

On a side note: Ole Fanny is going to have to learn how to spread them if she wants a meaningful wage increase.

In reply to Why would they raise wages… by MagicHandPuppet

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greven40 MagicHandPuppet Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:34 Permalink

Coincidence huh...just so happens. Propaganda nonsense. if those people are in fact on the way and the cross the border it's because the US regime wants it to happen and made it happen.

In reply to Why would they raise wages… by MagicHandPuppet

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Kidbuck Pandelis Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:25 Permalink

Kidbuck once took a minimum wage second job working nights as a janitor. The first year the additional income taxes came due I discovered that income taxes and travel expenses ate up 2/3 of what I made working at the janitor job. On top of that since the 2nd job didn't withhold taxes and I didn't have any cash laying around to pay the taxes and the IRS froze my bank accounts and I had to sell my truck and had to get a third job to pay the back taxes.

In reply to tough luck --- get two jobs… by Pandelis

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pods Kidbuck Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:30 Permalink

Dude, that is how Dire Straits got the idea for that song!

pods

In reply to Kidbuck once took a minimum… by Kidbuck

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NoPension Pandelis Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:29 Permalink

Life Tip # 28.

Don't plan a life around a job at McDonald's.

If you do...it won't work too swell.

In reply to tough luck --- get two jobs… by Pandelis

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pods NoPension Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:33 Permalink

Seriously. When did Mickey D's become a career?

Should be a bunch of High School kids being managed by a cat herder who has a hidden drug habit and is a closet pervert who cannot get hired at a regular job.

pods

In reply to Life Tip # 28… by NoPension

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earleflorida Pandelis Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:56 Permalink

they all have two jobs, (stocking shelves or produce at local supermarkets whom actually treat these people better..., [but], they never can surpass the 35 hr. threshold for benefits ).

a lot (fast food chains) of their employees are [contracted workers] from south America & eastern Europe whom work their asses off,... but, are grateful to find employment as their sovereign countries are in financial flux having been 'Economic Hitman'd' to death! [OR] 'americaniz'd demockrazy`died'

In reply to tough luck --- get two jobs… by Pandelis

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Four chan MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:15 Permalink

they are making 12.50 an hour to sling frys?

that's more than a living wage, they are just too dumb to utilize it and dumb enough to bitch.

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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Kprime Four chan Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:24 Permalink

we are careful to never "sling" the frys. although we may drop our boogers in them.

In reply to they are making 12.50 an… by Four chan

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Savvy Four chan Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:26 Permalink

When 70% of Americans can't afford to buy a house and fast food workers are at the bottom of the heap, how squalid must their lives be to suit you? It's kinda funny you Yanks hate each other as much or more than you hate the rest of the world and that's saying something.

In reply to they are making 12.50 an… by Four chan

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holmes Savvy Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:35 Permalink

I guess it's just one big love affair over in Londonstan.

In reply to When 70% of Americans can't… by Savvy

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pods Savvy Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:35 Permalink

Fast Food Workers=High School Kids.

Worked great for a LONG time.

If regular career people are working at these joints there are bigger problems than their salary.

pods

In reply to When 70% of Americans can't… by Savvy

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markitect Savvy Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:45 Permalink

Americans are ignorant fucking retards, thats why. Source, am one.

In reply to When 70% of Americans can't… by Savvy

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Four chan MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:17 Permalink

seek help turd. trump derangement victim.

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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MATA HAIRY MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:17 Permalink

oh, look, the MAGAtards are voting me down...hey, dummies, I voted for trump...but I learned..and you apparently did not...however, one crucial item separates me from you--50 IQ points...Har Har...

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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overbet MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:19 Permalink

That's funny I immediately thought to myself that Mata Hairy is clearly a screen name a high IQ individual would create. Bet you have some great flatulence jokes too

In reply to oh, look, the MAGAtards are… by MATA HAIRY

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MATA HAIRY overbet Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:27 Permalink

well, since my twitter handle is ActivePooter, you figger it out

In reply to That's funny I immediately… by overbet

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Consuelo MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:29 Permalink

No downvote from me, as you are actually quite right. If this thing sinks on his watch, they're gonna necklace him with it... Give the President some credit however, he has done some good things. There is only so much (1) man can do, especially when faced with the circus he has to deal with.

In reply to oh, look, the MAGAtards are… by MATA HAIRY

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EcoJoker MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:30 Permalink

Ding, Fries are done!

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

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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Kprime MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:35 Permalink

that's the definition of "Politician". Piss on 'em and tell 'em its raining.

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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ClowardPiven2016 MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:42 Permalink

You voted? How stupid are you?

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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ZeroHegemony MATA HAIRY Mon, 04/02/2018 - 12:53 Permalink

Actually, I downvoted you for 'howcum'.

In reply to mcdonalds is learning from… by MATA HAIRY

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