McDonald's to raise pay for 90,000 workers

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by NancyBlueINOklahoma (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: The Guardian

McDonald’s will raise pay for 90,000 of its US employees starting on 1 July, according to the Wall Street Journal. Only employees working directly for McDonald’s will qualify for the increase.

McDonald’s says it will pay at least $1 per hour more than the local minimum wage where a company-owned restaurant is located, bringing the average hourly rate for its US employees to $9.90. The company expects the average to reach more than $10 by the end of 2016, as minimum wages increase across the US.

Employees who have been with McDonald’s more than a year will also begin to accrue up to five days of paid time off each year.

“Because we joined together and stood up, McDonald’s was forced to raise pay. Still, this is too little to make a real difference, and covers only a fraction of workers. It’s a weak move for a company that made $5.6bn in profits last year,” said Kwanza Brooks, a McDonald’s worker from Charlotte, North Carolina, in a statement. Kwanzaa makes $7.25 an hour. “We’re going to keep fighting until we win $15 and union rights for all fast-food workers and our families.”

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/apr/01/mcdonalds-raise-pay-90000-workers

[Fearless]

1. Oh aren't they just sooooo thoughful...

[Major Nikon]

2. Fear of unionization is getting rampant

[Kelvin Mace]

3. If my math is right

they could increase their prices 2% and give their employees $5 an hour more.

[tazkcmo]

4. They could do it now.

5.6 Billion in profits. No price increase needed. McDonald's sucks. Still.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. Well, it would be a bigger chunk of their profits percentage wise

about 10%, versus 2% of sales. I would happily pay two more cents for an iced-tea to see the hourlies annual pay increase about 50%. It is easier than listening to them whine about the 10% profit loss.

[ND-Dem]

5. All the low-wage outfits are raising wages. I wonder why? Course, if federal minimum had kept

up with inflation, it would be a bit over $10/hour now.

[YOHABLO]

7. In Denmark a Big Mac is 80 cents and workers receive $20 bucks an hour. Hmmm.

[MADem]

12. 80 cents? 80 American cents? What's in it? Road kill? You're mistaken, I fear.

According to this statistical grouping, you pay over five bucks for a Big Mac in Denmark.

http://www.statista.com/statistics/274326/big-mac-index-global-prices-for-a-big-mac/

[Cheese Sandwich]

8. Credit for this goes to workers who took great personal risk to

...great personal risk to speak out and demand more money and respect at work. This is still a poverty wage. Pay up McDonalds.

[AllyCat]

10. Right on. Welcome to DU!

[joshcryer]

9. Probably did the math and robotic upgrades are a bit more expensive.

So do the payrise now and not have to worry about putting in the robots.

Eventually they aren't going to want or need employees. It's just not quite there yet.

[MADem]

13. There will come a time when there's "value added" in having humans around.

The pendulum swings, as it always does.

They'll always need employees--they might need fewer, eventually, but they'll always need them.

[progressoid]

11. woohoo!

That should bring the workers out of poverty.

[OKNancy]

14. Locking as a duplicate topic

previous thread here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141055947