Fast food joint pays workers $12 an hour, and lives to tell the tale

[Heywood J]

21. Here's something that can be posted as necessary:

http://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/national-minimum-wage/Pages/default.aspx

The national minimum wage is the minimum wage that applies to employees who aren’t covered by an award or agreement. It covers the whole national workplace relations system.

Most employees in the national workplace relations system are covered by an award. See Finding the Right Pay for tools and information to help you find minimum wages under awards.
National minimum wage for adults

Currently the full-time minimum wage is $16.37 per hour or $622.20 per week. This means that most employees in the national system shouldn't get less than this.

Casuals covered by the national minimum wage get an extra 24% ($20.30 per hour).

As of today, 16.37 AUD = 14.98 USD.



If you feel like it, you can actually go through the pay system online: http://paycheck.fwo.gov.au/PayCheckPlus.aspx
For kicks, I told the thing that I was part-time counter staff at (one of a list of common fast-food chains) in Perth - chosen because it's a reasonably large city that's not the largest city. To make things easier, I chose no allowances (e.g. clothing, cold work, etc) and no penalties (working from 9pm to midnight, weekends, holidays, etc), working the most plain-vanilla hours possible (8-4:30 with a 1/2 hour unpaid lunch), and who has been on the job for less than 15 weeks.

Your shift rate summary

Based on the information you’ve provided us, here’s a summary of your shift rates.
Expand Your modern award is the Fast Food Industry Award 2010 (MA000003)
Expand icon Your modern award classification is Fast food employee, Level 1

You’ve requested rates for 14 August 2013. These rates were payable from the first full pay period on or after 30 June 2013.
Rates (inclusive of allowances where applicable)
Shift date Shift times Meal break Hours worked Rate per shift
Wednesday, 14 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.46
Thursday, 15 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.46
Friday, 16 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.46
Monday, 19 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.46
Tuesday, 20 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.46
Total 40.00 $717.29

That's $17.93/hour = $16.41 USD/hour.

Just in case Perth is some kind of oddity, I changed it to Canberra, everything else the same.

Your shift rate summary

Based on the information you’ve provided us, here’s a summary of your shift rates.
Expand Your modern award is the Fast Food Industry Award 2010 (MA000003)
Expand icon Your modern award classification is Fast food employee, Level 1

You’ve requested rates for 14 August 2013. These rates were payable from the first full pay period on or after 30 June 2013.
Rates (inclusive of allowances where applicable)
Shift date Shift times Meal break Hours worked Rate per shift
Wednesday, 14 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.87
Thursday, 15 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.87
Friday, 16 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.87
Monday, 19 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.87
Tuesday, 20 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $143.87
Total 40.00 $719.37

That's $17.98/hour = $16.45 USD/hour.

In Queensland:

Your shift rate summary

Based on the information you’ve provided us, here’s a summary of your shift rates.
Expand Your modern award is the Fast Food Industry Award 2010 (MA000003)
Expand icon Your modern award classification is Fast food employee, Level 1

You’ve requested rates for 14 August 2013. These rates were payable from the first full pay period on or after 30 June 2013.
Rates (inclusive of allowances where applicable)
Shift date Shift times Meal break Hours worked Rate per shift
Wednesday, 14 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $141.51
Thursday, 15 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $141.51
Friday, 16 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $141.51
Monday, 19 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $141.51
Tuesday, 20 August 2013 08:00 - 16:30 12:00 - 12:30 8.00 $141.51
Total 40.00 $707.53

That's $17.69/hour = $16.19 USD/hour.