Fast-Food Strikes Expand Across U.S. to 50 Cities

[ChaoticTrilby]

246. Oh, for the love of all that's pure...

1. Basic Negotiation - Make a high offer you know you won't be able to get, so that they'll meet you half-way.
2. Unions can negotiate too, remarkably, and in a big way. They have for a good century or so, even if they've been under the radar for too damn long. Minimum wage exists at all because of them.
3. College costs money, or puts people in extreme debt. It also takes up time that could be used for working/finding better jobs/sleeping.
4. The military kills people. We do NOT WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT. For too long have the poor had to choose between wage slavery and dying in rich peoples' wars. No, thank you.
5. Learning skills almost always requires teachers. Teachers cost money to hire, unless they are one's parents. Not everyone has a parent with a skill.

There will always be a need for People Who Flip Burgers. That is just the truth. Say that, against all odds, every single burger-flipper did as you suggested and learned a skill that made them viable "skilled" (and I don't even want to get into the skilled/unskilled debate) employees. Say that, even more amazingly, they all found jobs working for other businesses. At that point, businesses like McDonalds would need to pay more in order to keep up with competition...and business that suddenly found themselves with a surplus of "skilled" workers would need to pay less or else find some way to otherwise cut costs. Like firing people, which would bring us full-circle as businesses like McDonalds would get their "unskilled labor" back. But of course, more likely, people just wouldn't be hired no matter what skill they have. "Skills" do not guarantee jobs, believe it or not - not in an economy like this one.

I'm starting to ramble but, to sum it up, you sound somewhat naive. There will always be a need for "unskilled" labor. And "unskilled labor" will, like everyone else, always have a need for food and survival. If backed into a corner where survival becomes far too difficult, they, like anyone else, will fight back and they will do so peacefully, as with unions (which you seem to discourage,) or violently.

For everyone's good, I would recommend supporting the peaceful method.