of workers, the fast-food forkers, are saying "nuff's enuff".
They cannot afford to live, eat and sleep in warmth.
This system of minimum wage hell has gone too far
and it can most keenly be felt, in the US, in New York
because it's so damn expensive to live.
So, workers at downtown McDick's have to come from
the poor suburbs at some expense in time and money,
to serve the numb public who is not aware of their
suffering. Well, they took the risk of losing their shitty
jobs and went on strike.
They're making 7.25 and they're demanding $15/hour.
That's about right.
Remember, the minimum wage of 1963 equates to
around $20 today. Bosses have just played the markets
to f^*(ck workers out of any and all growth.
checkit: Jsonline
Fast-food
workers deserve a fair wage
By
Stephanie Sanders
May
20, 2013 | (72) Comments
A
lot of people have been asking me why I went on strike Wednesday. I have a simple
answer: because I'm not a teen anymore.
I
work at McDonald's, and I hear a lot of people talk about how fast-food jobs
are for teenagers. Well, I'm not a teenager. I'm 33 years old. And I work with
a lot of people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are working to pay their rent and
put food on the table.
I
worked fast-food as a teen to make a few extra bucks for clothes and a
cellphone. My job didn't pay me enough to support myself, but I didn't need to
support myself. I thought I'd go on to get a "grown-up" job, one that
would pay all my bills and not have to choose between food and keeping the
lights on.
I
did get that "grown-up" job, selling skin products at a brand-name
skin care store. I got to use my people skills — working with customers to
figure out which products were best for their skin. The more I listened to and
connected with customers, the more I sold. I was good at my job. I ended up
being a top salesperson.
I
made $16.50 an hour plus some
commission. I felt good knowing that I was helping the company be profitable
and helping myself. I made enough in
base salary to be able to afford a roof over my head, food on the table and
decent clothes. And if I worked really hard and made a lot of sales, I got
more money, too.
I
had that job for 61/2 years. Then the economy crashed, and people didn't have
money to spend on face lotions anymore. At first, I thought I'd get another
decent-paying job in a month or two. I had good sales experience and great
references.
I
couldn't find another decent sales job, no matter how hard I tried. So I
finally did something I never thought I'd do. I got another fast-food job.
I
make $7.25 an hour, less than half of what I made in my last job. That's OK if
you're 16 and you want to buy a phone or sneakers, but it's not OK if you're
supporting yourself. Even though I serve food at my job, I can't afford to buy enough food. I have to rely on food stamps.
I'd go hungry without them.
When
I went on strike last week, I was in a crowd of other workers who are
struggling just like me. Most of us are older and have rent and bills to pay.
Some of us have kids. All of us have to make hard choices between food and
medicine, lights and rent. We all worry about going hungry or ending up
homeless.
We
don't make enough money to take care of ourselves or to help our neighborhoods.
If we had a few extra dollars in our pockets, we'd spend it and help create
jobs and help get the economy going again.
It
gets to me. I was a pretty happy person when I worked at the skin care store,
but now I have panic attacks. I went on strike last week because I can't stand
the stress of trying to live on minimum wage. Worrying about the future is the
hardest part, because at $7.25, I don't have a future.
Stephanie
Sanders is a McDonald's worker and a member of the Milwaukee Workers Organizing
Committee, fast-food workers who have joined together to seek fair pay and the
right to form a union.
