You Get What You Pay For

[tazkcmo]

I've been reading some of the fast food worker strike threads and am pretty disgusted with a few folks attitudes and am really surprised at the use of "burger flippers" or "pickle slappers" as if there are any people that are payed to stand in one spot and flip burgers. They don't have to clean the grill, stock the station, judge when the burger is finished, maintain a clean and sanitary work station, etc etc. Nope. Just flip burgers. It's easy. Not like it's hot and noisy anyway. And hey, it's ok if our little piece of crap burger flipper works 8 or more hours in a shift with no break. Never sitting down till they get done walking home from work because he can't buy a car because he's just a burger flipper. Screw him. And the french fry girl, too. I never did like her anyway. She's just a "tot tosser" anyway.

Well, just remember this. You get what you pay for and right now, those "burger flippers" and "pickle slappers" and lowly little "tot tossers' are feeding your kids. Not how much will you pay? Oh never mind. Your kids aren't worth it either. Bon apetite.

[BootinUp]

1. Its too easy for us humans

to feel superior to some other group of folks.

[tazkcmo]

2. You're Right

Too easy and makes them forget that sometimes cheap is bad like with sushi.

[spin]

3. In 1968 the minimum wage was $1.60. Adjusted for inflation that would be ...

$10.56 today. http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/facts/entry/amount-with-inflation/

In 1968 it was quite possible for a person with a high school education to get a good paying job in a factory. If he worked hard he could rise to a position in mid level management and his company valued his experience gained while working on the factory floor. He could attend college level courses at night and gain a degree for a reasonable cost and often was helped financially in this endeavor by his company.

Unions were far stronger in those days and even those who did not belong to a union benefited as nonunion companies were forced to pay higher wages in order to keep their good employees. Nonunion workers were also usually treated far better than most employees today as the companies feared that if they treated their employees as slaves they would rebel and form a union.

In those days our nation was at its peak. Companies run by experienced people who treated their employees as a valuable asset profited and the workers had the disposable funds to buy the products they manufactured and expensive items from other companies. Although there was tremendous friction between the management and the unions in those companies that were unionized, both factions were interested in the companies success. Since companies treated their workers fairly, employees were often very loyal to their company.

During those days we had a strong middle class and all benefited because of it.

But times change. It could be argued that unions became too powerful and corruption crept in. Foreign nations began to import goods and items that were far cheaper than companies in the U.S. could produce. At first these cheaper foreign made items lacked quality but after a couple of decades that changed. Companies in our nation discovered they could outsource production to foreign nations and we sadly largely lost our industrial base.

Today companies are once again riding high in the saddle. They have little to fear from organized unions and highly qualified workers are a dime a dozen because of our nation's economic decline. Workers can once again be treated as slaves and paid little as the companies know they can't find jobs elsewhere. The middle class in our nation is now threatened with extinction while the large corporations make tremendous profits and the upper level management live like kings and queens.

Large corporations have the money to buy the votes of those we elect to represent us. The cost to get elected in our nation is so high that politicians have to spend much of their time soliciting donations from the rich rather than passing well thought out legislation. Consequently the rich gain protection and the rest of us suffer.

But I refuse to believe that all is hopeless. I see the beginnings of an effort by workers to organize and i find great hope in the future. History is like a pendulum. It swings in one direction for a while but peaks and begins to move in the other direction. It may take decades but eventually I feel unions will once again become a major factor in the labor equation. Once again we will have a strong middle class and once again all will benefit.

[Art_from_Ark]

4. In 1968, about the only people who were working in fast food places

were high school and college kids, and an occasional housewife. I knew a high school girl who was working at Dog-N-Suds back then to earn money for a car and college (both were quite cheap then-- around $200/semester for tuition at the local state university, $200 for a 1950s model car). They were mostly transition-type jobs-- jobs that people did to get themselves some workplace experience and a bit of money until they could find something better (which was fairly easy to do with a college degree, or even high school degree for kids with, for example, machine shop experience). That seems to have gone mostly by the wayside today, though.

[spin]

5. My daughter's first job was at a McDonald's. She was in high school at the time. (n/t)

[Lee-Lee]

6. That still seems to hold true here

I rarely see anyone over 20-22 working fast food, other than retirees doing it for more income.

My first job was McDonalds as well, be even then we made about .25-50 over minimum wage to start.

[tazkcmo]

7. It may depend on the local economy

but I have worked in fast food places that were almost entirely 30-50 year olds. I currently work in a diner that employs one person under the age of 30.

In 1980 I worked my first real construction job; hanging sheetrock at $4.00/hr. 6 months and 3 lay offs later I was working at Sambo's (remember those?) at $7.00/hr. washing dishes and learning to cook. My next job was at Wendy's at 3.35 an hour but within the year I was up to 4.50 an hour again. As a manager, my "salary" @ Wendy's was based on 52 hours at 5.12/hr each week. Now, over 30 years later, I work in the diner I mentioned above, get this, at 8.50 an hour doing almost everything. Yay.

[bobGandolf]

28. Now expected to provide for family.

Your point is well taken about the type of worker back then. Now, many adults with families, are working there, and trying to survive on these wages.

[NM_Birder]

8. "pickle slappers"....

Never heard that one but I'm sorry ....it's funny, I'm kinda surprised nobody has called it "sexist". I don't see any more psychological damage being done today that 25 some odd years ago when I flipped burgers at Wendy's.

I am not aware of any work environment where an 8 hour shift has no break, I think you are exaggerating to make your point.

people have always gotten what they paid for at a fast food "restaurant", a convenient bag of greasy crap.

[tazkcmo]

10. Nope. It's a fact

I haven't had a sit down, eat something and rest for 30 minutes since 1985 (in food service). My last job at Bucca di Beppo, I worked 8 to 10 hours, 4 days a week, no break, no food. Same thing the job before that but 5 days a week. In the 5 day a week job, if you DID make a sammich or something, the Chef would come over, check my prep list and then his watch. I got the hint. I've even had my food thrown away because it's against Health Department rules to eat at your station.

[Arcanetrance]

21. Sadly no one whos never worked in the food service industry can picture the 6 day 12 to 16 hourshift

and your lucky to eat anything.

[tazkcmo]

22. And when you DO eat

it's on the go, standing up and usually a "mistake" from the line cooks. Or you could be stuck in a place where your co-workers are so bad at their job you don't dare eat anything in the place.

[Arcanetrance]

24. Yep regardless your eating on the move and its whatevers around when the restaurant closes

Because your to exhausted to go home and cook for yourself. Thankfully when i was cooking in NYC when the restaurant closed there were still a ton of options to eat. But now I moved to Houston and its still not to bad. But I'm also making $16 an hour so I can afford a bit extra but I look back and remember slinging pizzas in my early days making minimum wage and know there's people doing that trying to live its ridiculous

[tazkcmo]

25. There are some bright spots

in the industry now. Since the advent of the Cooking Channel and an increase in people becoming more aware of what GOOD food is, I've seen a maturing effect that has resulted in a more professional labor force but this is mostly in your better establishments. 12 to 15 dollars an hour is quite common in today's full service places (not so much the AppleButts that are fast food you wait too long for. But LOTS of work to do and we must not crap on the ones just starting out. Those fast food places are the first stepping stones in many a pro food worker's career.

[Arcanetrance]

26. Yeah but it's also created alot of delusional culinary students who think they're gonna graduate run

their own kitchen get famous and be on tv

[tazkcmo]

27. lol Yep

I laugh because I've met MANY of them and some were just AWFUL cooks. Also, I've always wanted to get on one of the Hell's Kitchen competitions just to screw with Ramsey and see if I could make him have a stroke or heart attack. If I did win I'd sell my prize. I'd rather own a virus than a restaurant.

[tazkcmo]

11. And there's that Mother's Day

That ALL of our staff worked double shifts with no breaks. That's right. 11 am to 11 pm. Mi Abuelo's in KCMO. The manager brought in pizza for us. After you dropped your dirty dishes you could grab a slice, take a bite, grab the hot food ready to run, spit out the pizza cuz you can't have a mouth full of food while delivering to a table, drop the food, check your own tables, rinse and repeat. Ditto for Easter and Father's Day. Ask any food service worker and they will tell you similar stories.

[tazkcmo]

12. I've got more.

Wanna hear them?

The "pickle slapper" is what one of my brothers used to refer to me as after I got promoted into management. Made him feel better about himself by demeaning my hard work and success in getting the promotion. Nothing like family, huh?

[Arcanetrance]

9. Now days no one is just a burger flipper

The people that work at those places get trained to do everything and sometimes have to when there's not enough staff on top of cleaning and sanitizing

[tazkcmo]

13. You're right.

The thing that ALL food service workers must do is follow some pretty strict safe food handling procedures and sanitation practices. There's a class in KC that we have to take and pay about 35 bucks for. We don't get paid for it and just takes 3 to 5 hours of labor to pay for it. Now I've got no problem obtaining certifications and such for my career but asking a "low skilled pickle slapper" to pay for their own certification is an oxymoron. That's something all you high skilled valuable people do.

[Arcanetrance]

14. Believe me I know all about certifications I had to pay to get ServSafe certified plus in NYC when

I was living there I had to get a NYC food handlers license all had to be paid for out of my own pocket

[tazkcmo]

15. And like I said

I wouldn't have a problem with this if we were compensated with a raise or a decent starting wage in this case since it's a requirement from the get go. Now it's nothing more than a tax on the employee (much like a bar card). That training used to be taught in-house by the employer. Just another cost shifted from owner to worker.

[Arcanetrance]

16. Yep its ridiculous I was lucky enough to have my servsafe certification reimbursed by the employer I

had at the time. But usually the only way to get your certifications is either on your own or if you have the desire to go to culinary school alot of them do it. But if you live in a place like NYC my culinary school offered the servsafe certification but didn't offer the NYC food handlers license which was necessary for me to get a job in NYC.

[tazkcmo]

17. How much is it in NYC?

The food handlers "license" I mean. That's what I was talking about. The other one SHOULD result in a raise of some kind upon completion like a mechanic after becoming Toyota or Ford Certified.

[Arcanetrance]

18. When I did it the course study material is free online than I paid 35 for the test

But when I did the servsafe I had to get the book pay for test and the test administer it was like $200

[tazkcmo]

19. That's the same here.

I thought it would be more there.

[Arcanetrance]

20. I was worried about expense when I took it as well thankfully they don't charge that much

but alot of fast food places require the servsafe certification to move up into managerial positions.

[tazkcmo]

23. I'm cool with that

Get a new certification and it qualifies you for advancement and more money and stuff. That's fair from where I stand.