Quote (CyrusTheGreat @ Jun 6 2021 02:43pm)
I am all for employees being paid according to what they deliver. We all should be. When you do a job worth a specific salary, you should be paid appropriately.
Question, though, what does someone who chose to make fast food kitchen work a life-long career actually bring to the table that's worth $15 an hour (not talking temp means to an end, young kids doing it until they find what they really want to do with their life, or anything like that)? If you chose that as a life-long career without striving for anything better, I doubt your employer will see you as someone worth investing in as well and that's why you'll get the bare minimum for a job that requires minimal skill (and to be fair - I speak from experience, I did that job for 2 years in high school and 15+ years ago when the tech that now automates most of it didn't exist).
You'd be surprised how many of those with ambition reach store GM (and even higher corporate positions / hired by franchisee companies who own hundreds of locations as a regional manager, etc). There are education opportunities (including free GED classes in case you didn't finish high school yet and even a minimum of an associates degree for free on top of that - McDonalds for one offers both). I know this because I graduated from the same school they partner with (SNHU) and could clearly see who else partnered along with my employer.\
McDonald's is just an anecdotal example from things I have witnessed in real life, but, you get the point. I'd be willing to bet the rest offer the same (or similar as well).
From a third-party, completely un-invested perspective, sounds more like those who fit the above criteria that want a blanket minimum wage increase without question simply don't want to use the tools that are already available to them -- they want the easy route instead.
Again, just my 2 cents - for what it's worth anyway.
If we had a perfect meritocracy and education was easily available I'd agree, but if you want to get certified on even a trade it costs at minimum thousands of dollars. As for going up to be manager and whatever, there simply aren't enough positions available for that to be a thing. Best you're going to get is an assistant manager of a regional store, which doesn't pay that much still. Nobody wakes up and says "I want to be a line chef the rest of my life". That isn't a thing. People who stay there either have circumstance working against them or don't see leaving as a realistic possibility. For instance, most kids where I came from (rural Missouri, white as can be) didn't go to college or even a reasonable trade. They didn't because their parents said taking loans is suicide to your future. They didn't see a realistic way to go because of that. They were wrong, but if they had been educated on financial literacy and education and how to get ahead they would have likely gone to college.
IMO we need to have healthcare and higher education freely available. Those two things are the absolute minimum to having a true meritocracy where talent and hard work rise. I see minimum wage as a band-aid that is far easier to pass than those things.
This post was edited by Thor123422 on Jun 6 2021 06:01pm