McDonald's Pays $15 an Hour? - Where you ask?

[liberal N proud]

The Magical World Where McDonald's Pays $15 an Hour? It's Australia

Last week, fast-food workers around the United States yet again walked off the job to protest their low pay and demand a wage hike to $15 an hour, about double what many of them earn today. In doing so, they added another symbolic chapter to an eight-month-old campaign of one-day strikes that, so far, has yielded lots of news coverage, but not much in terms of tangible results.

So there's a certain irony that in Australia, where the minimum wage for full-time adult workers already comes out to about $14.50 an hour, McDonald's staffers were busy scoring an actual raise. On July 24, the country's Fair Work Commission approved a new labor agreement between the company and its employees guaranteeing them up to a up to a 15 percent pay increase by 2017.

And here's the kicker: Many Australian McDonald's workers were already making more than the minimum to begin with.

The land down under is, of course, not the only high-wage country in the world where McDonald's does lucrative business. The company actually earns more revenue out of Europe than than it does from the United States. France, with its roughly $12.00 hourly minimum, has more than 1,200 locations. (Australia has about 900).

Find out how here: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/08/the-magical-world-where-mcdonalds-pays-15-an-hour-its-australia/278313/

[madville]

1. One reason immigration reform is so popular

With businesses and some Republicans, it will legalize a whole new segment of minimum wage workers to keep wages low.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. I'd rather pay more for my Maccas and have people paid a bit more...

Which from the sounds of the article is what I'm doing anyway. My daughter's first job was at Maccas and even though she thought she got paid lots, she was on a youth wage and was earning around $12 an hour.

That minimum wage of $14.50 per hour for adult workers isn't enough to survive on here, but at least there's some sort of government assistance for low income earners, which I'm assuming doesn't happen in the US...

[liberal N proud]

6. There is welfare and food stamps if you can qualify

But those programs are not sufficient.

I recall studies done in the past that indicated that prices would not necessarily increase because minimum wages increased. The inverse is actually happening, prices are going up without the wages going up.

[MADem]

3. That comes out to about thirteen bucks an hour USD, but it's still a bigger payday. nt

[SummerSnow]

4. If fast food places started paying employess $15 an hour you would only work part time

[liberal N proud]

5. What is the logic behind that?

The companies are only going to pay an individual so much? If the work full time or part time?

Why can't they pay the employees a living wage and work the same number of hours as they would at the poverty wage?

[branford]

7. Some important points.

Three notable points concerning the $15 Australian McD wage:

1. Many McD's employees will still earn less than $15. Teenagers, a very large portion of both the Australian and American McD workforce, will still earn around AUS$8, around the same amount they earn in the US.

2. Australian dollars are worth less the US dollars. The equivalent american pay would be around $13 to 13.50 per hour. Definitely better, but not nearly as significant.

3. The article acknowledges that Australians pay more for McD products. Americans might not be willing to incur the additional cost, Exhibit A - Walmart. Similarly, the article mentions how McD profitability is also already lower in the US than in Europe and Australia.

The quest to improve the wages and conditions for entry level employees is noble and worthwhile. However, facts and context are necessary for honest debate.

[liberal N proud]

10. The average wage at McDonalds in the US is $8.25

Even assistant manager don't make the $13/hr so it is a significant difference. The teen wage in austraila is equivalent to a long time adult worker in the US.



http://www.glassdoor.com/Hourly-Pay/McDonald-s-Hourly-Pay-E432.htm

[branford]

11. I do not disagree and also seek a more egalitarian pay structure at McD's and other entry level jobs

I just also acknowledge that the differences with the US are not as striking as they first appear and the issues involved are complicated and touch not only economic, but also cultural and political contexts.

For instance, what effect do taxes and health care policy have on hiring, wages and retention of low wage hourly employees and would a minimum wage pay increase result in turning full-time employees part-time workers?

[Bunnahabhain]

14. Don't forget

The cost of living is substantially higher in Australia than it is in all but the most expensive urban centers in the US.

[branford]

16. Good observation. n/t

[SoCalDem]

17. The problem here is that there are few real "entry-level" jobs anymore

Teenagers USED to do fast food/gas station/store-clerk/etc jobs AS TEENAGERS...part-time during school year, and almost-full-time during summer and then a year later they graduated HIGH SCHOOL and either went to college or found a REAL job that would be full time and that paid more..

There USED TO BE better jobs around the corner once you got out of high school.. The entry-level into working itself, prepared a kid to go to work after school, and once they got that real job, they usually had an on-the-job training period, and then they were pretty much set, if they wanted to stay there.

There used to be upward mobility.. even for the kids who did not go to college, but local mercantilism is all but dead (except for very large cities & random others here and there), and has been for a long time now. The kids who went to college were the ones who (for the most part) did not return to their hometowns, but spread their wings & scattered all over the place, depending on their field of study & their job opportunities all over the country (world).

Service jobs were never intended to be careers, unless you owned the franchise, restaurant, club, salon, store, motel-hotel, etc.

Entry-level is permanent for the service workers because they never get to go on to better things.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Australia must be communist

What with all those decent wages. How dare they!

[Heather MC]

9. i heard most of the workforce is made up of unpaid kangaroos

Only a few people receive the wage increases
that's how they do it!

[branford]

15. Wrong. Kangaroos and koalas are the pampered 1%. Wallabys of the world unite! :)

I also believe that you are correct and the numbers in Australia are not as rosy as they first appear. Nevertheless, any improvements should be applauded and encouraged.

[Safetykitten]

12. Communism. That explains it. If not, socialism. If not, they hate Jesus.

[whttevrr]

13. Teenage vs. Adult...

It's an interesting solution to have a different minimum wage for Adults and Teens. I wonder if that would silence the people who say that these jobs are for kids. It bothers me when I hear someone say something like that. I know that when times are tough, or life happens, you get a job. Any job. My mom used to listen to me moan at length and then say: "Well, you should get a job at Burger King or McDonalds, at least you'll have something."

I would get so angry... until I realized she was right. I cannot imagine not working. Any job is better than no job. I never got a job at one of those places but I know what it is like to be grateful for a job, especially one that pays the rent.

But I also believe that any adult who works 40 hours a week should be paid a living wage. I had to work two and three jobs before. It sucks. If I had to do it again I would. What other choice do I have?

Would different minimum wages for Adult vs. Teens work here in the USA?