Are you all ready to start paying about $15 for a Big Mac?

[JLM]

non existent? what would that mean, how would a person who is 'desperate' for work just to buy a loaf
of bread and some milk, and try to pay rent, manage to convincre the employer to pay him/her enough
to do that, many employers would be thoughtless and couldn't care less about anyone but themselves,
so the worker needs 'something' to lean on so that 'life' attempts to be fair.

I know unions are hated in this day and age, but for the reason I just gave, they were necessary for
a worker to get a fair shake, or the owners/employers would still be paying slave wages and working
their employers 12 to 14 hours a day with no benefits and also could fire the employee for 'nothing',
to give the job to a relative or friend, on a wim, and the worker would have had nothing to
protect him/her from that fate.

and yes, answering a phone is only part of that particular job, and has nothing to do with busting,
well, anything.

Any employer worth his salt will make sure a position contains a variety of duties, including answering
the phone, if that is the nature of the job, I did reception work a few times, and had many other
responsibilites as well, 'busted a finger nail now and then', lol.

Hang on Talloola you are getting carried away on me. There are employers as you describe (for various reasons)
Smart employers aren't like that. If you are running a company and an employee can dump an extra couple of bucks an hour in your pocket, are you going encourage him or discourage him? If you discourage him he is going to work elsewhere, so you pay him a couple of bucks above the minimum. I'm not against paying good wages what I am against is the government handcuffing the employer by necessitating him to pay a minimum wage before he's even had a chance to find out what the guy is worth. I know when I was in the workforce, there was no problem supporting a family on a single pay cheque- but in those days "supporting" meant paying for groceries, shelter, transportation, hydro, phone and a beer on a Saturday night- not I pods, blackberries, 55" T.V.s, R.V.s, trips to Mexico etc. etc. etc. When I started working I was taking home a little over $300 a month, by the time I retired I was taking home close to $4000 month, but we were poorer with the $4000 than we were with the $300- the only improvement being over the years I had improved my credit rating, so in later years I could aways get my hands on money albeit temporarily. While we are on the subject of McDonalds, I personally don't really know what they pay..............just assume it's minimum wage for most of the duration. Does anyone know if Mc's has an incentive program for employees? Do the employees get discounts on meals? I'd like to know ALL the facts about them.

Quote: Originally Posted by Retired_Can_Soldier

No they are not. McDonalds use the same beef paddies that all the other burger places use. I don't like Big Macs

but it has nothing to do with the beef they use. I prefer a burger that is cooked after you order it.


​

Cooking AFTER it's ordered is NOT conducive to the fast food industry. Can you imagine someone parked at the drive through window for 15 minutes waiting for the H.B. to cook? You are trading off speed for taste, people generally get 1/2 an hour for lunch, so they don't have the luxury of waiting 20 minutes while they sip a "cool one".

 

[Omicron]

While we are on the subject of McDonalds, I personally don't really know what they pay..............just assume it's minimum wage for most of the duration.

Yes, minimum wage always. In some jurisdictions they've been able to lobby for a special below-minimum wage for people of high-school age.

Does anyone know if Mc's has an incentive program for employees?

Not a very good one.

The person doing most of the grunt work of management is the assistant manager, and in the operating manual given to franchise owners, it states that an assistant manager will be useful for about two years, at which point they will always ask for a raise.

At that point the manual says to fire the assistant manager, and hire a new one.

Do the employees get discounts on meals?

Don't know, but I did a summer as a cook at a Dairy Queen, and we were allowed to eat "mistakes"... just not our own.

Guys worked the grill, and girls did the ice-cream, so we'd ask each other to "make a mistake".

Because we were standing over a grill all day smelling burger fat, a sweet, cold banana split hit the spot, whereas the girls were smelling sweet ice-cream and sticky syrups all day, so what they wanted was something savory like fries and a steak sandwich.

The owner was a tough-as-brass-tacks kind'a operator, but I'm pretty sure he knew we were doing that. My guess is he was writing it off as a perk, given how the wages were as low as the government would allow.

Cooking AFTER it's ordered is NOT conducive to the fast food industry. Can you imagine someone parked at the drive through window for 15 minutes waiting for the H.B. to cook? You are trading off speed for taste, people generally get 1/2 an hour for lunch, so they don't have the luxury of waiting 20 minutes while they sip a "cool one".

Yeah, but for something fast like that, as has been noted by others, what the heck's wrong with Subway?

They're in the same price range, it's about as fast, the food is fresher, more filling, and more nutritious and more customizable to personal taste.

I can *not* figure out why people go for MacD's if there's a Subway close by, but maybe that's the issue, because... is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that Subways seem to be in out-of-the-way locations, whereas MacD's are always right there in front of your face?

 

[TenPenny]

I can *not* figure out why people go for MacD's if there's a subway close by, but I think there might be something to that, because... is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that Subways tend to be in odd locations, whereas MacD's are always right there in front of your face?

People have different tastes, that's why.

Subway is one of the cheapest fast-food franchise to buy, and also the one with the least territory protection.

 

[JLM]

People have different tastes, that's why.

Subway is one of the cheapest fast-food franchise to buy, and also the one with the least territory protection.

I favour Subway over most of the other fast food joints.

 

[Tonington]

It's an imaginary world when someone thinks the labour market wont respond to the cost of labour...there's evidence for and against raising minimum wage and it's effect on employment, it appears to be related to what the minimum wage is in relation the average hourly wage. When the minimum wage is low, less than 40% of the average wage, then increases to the minimum wage do not have significant short term impacts on employment. When minimum wage increases to 45% of the average wage, then there are significant reductions in employment.

When you look at the options for fast food, there's not a great suite of choices. Companies can't offshore the work, and it's not feasible to replace the cashier with a robot. They can reduce costs by opening with 7 workers instead of 8. For McDonald's in particular, they have the highest franchising costs in the business, I seem to remember a figure of about 20% of the gross monthly sales go back to the corporation. I'm not sure how the prices in store work. As a franchisee, the store owner isn't free to raise prices just because his bottom line has moved higher.

Anyways, if poverty reduction is the name of the game, increasing minimum wage is probably one of the worst options available. The best is to just give them money. The evidence from other countries is that this improves educational achievements and health to name a couple of benefits.

It's politically untenable though, as it will invariably be described as a handout. So, despite the demonstrable effect on poverty reduction, and improving equality, politicians instead increase minimum wage, which perversely can have the opposite effect, and it's more popular to boot.

 

[karrie]

You really think Gov't should be dictating how business is run??????????????

Yeah, I do to a certain degree. Labour laws, minimum wages, workplace standards. They've done our country well. I've seen guys go to work in countries that DON'T have the labour standards we do, and those hardcore conservatives tend to come home with a pretty hefty appreciation of our government's interference. It speaks loudly.

 

[JLM]

Yeah, I do to a certain degree. Labour laws, minimum wages, workplace standards. They've done our country well. I've seen guys go to work in countries that DON'T have the labour standards we do, and those hardcore conservatives tend to come home with a pretty hefty appreciation of our government's interference. It speaks loudly.

I guess our philosophies are a little different in this regard, Karrie, although I do agree with you in one aspect and that would be where child labour is being taken advantage of. Otherwise I think Gov't and Business should be separate (I wouldn't expect business to start enacting legislation). I think if you are going to have wage controls you have to have price controls and then we are into a real mess. I've watched this charade for 50 years.........increased wages, increased prices and the only difference I've seen is where we used to take $10 to the store to go grocery shopping, we now have to take a couple of hundred? I'm not sure how anyone thinks that is working.

 

[#juan]

If you go to any decent deli you can get a fresh bread roll piled with more Black Forest Ham and Bavarian Meat Loaf, etc. than you can eat for a lot less than $6.90 which is the current cost of a Big Mac and it is probably healthier.

 

[JLM]

If you go to any decent deli you can get a fresh bread roll piled with more Black Forest Ham and Bavarian Meat Loaf, etc. than you can eat for a lot less than $6.90 which is the current cost of a Big Mac and it is probably healthier.

You're right about that, #Juan, actually I don't understand the mentality of many restaurants. I've always said if I was in the business and knowing how time is of the essense at lunch time soup would be on the table 30 seconds after the customer sat down at which time the sandwich preparation would begin.

 

[talloola]

Hang on Talloola you are getting carried away on me. There are employers as you describe (for various reasons)
Smart employers aren't like that. If you are running a company and an employee can dump an extra couple of bucks an hour in your pocket, are you going encourage him or discourage him? If you discourage him he is going to work elsewhere, so you pay him a couple of bucks above the minimum. I'm not against paying good wages what I am against is the government handcuffing the employer by necessitating him to pay a minimum wage before he's even had a chance to find out what the guy is worth. I know when I was in the workforce, there was no problem supporting a family on a single pay cheque- but in those days "supporting" meant paying for groceries, shelter, transportation, hydro, phone and a beer on a Saturday night- not I pods, blackberries, 55" T.V.s, R.V.s, trips to Mexico etc. etc. etc. When I started working I was taking home a little over $300 a month, by the time I retired I was taking home close to $4000 month, but we were poorer with the $4000 than we were with the $300- the only improvement being over the years I had improved my credit rating, so in later years I could aways get my hands on money albeit temporarily. While we are on the subject of McDonalds, I personally don't really know what they pay..............just assume it's minimum wage for most of the duration. Does anyone know if Mc's has an incentive program for employees? Do the employees get discounts on meals? I'd like to know ALL the facts about them.

Can't remember, my daughter worked there while going to school, for minimum wage, thats OK, but if there
was no minimum wage law, she would not have made that much, thats for sure, it would be lower, there
must be a guage or a scale to follow.
What an employee is worth must be valued by the employer after he/she is hired, but wage must be
fair for all, and if employee can't or won't work with some pride toward his job, then evaluate, and
take steps, no unions at mc donalds, they can boot them out any time.

On minimum wage jobs, there can't be a decision as to what jobs are worth more than others, that is
subjective, all are equal to start, then decide.

My daughter was a good energetic worker, good personality, clean and prompt, so she stayed, some didn't.

 

[talloola]

I guess our philosophies are a little different in this regard, Karrie, although I do agree with you in one aspect and that would be where child labour is being taken advantage of. Otherwise I think Gov't and Business should be separate (I wouldn't expect business to start enacting legislation). I think if you are going to have wage controls you have to have price controls and then we are into a real mess. I've watched this charade for 50 years.........increased wages, increased prices and the only difference I've seen is where we used to take $10 to the store to go grocery shopping, we now have to take a couple of hundred? I'm not sure how anyone thinks that is working.

that just proves to me that as the increases happened over the years, the workers lost much ground.
Just like you said, you could make your 300 per month go further, back then.

And, who's hands would you leave the minimum/starting wage of an employee, if there was no guide to
follow, and why do you think the guide came into affect in the first place, to protect the worker so that
he/she didn't have to go to work for 'slave' wages, because the employers are 'for the most part' greedy,
want bigger profits, and don't give a flying 'fu**' about the well being of his worker, and that also
creates workers offering to work for less 'just' to get a job.

Thats nice that you don't like government mixing with private sector, and i'm sure the employers wish
it was that way too, but I like the fact that someone in the country is looking out for the person
on the street, without big education, without pull, etc, who just needs a fair shake in life.

 

[Avro]

I think you are partly right- SOME government employees- I worked for Government and there was a big difference between different Ministries or even different branches of a Ministry. The outside crews away from H.Q. were generally better than the paper shufflers at H.Q. Most Highways and Forestry workers earned their keep.

A government employee against a minimum wage....too funny.

 

[Cannuck]

I guess JLM wants to go back to the day where miners were dropping like flies due to the complete lack of work standards and firefighters can inhale as much toxic smoke as they can handle because nobody forces municipalities to supply appropriate breathing apparatus. Why is it always the ones that are past their working career that don't give a **** about working standards?

 

[JLM]

I guess JLM wants to go back to the day where miners were dropping like flies due to the complete lack of work standards and firefighters can inhale as much toxic smoke as they can handle because nobody forces municipalities to supply appropriate breathing apparatus. Why is it always the ones that are past their working career that don't give a **** about working standards?

Slightly off topic are we?:lol: Ooooooops I keep forgetting, the only acceptable opinion is the one that coincides with yours, I'm really going to have to get this Alzheimers checked. :lol:

A government employee against a minimum wage....too funny.

Who said I was against a minimum wage? You don't read too good as usual. :roll:

 

[Avro]

Who said I was against a minimum wage? You don't read too good as usual. :roll:

You are....if not tell us all what it should be.

Then tell us why what you earned is based on the market.

Struggle to answer now.

 

[eh1eh]

I can't see the burgers going up, McDonalds will just find another way to cheapen the quality of their meat and further kill people who can't get enough of their crap!

They could get their meat from Taco Bell. ;]

OP is hysterical. You guys already have retarded real estate prices and people keep coming to BC. Go figure, the sky hasn't fallen yet.

 

[captain morgan]

OP is hysterical. You guys already have retarded real estate prices and people keep coming to BC. Go figure, the sky hasn't fallen yet.

This is gotta be one of the biggest problems. You have these big groups of people migrate en masse to cities where the cots of living is already through the roof, all in the hopes of striking it rich or a change of the scenery.

 

[JLM]

You are....if not tell us all what it should be.

Then tell us why what you earned is based on the market.

Struggle to answer now.

I don't see why it is such a difficult concept to understand. Every time minimum wage has increased so far, prices have gone up. So if your wage goes up 10% and your rent goes up 10% what is the point to it? Second I don't think market concerns should be dictated by politicians.

 

[captain morgan]

I don't see why it is such a difficult concept to understand. Every time minimum wage has increased so far, prices have gone up. So if your wage goes up 10% and your rent goes up 10% what is the point to it? Second I don't think market concerns should be dictated by politicians.

... And with all those increases, the BC gvt will make more $$ on PST on all the purchases... The gvt ain't doing this solely on the basis of being wonderful human beings bent on raising the standards for those on minimum wages.

 

[talloola]

I don't see why it is such a difficult concept to understand. Every time minimum wage has increased so far, prices have gone up. So if your wage goes up 10% and your rent goes up 10% what is the point to it? Second I don't think market concerns should be dictated by politicians.

prices go up anyway JLM always have and always will, wonder what should be done to slow that down,
oh yeah, don't give minimum wage increase, that will solve everything, the time inbetween a raise in the
minimum wage is eons, and the prices have gone up big time for all of that time, did they have to
raise prices for all of those years because they gave the 'last' minimum wage increase, I don't think
so, all of those corporate talking heads would laugh and snicker behind our backs, if they thought
the general public believed that, it would show that we really don't have a clue how 'fat' their
bank acounts are, and how many houses they have, and how many vacations they take, or how many
big gambling trips they take, or how big their yachts are, and how many cars they have, and the
diamonds their wives wear, etc etc.