McDonalds: "What, my peon, you don't work two full time jobs?"

[Eddie Teach]

Because the government's mandating a higher pay than the market would provide?

[Razgovory]

How do you know this?

No answer i give you is going to satisfy you, so if you've got a point, why don't you just go ahead and get to it.

Jeez, you're a in a bad mood.

[Berkut]

I don't understand the question.

Either McDs is paying at the market rate, or above it. By definition they cannot be paying below it, since I don't think anyone has claimed that they have some ability to force anyone to work at below market rate wages.

They either pay the market rate (which you can tell if they are paying above minimum wage, which is the case here in Rochester) or they are paying above market rate, which you can tell by them paying the minimum wage, which is above market rate by definition, since if the market was setting the rate, it would be higher.

I suppose there is the possibility that min wage and market rate just so happen to be identical, but that seems rather unlikely.

[Valmy]

The issue is not work (since we are already talking about people who are working) or feeling sorry, but that people can survive on their wages.  If people go hungry they do bad things like unionize.  McDonalds doesn't feel like paying that much, so expects the public to pick up the rest.  Management who who expect the public do pick up the tab with tips are doing the same thing.

McDonalds pays the market rate, which is heavily influenced by part time teenagers who typcially don't pay rent, food, or utilities.

Would you be happier if McDonald's refused to hire anyone over 21, or anyone with dependent children?

The situation does not really have anything to do with McDonalds except maybe to laugh at them for trying to teach their employees about how to budget and look ridiculous by revealing not even they can do it with their own wages.

The problems that are creating this situation are systemic and involve the entire world economy.  It why we have such an absurd percentage of our population on federal assistance.

[Razgovory]

I didn't know it was impossible to pay someone below market rate.

[mongers]

Obviously, wage stagnation or depression is nothing to concern myself about.

Which was going to be my next point, I'm probably wrong and Berkut might be 'wrong' in the way we're viewing this issue. 

What you've stated might well be the new 'normal'.   

[Ideologue]

It's certainly nothing Berk concerns himself about.  He's got the job, house, wife, kids, cars, and knows what a 401(k) is.

[Berkut]

Who said anything about wage stagnation being nothing to worry about? That is a whopper of a strawman.

[merithyn]

Has it been mentioned yet that the average age of a fast food employee is now almost 30?

If you had to guess, what would you say is the average age of a fast food employee in the United States?

18? 20? Older? Younger?

The answer? 29.5.

That's right - the average age of a fast food employee in the United States is 29 1/2 years.

This is up dramatically from 2000, when the average fast food worker in the US was 22 years old. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

The fast food industry has been in the spotlight over the past week thanks to a recent hiring blitz by McDonald's. The fast food giant had a "National Hiring Day" earlier this week in which they were looking to fill 50,000 job openings.

There was a crush of applicants nationwide. People arrived early and stayed late just to interview for a position. Many locations through the country had hundreds of people lined up to apply for a position.

People from all different walks of life applied for positions at McDonald's. People with families. Older folks. Teenagers. The mass of people that applied for a "McJob" just illustrated how poor the US job market is right now.

--

Many people think that fast food jobs are primarily occupied by teenagers, but that's no longer the case.

Over the past decade, the average age of a fast food worker in the United States has surged higher, mainly because many older workers are not able to find work elsewhere. Fast food positions don't pay well, but many people just aren't able to find work anywhere else.

Source: Yahoo.com - McDonald's hiring day draws crowds, high hopes

[The Brain]

My whoppers do taste like they're made by more life experienced hands these days.

[Ideologue]

I also think it's very possible that Berk's not considering the market rate in the absence of a minimum wage could be different than the market rate in a market where the minimum wage exists, because labor markets are notoriously imperfect in terms of information and the minwage provides at least a reference point and influences choices.

[Admiral Yi]

Has it been mentioned yet that the average age of a fast food employee is now almost 30?

Around here it's all teens and older Mexicans.

[Ideologue]

Who said anything about wage stagnation being nothing to worry about? That is a whopper of a strawman.

You seem very certain that the market functions, or rather that the market cannot be interfered with without making things worse.

That's very close to being "unworried," but I am willing to accept that you don't feel great about it.

[mongers]

Has it been mentioned yet that the average age of a fast food employee is now almost 30?

Around here it's all teens and older Mexicans.

18 year olds and 40 year old Mexicans might give an average of just under 30 ? 

[Valmy]

Has it been mentioned yet that the average age of a fast food employee is now almost 30?

Around here it's all teens and older Mexicans.

Excuse me if I am suspicious your data here is mostly anecdotal