this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023
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Work Reform

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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.

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[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 233 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 35 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Exactly, they shure as shit don't have a problem giving their "food" away now. The truth is most likely that telling their investors that they won't make so much money will be a devastating financial blow.

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[–] Mautobu@victoriagaming.ca 214 points 1 year ago (10 children)

Sounds like McDonald's can't afford to do business. I guess the free market will have them close.

[–] massacre@lemmy.world 76 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The group said the costs “simply cannot be absorbed by the business model.”

They can do business, just not be as profitable if they can't pay slave wages. The problem here is in the quote... they don't want to change the model where the franchisee's earn a little less and their crews can actually afford rent.

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[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 year ago

Oh honey, no. The free market only applies when it works in their favor.

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[–] Ottomateeverything@lemmy.world 140 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Yes.... And?

Slave labor would be much more profitable, but we have values beyond just your profits.

[–] WHYAREWEALLCAPS@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

we have values beyond just your profits.

Heresy! Blasphemy! Heretical Blasphemy! Blasphemical Heresy!

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[–] snek@lemmy.world 92 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Big company suffers devistating effects when told to pay their workers well.

Well boo-fucking-hoo

[–] Badass_panda@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago (5 children)

In this case, the franchisees (small business owners) are saying the big business (McDonalds, which makes its money off of real estate and franchise fees) is going to be fine but they (the people that make money from owning a restaurant) are in trouble.

For many of them, it's true; they didn't consider whether they could open this business if they had to pay a living wage. Unfortunately, that's not our problem, but it won't be a problem for McDonalds either.

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[–] Ultraviolet@lemmy.world 89 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To quote FDR:

In my Inaugural I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.

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[–] Phegan@lemmy.world 73 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you can't pay your workers a fair wage, you shouldn't run a business.

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[–] hrimfaxi_work@midwest.social 72 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The guy who owns the franchise my nephew worked at in high school drove an actual Rolls Royce. He owned a few, but goddamn. The guy who owned the franchise I worked at 20 years earlier owned like 3 houses or something and flew planes as a hobby (idk if he owned one).

Excuse me for not giving a shit about a financial blow to people like them.

[–] Hoomod@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I just think of the SNL skit/song "boomers got the vax"

At one point Kenan Thompson is portraying a wealthy boomer and the song goes like;

I got the big-ass house and the SUV. Got my second house two, and my third house three. And the place in Vermont, and one in Miami!

Damn, I got five houses? That's a lot. Good for me.

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[–] ohlaph@lemmy.world 70 points 1 year ago (5 children)

And? Of course it'll cost them money. They have been hoarding pay increases for years. 8f your business model doesn't support paying a decent wage, your business model sucks.

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[–] return2ozma@lemmy.world 65 points 1 year ago

Cry me a river! Y'all already charging $15+ for a combo meal!

[–] Holyhandgrenade@lemmy.world 63 points 1 year ago (2 children)

McDonald's operates in many, many countries, several of which require minimum wage way higher than what they pay workers in the US. I'm sure they'll be fine.

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[–] Coreidan@lemmy.world 62 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Boo hoo. If you can’t run your business without exploiting the fuck out of people then you don’t deserve to be in business. Fuck off already your food is SHIT.

[–] reagansrottencorpse@lemmy.world 57 points 1 year ago

I guess they can't afford to do business 🤷

Go get a job, lazy ass "owners".

[–] LostInTheOzone@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago

You mean, just like all restaurants and fast-food franchises were going to go bankrupt if they raised minimum wage to $15.00 up here?

It’s been several years, and I haven’t seen any boarded-up McDonald’s during that time.

[–] kureta@lemmy.ml 53 points 1 year ago (1 children)

and I say to them "eat shit and die"

[–] aport@programming.dev 20 points 1 year ago

That's what McDonalds tells their patrons too

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 52 points 1 year ago (12 children)

If, like me, you're concerned that franchisees may not be able to raise prices and offset this $250k in yearly expenses, worry no more because they totally can.

This whole complaint is nonsense. That's a trivial markup per food item.

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[–] 0x2d@lemmy.ml 51 points 1 year ago
[–] lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee 42 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Has McDonald's seen what it charges for its garbage food these days? $20 ain't shit.

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[–] llamapocalypse@lemmy.world 40 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

It's not like $20/ hr is even that much money - ~40k a year probably won't even qualify you to rent an apartment most places anyone wants to live.

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[–] Astroturfed@lemmy.world 40 points 1 year ago

"We'll make less money. We're job creators. We can't create more jobs but hording the money if you don't let us have the money!"

[–] Chocrates@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago

Boo hoo, if you can't capitalism right then your business should go under right? Isn't that what they believe?

[–] bookmeat@lemm.ee 38 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Awww. I'm so sad for these billionaires.

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[–] Waldowal@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago (3 children)

BS. They said the same thing about $15, then COVID forced it on them (and presumably also raised their own costs for supplies), and it's been fine. I think my McDs charges 1.25 for a soda now instead of a dollar.

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[–] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 38 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

if we have to pay a living wage fast food will die

Then die.

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[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 37 points 1 year ago

No it won't, you'll just make slightly less profits, but you'll still be profitable. If it helps sweetie, you shouldn't have been making that much profit in the first place, you're just getting called out on your bullshit now.

[–] zcd@lemmy.ca 36 points 1 year ago

Fuck you, pay them

[–] Rozauhtuno@lemmy.blahaj.zone 36 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If your business can't afford to pay a fair wage, it doesn't deserve to exist.

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[–] ElBarto@sh.itjust.works 33 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A devastating financial blow, to our yearly bonuses.

[–] MJBrune@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago

Good, any shit company that can't make living wages work don't deserve to be in business.

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 31 points 1 year ago

They may only be able to give executives a 20% raise next year if this goes ahead.

[–] Pratai@lemmy.ca 30 points 1 year ago

Since they’ve been shrinking down the size of their meals and raising the prices along the way- I’ve no sympathy for them at all. Let them go under. We’d be better off.

[–] Weslee@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

McDonald's CEO salary is at $20 million, but yeah paying the employees, who actually bring value to the company, a living wage is the problem

[–] LavaPlanet@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago

I call bullshit in Australian minimum wage, because they've been doing just fine paying more than that here, for quite a while.

[–] orphiebaby@lemm.ee 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Go fuck yourself, world's leading fast food restaurant and the inventor of the chain franchise. Billions served, hundreds of billions of dollars made, millions of tons of food thrown away, and still can't afford to pay people a living wage? Instead of eating McDonald's, let's just eat McDonald's. Eat the rich!

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They always say this, it never happens because the min wage when it was originally implemented would be 35 dollars now. It didn't happen then, it won't happen now, but the press just reports this stuff like McD's is serious.

[–] Tired8281@lemmy.ca 27 points 1 year ago

Don't threaten me with a good time.

[–] CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world 24 points 1 year ago

Oh darn. Anyway

[–] mycatiskai@lemmy.one 23 points 1 year ago

It will be ever so devastating for their employees to actually be able to afford a meal at their own restaurant.

Whatever will they do with all of these new customers that are also their own employees.

/s

[–] ratskrad@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago

... to the franchisees 🙄 To everyone else though, we'll get a livable wage.

And let's be honest, this devastating financial blow they speak of probably just means 1 less yacht for them.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They can just run the kitchens themselves to save a few bucks

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