If it does happen, look at it in a good way:

Fast food places will have to raise prices (or take cuts from their bottom line, but that won't ever happen). If they raise food prices then maybe less people will eat at fast food places. This has 2 huge benefits:

1- Less meat consumed. As much as I love meat and love making fun of vegetarians, our high meat consumption is one of the worst and easiest things we can change of our horrible-for-the-Earth habits.

2- A lessened price gap between eating healthy and eating shit is always a good thing and a healthier population has huge economic benefit for everybody.

There are also a ton of other reasons higher fast food prices are a good thing. Obviously a shit ton against too, but let's be optimistic about this.

I just hope that if they pay them more, they'll have less of an excuse to hire a bunch of moe-rons who can't get my order right.

Give it 6 months and there will be protests about being fired because employers have raised the standard on what a quality employee is.

Dub post, but $15/hr is just at or more than the starting salary for a TEACHER in half of the states in the US.

.....where you're required to have a college degree.

Just gonna throw that out there.

And fuck you with your summers off bullshit because, once again, that's the salary WITH A DEGREE. Four years of school past high school and thousands of dollars to make the same as a fry cook and get three months off. Fuck you very much, but maybe this is why our education quality in the US is shit.

You lose about $150,000 in earning potential over 4 years of college and spend god knows how much on tuition. That's probably about $300,000 when you account for interest and everything that you give up to go to college so you better damn well be sure your degree is worth it!

$300,000 = 15 years full time at $10 an hour

Yeah I get what you're saying vinnie. I can't say I disagree, I just hate the low end entitlement.

I've lived off ramen working my ass off, making 8 an hour, until I could get on my feet. I saved my money and eventually started to get ahead.

I just hate there there are skilled people doing legitimate jobs making less than $15 an hour scraping by yet these entitled pricks think their contribution to society is somehow worth sometimes $5 more an hour?

You gotta be fucking kidding me. I want to go down there and slap some of these people.

Also on the same topic. All these people talking about $15 for mcdicks, $15 for walmart, what about the economy? If we don't stop printing money

it's only going to temporarily help anyone. Remember that people were living large on $2 or less an hour at one point. Also all this bernie sanders shit in my news feed. I don't think he offers much at all on this topic. I doubt I'll vote for him. He's much better than hillary, jeb, trump etc, but he's pretty mediocre imo.

Maybe the best choice, but for be the best choice is a choice I can honestly support, and I'd rather not vote than vote for somebody I don't like simply because they're better than another option.

Those fast food joints are going to have to change or go out of business. It's the garbage food they are selling not b/c of $15/hour wages that will do them in. People have got to wake up and stop buying that garbage. I'm not going to give up on humanity just yet.

OregonDeadThose fast food joints are going to have to change or go out of business. It's the garbage food they are selling not b/c of $15/hour wages that will do them in. People have got to wake up and stop buying that garbage. I'm not going to give up on humanity just yet.

If WAWA went nationwide I would never eat at a burgerking/wendy's again

VinnieF2- A lessened price gap between eating healthy and eating shit is always a good thing and a healthier population has huge economic benefit for everybody.

True but I'd rather see that come from lowering the price of good food rather than raising the price of bad. And I pretty much agree with Rusty's frustration with all of the entitlement here.

I'm torn. I want to see an increase in minimum wage. As someone who at one point has earned it, it is hardly substantial as a means to live. The fact of the matter is there are people who just aren't cut out for college or even HS but are hard, simple workers. They should be able to make a living.

Then again $15/hour to work fast food is ridiculous. I currently make $13/hour managing two food trailers and working finances (z-reports, payroll, bills, inputting bank deposits, receiving, creating P.O's, etc.) for a growing small business. There is no way in hell I want someone who literally flips burgers or operates a POS system to be making $2 more than me.

IDK I get inflation, working at McDonalds full time will keep you below the poverty level, but like mentioned above, when fast food workers are getting paid as much as some teachers we have a serious problem.

Granite_StateI'm torn. I want to see an increase in minimum wage. As someone who at one point has earned it, it is hardly substantial as a means to live. The fact of the matter is there are people who just aren't cut out for college or even HS but are hard, simple workers. They should be able to make a living.

Then again $15/hour to work fast food is ridiculous. I currently make $13/hour managing two food trailers and working finances (z-reports, payroll, bills, inputting bank deposits, receiving, creating P.O's, etc.) for a growing small business. There is no way in hell I want someone who literally flips burgers or operates a POS system to be making $2 more than me.

IDK I get inflation, working at McDonalds full time will keep you below the poverty level, but like mentioned above, when fast food workers are getting paid as much as some teachers we have a serious problem.

As far as the first part there are options to learn trades. I think it would be cool to see an increase in these programs. Make them more widespread and possibly cheaper, more accessible. Many of these trades lead to jobs that may not make you rich, but will always be in demand and therefore give you the option to make a living off of them.

I honestly wish the trades were pushed even 10% as hard as the "Go to college and you'll get rich" that seems to be ground into everyone for years. In high school we had boces off site and you could spend part time their and do some awesome programs but I really didn't know that much about it, what was offered, or how to get into it when I was there. It was just kind of a thing on the side. I feel I could have benefited much more from that than some of the classes I was in where the teachers hated me anyway.

For some reason some people still look down on trades. That's grimy work for the peasants sort of vibe. Yet some of those jobs are paying better than what many people are making now and the demand is there.

It might not always be consistent depending on the job, location, time etc, but it's a good option to have even on the side for extra income or an option between jobs.

There are a lot of things like that. You can get a job as a dishwasher and work your way into cooking, maybe a bartender waiter etc.

Hell even at mcdicks you can work your way up.

I'm not saying that it's easy or even reasonably possibly to go from the bottom to the top these days, but you most certainly can slide up above the most entry level jobs. There are lot's of jobs where hard work > any skills you may have gotten in college.

I feel like there is more of a jump to ask for more money, actually demand it, then to work for it. I wonder how these peoples performance is at work as well. Sure some of them probably do work hard. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were shitty employees. You could argue that that's because of the pay but fuck that. I've worked jobs I hated, I've worked plenty of jobs for minimum wage. If I was working a job, I took pride in it and did my best whether it was my favorite thing in the world or I couldn't stand it. If you hate it, work toward something better. Set goals, apply other places.

This just rings more like people begging for handouts than something they deserve.

/that's all rant thing whatever

if they get paid 15$ an hour the business owners are going to hire some wnat skilled people, although that is a good thing there are still goung to be the dumb asses with out jobs who can't even get hired at a fast food restaraunt

Mr.noodleif they get paid 15$ an hour the business owners are going to hire some wnat skilled people, although that is a good thing there are still goung to be the dumb asses with out jobs who can't even get hired at a fast food restaraunt

I'm not sure what you really want to say but if it's that the owners will hire skilled workers then does that mean there are skilled fast food workers? I think those are just people that have common sense and need the money.

I make less than that an I'm a scientist. I guess I'm part time though and I do cellular/molecular biology and genetics of algae right now. So not the most important topic to some people but come on. I'll probably be back in cancer this fall for my masters and I bet I'd still get paid less than 15 an hour for a part time scientist in cancer research.

A lot of you guys forget what the cost of living is in New York... The state as a whole is much more expensive than most others out there - namely the western states of say, utah or colorado where land is far less of a premium and therefore much cheaper property cost and tax.

15 an hour in new york is like 9 an hour in Kansas City. that's not really that astronomical.

as for people not eating fast food? eh.. they'll still eat it - because the whole convenience thing... but costs will become more pricy for sure... (but not for a few years - then things will balance again.

cydwhitTrue but I'd rather see that come from lowering the price of good food rather than raising the price of bad. And I pretty much agree with Rusty's frustration with all of the entitlement here.

Baring bringing in more foreign workers making 1/2 what domestic workers are making and putting them out of work or moving a huge portion of our food production to third world countries and wrecking their lives as a result (for example quinoa production in Bolivia/Peru) then this just isn't going to happen.

If you want to eat healthy and do it cheaply your only real option is to grow/raise your own.

CaptainObvious.And fuck you with your summers off bullshit because, once again, that's the salary WITH A DEGREE. Four years of school past high school and thousands of dollars to make the same as a fry cook and get three months off. Fuck you very much, but maybe this is why our education quality in the US is shit.

Teachers rarely work 9-5 5 days a week..

its more like 10-12 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week if they're at all competent or really care about their students.. not to mention all the money they have to put OF THEIR OWN into classroom tools.

Teachers work their fucking ass off... and most work during the summer - whether teaching or rewriting curriculum or whatever. They might get a month off in all reality...

That whole notion that teachers just get paid and paid and get 25% of the year to wank off doing whatever they want is bullshit.

theabortionatorAs far as the first part there are options to learn trades. I think it would be cool to see an increase in these programs. Make them more widespread and possibly cheaper, more accessible. Many of these trades lead to jobs that may not make you rich, but will always be in demand and therefore give you the option to make a living off of them.

I honestly wish the trades were pushed even 10% as hard as the "Go to college and you'll get rich" that seems to be ground into everyone for years. In high school we had boces off site and you could spend part time their and do some awesome programs but I really didn't know that much about it, what was offered, or how to get into it when I was there. It was just kind of a thing on the side. I feel I could have benefited much more from that than some of the classes I was in where the teachers hated me anyway.

For some reason some people still look down on trades. That's grimy work for the peasants sort of vibe. Yet some of those jobs are paying better than what many people are making now and the demand is there.

It might not always be consistent depending on the job, location, time etc, but it's a good option to have even on the side for extra income or an option between jobs.

There are a lot of things like that. You can get a job as a dishwasher and work your way into cooking, maybe a bartender waiter etc.

Hell even at mcdicks you can work your way up.

I'm not saying that it's easy or even reasonably possibly to go from the bottom to the top these days, but you most certainly can slide up above the most entry level jobs. There are lot's of jobs where hard work > any skills you may have gotten in college.

I feel like there is more of a jump to ask for more money, actually demand it, then to work for it. I wonder how these peoples performance is at work as well. Sure some of them probably do work hard. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were shitty employees. You could argue that that's because of the pay but fuck that. I've worked jobs I hated, I've worked plenty of jobs for minimum wage. If I was working a job, I took pride in it and did my best whether it was my favorite thing in the world or I couldn't stand it. If you hate it, work toward something better. Set goals, apply other places.

This just rings more like people begging for handouts than something they deserve.

/that's all rant thing whatever

I agree with a lot of this. Trades are honestly amazing and I'm a firm advocate for them. Actually it was my plan that after I graduated college I would go to trade school. That way if I couldn't land a good job with my degree, I'd land an as good job with a trade. I have friends that do underwater welding and they make six figures out of the gate. 2 years of school and you make six figures just like that, its amazing. I wish schools pushed them harder on students as an alternative. Shit I went to an HS that linked with a tech school that taught welding, carpentry, and automotive. I worked with a kid back at my time at Lowes whose dad owned his own construction company and was a millionaire. The kid was 17 and already had over 250k saved from working for his father. He also worked state construction jobs but still, he could have bought a fucking lambo at 17 from working construction a few years. If I could go back Id say fuck college and go to trade school. The college experience was fun but as it is winding down Im facing an economy with a shrinking job market in mid-level wages and massive student debt. If I had just learned a trade I'd be living the easy life right now...

DingoSeanA lot of you guys forget what the cost of living is in New York... The state as a whole is much more expensive than most others out there - namely the western states of say, utah or colorado where land is far less of a premium and therefore much cheaper property cost and tax.

15 an hour in new york is like 9 an hour in Kansas City. that's not really that astronomical.

as for people not eating fast food? eh.. they'll still eat it - because the whole convenience thing... but costs will become more pricy for sure... (but not for a few years - then things will balance again.

I'm from new york. I'm not saying that invalidates what you're saying. Just that I'm not forgetting the cost of living here. Also like anywhere it else it varies greatly. NYC is not new york state. Honestly living in the state of new york away from NYC is actually pretty damn affordable.

DingoSeanTeachers rarely work 9-5 5 days a week..

its more like 10-12 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week if they're at all competent or really care about their students.. not to mention all the money they have to put OF THEIR OWN into classroom tools.

Teachers work their fucking ass off... and most work during the summer - whether teaching or rewriting curriculum or whatever. They might get a month off in all reality...

That whole notion that teachers just get paid and paid and get 25% of the year to wank off doing whatever they want is bullshit.

I didn't realize how shit teachers' salaries in the US are. The average salary in the US is about the starting salary in Canada and nearly 1/2 what you'd make after 10 years experience in Canada.

Granted I guess it's about 300 CAD to 1 USD

theabortionatorI'm from new york. I'm not saying that invalidates what you're saying. Just that I'm not forgetting the cost of living here. Also like anywhere it else it varies greatly. NYC is not new york state. Honestly living in the state of new york away from NYC is actually pretty damn affordable.

Of course, but New York, like California, as a whole, is still expensive outside of NYC, LA, and SF.

Bumfuck nowhere CA is expensive compared to a state thats almost entirely bumfuck nowhere. haha.

I can survive fine on minimum all over ny.

but I guess I'm just used to being poor

Hopefully this causes the downfall of shitty American fast food, and its by product, American obesity.

If you're jealous of $15/hr you need to reevaluate what you are doing, and what you have done with your life. Obviously the "do what you love" mantra isn't working out for ya. Might be time to try on the "work what you hate, so you can afford what you love" mantra. Then again, there's an awfully wide middle ground there too.

Moral of the story, jealousy is forbidden in the ten commandments.

When I worked at McDonalds in Australia I was getting $17.50 an hour. And the prices in Australia compared to Canada are the exact same. (not adjusted for purcahsing power). But like maybe an increase to like 10 bucks or something. They defiently need an increase but not to 15.

when they raise the minimum wage, it will cause the qualifications needed to be an employee to go up, meaning the people who are whining about not making enough money will now be out of a job as other more qualified people will get the job

S.J.WWhen I worked at McDonalds in Australia I was getting $17.50 an hour. And the prices in Australia compared to Canada are the exact same. (not adjusted for purcahsing power). But like maybe an increase to like 10 bucks or something. They defiently need an increase but not to 15.

Possibly not in the whole state, but at least in NYC it should definitely be at LEAST 15. It's the most expensive city in the country to live in - possibly in the entire hemisphere. Perhaps more expensive than it is even in San Francisco.

The whole tristate area with denser populations should have higher min wages for sure...

Not sure if places in upstate like Schenectady or Troy should have 15 an hour workers at Burger King, but it definitely needs to be higher in the larger denser cities where everything tends to be pricier

why can't people who can't afford the city move somewhere else? or fast food places can make like company housing or something. Seems like a safer idea than putting more cash in peoples pockets which they'll probably just blow on something useless.

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Yeah you pretty much hit the nail on the head. They are. They demand to get paid more than a portion of laborers that had to go to a trade school to learn their profession. These plebs fucking went through 4 hours of training on how to fucking put a cheeseburger together. I'm sorry but the whole point of minimum wage jobs is for people who don't require money to raise a family and get the newest iPhone for 4800$. It pisses me off because people can do fucking pleb work and demand to get paid $15? Thats fucking chickenshit.

a_pla5tic_bagwhy can't people who can't afford the city move somewhere else? or fast food places can make like company housing or something. Seems like a safer idea than putting more cash in peoples pockets which they'll probably just blow on something useless.

Definitely not that easy, and besides.. what, should low income people not be able to live in cities? That creates even more obvious class differences. That's ungood.

Just pay people what they deserve based on the cost of living in that area.

Turd.FergusonYeah you pretty much hit the nail on the head. They are. They demand to get paid more than a portion of laborers that had to go to a trade school to learn their profession. These plebs fucking went through 4 hours of training on how to fucking put a cheeseburger together. I'm sorry but the whole point of minimum wage jobs is for people who don't require money to raise a family and get the newest iPhone for 4800$. It pisses me off because people can do fucking pleb work and demand to get paid $15? Thats fucking chickenshit.

Nobody gets paid unless they demanded it. Trades are no different. The man kept their thumb on skilled trades workers whenever possible sometimes by force. This is the reason the well paid trades have unions etc. Workers aren't trying to be jerks it's just smart to organize and demand to get paid.

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good one man! jokes on you, I don't get up early enough to get first in line.

But on a serious note, next time you want to try to have an intelligent conversation with some one, don't start with "ya fuck u kid". come on, you're better than that.

retarded

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How many aliases do you have

I think this is relevant:

http://www.theonion.com/article/study-finds-working-at-work-improves-productivity-2318

Oh Rusty. So angry. So entitled. Wouldn't you just love to crush those stupid, lazy piece of shit low level workers into dirt just like they obviously deserve? You're so much better than they are, how dare they want a living wage! Lol

I think $15 may be a bit high but we have GOT to have the minimum wage indexed to inflation (and by comparison all other wages need to be higher) or we will just have more and more full time workers living below the poverty line. All that does is require the fucking govt to subsidize the remainder of that shit wage with things like Sec. 8, food stamps etc... If we simply make companies pay a living wage (which they CAN afford or they shouldn't be in business) our system can stop footing the rest of the bill plain and simple. Failing to do so creates a massive strain on the system that is NOT necessary in any way. Not one bit. Fucking Walmart made $127 BILLION in gross profits in 2014... You're fucking telling me they can't afford to pay a living wage?? Your arguments are based COMPLETELY in what you think they deserve, not any kind of fiscal reasoning behind it whatsoever- at least not in reality anyways.

The assumptions you've put out there are stereotypes and pretty fucking pathetic ones at that. Why don't you just talk about someone on food stamps buying lobster or rims or some other stupid shit while you're at it? Project a little harder why don't you?! You are the most well known druggie on this whole site and that's a fucking accomplishment- but don't act like you know what the fuck you're talking about when it comes to fiscal policy dude- no fucking way. If I want that good Molly, trust me- I'll call you. Pipe the fuck down until then bro. Know your fucking role.

See dude? Sucks when people assume shit about you that is fucked and callous doesn't it? You could be cast as an undeserving piece of shit just as easily as Mr. Drive-Thru, but that's not fucking cool and it isn't about what some rando thinks you deserve. Everybody deserves to be fairly compensated for a 40 hour work week and ESPECIALLY when you work for a tax-dodging international conglomerate that banks on slave labor and never ever plans on offering more than the bare minimum required by law and even profits by pigeonholing their workers in the subsidy cycle.

See the angle I'm coming from dude? Someone earning 7.50/hr only makes around $16k/year BEFORE TAXES. That's 'fuck you' money and it doesn't add up. At all. It's costing this country as a whole a shitload of money when yes- the companies paying min wage can ABSOLUTELY afford it. If you're going to try to debate that point you better bring some actual factual info to the table to back it up or your butthole gonna get aired the fuck out.

a_pla5tic_bagwhy can't people who can't afford the city move somewhere else? or fast food places can make like company housing or something. Seems like a safer idea than putting more cash in peoples pockets which they'll probably just blow on something useless.

Your logic is flawed bro. Who would work at the McDonalds in NYC (and there are a fuck ton) if they had to fucking commute from outside the city? I wouldn't be surprised if half the McDicks workers in NYC lived on the street with the wages they're paid.

DingoSeanDefinitely not that easy, and besides.. what, should low income people not be able to live in cities? That creates even more obvious class differences. That's ungood.

Just pay people what they deserve based on the cost of living in that area.

Well I'm not saying they're not allowed. It's just sometimes you have to make an executive decision and do what you need to. Maybe there's better opportunities elsewhere. I personally wouldn't count on some legislation or government related changes to put me in a better situation.

I don't know this is a tough call. There's not to many facts really that I know of and I don't know how we're going to gauge who deserves what wage empirically so I don't really have any arguing points.

I work in NYC, that's about all I got.

a_pla5tic_bagI'm not sure what you really want to say but if it's that the owners will hire skilled workers then does that mean there are skilled fast food workers? I think those are just people that have common sense and need the money.

I make less than that an I'm a scientist. I guess I'm part time though and I do cellular/molecular biology and genetics of algae right now. So not the most important topic to some people but come on. I'll probably be back in cancer this fall for my masters and I bet I'd still get paid less than 15 an hour for a part time scientist in cancer research.

I didn't portray what I was trying to say very well, I meant the dumb asses would be left jobless. Also people at fancy restaraunts don't even make that much. Most of the people at my grandfathers restaraunt make 12$ an hour but they do make a lot in tips

Granite_StateYour logic is flawed bro. Who would work at the McDonalds in NYC (and there are a fuck ton) if they had to fucking commute from outside the city? I wouldn't be surprised if half the McDicks workers in NYC lived on the street with the wages they're paid.

gotta get a new job in a new town. Could be a McDonalds that pays less in a neighborhood that costs much less to live in. get any kind of cheap living and buy everything from walmart and you might be ok.

Does this go for all business that pay for minimum wage? Because you know what, I work for a small independently owned rental company and if they had to Jack up my pay and everyone else's to 15 it would put them out of business imediatley

CaptainObvious.Dub post, but $15/hr is just at or more than the starting salary for a TEACHER in half of the states in the US.

.....where you're required to have a college degree.

Just gonna throw that out there.

And fuck you with your summers off bullshit because, once again, that's the salary WITH A DEGREE. Four years of school past high school and thousands of dollars to make the same as a fry cook and get three months off. Fuck you very much, but maybe this is why our education quality in the US is shit.

Dunno man but if you are anywhere near a classroom and not simply cooking the lunch or cleaning the toilets I'd say teachers are being overpayed and deserve less.

IF it wasn't an easy ass job there wouldn't be 100 applicants for every 1 position in every school system that isn't located in a major city with a lot of jobs and money. Get out of CHicago/LA/NY and every stupid girl you meet wants to be a elementary school teacher.

(The "HARD" teaching jobs involve little to no teaching and are babysitting awful misbehaving children who don't want to learn.)

15$ an hour is fucking ridiculous. High school drop outs would be making more then the people fighting for our countrys freedom.

ANd fuck everyone hating in this thread 15s an hour isn't a lot of money I got no problems with everyone getting paid that fast food or whatever job you want to deem the easist/bottom of the totem pole/requires no experience.

It's the blacks, mexicans, and illegals making noise about this shit.

Once Trump is in the House, all this will be fixed.

a_pla5tic_bagWell I'm not saying they're not allowed. It's just sometimes you have to make an executive decision and do what you need to. Maybe there's better opportunities elsewhere. I personally wouldn't count on some legislation or government related changes to put me in a better situation.

I don't know this is a tough call. There's not to many facts really that I know of and I don't know how we're going to gauge who deserves what wage empirically so I don't really have any arguing points.

I work in NYC, that's about all I got.

Of course, you're not saying it's illegal to live in the city if you're poor, but if low income earners don't make enough to even pay rent on even the most shanty shack available.

If all the low income workers left the city, there would be nobody to clean anything or serve in restaurants... it's a silly proposition on a personal level as well - especially if you're locked in a lease or a mortgage or something. Picking up and leaving isn't easy for someone with a family as it is for some 20 something kid on NS who is without any serious obligation ;)

I don't understand the logic behind "well find a better job" because we NEED low income earners to make things work.. and they need to be able to afford to live close enough to public transport that they rely on to get to those jobs that make everything work..

And if it becomes a law to pay burger flippers $15/hr then they will eventually loose their jobs to automation. Fast food chains will automates their systems and have a ROI on those systems within 2 years max. Problems solved.

a_pla5tic_baggotta get a new job in a new town. Could be a McDonalds that pays less in a neighborhood that costs much less to live in. get any kind of cheap living and buy everything from walmart and you might be ok.

Then who would work at the McDonalds in the city?

SkiBum.It's the blacks, mexicans, and illegals making noise about this shit.

Once Trump is in the House, all this will be fixed.

Lol, Trump has about as much chance as becoming president as I do. And I'm not even an American citizin.

S.J.WLol, Trump has about as much chance as becoming president as I do. And I'm not even an American citizin.

Thats cuz El Chapo is gunna kiel him since he talked all dat shiet bout dem mexicanos

S.J.WLol, Trump has about as much chance as becoming president as I do. And I'm not even an American citizin.

Unfortunately he will not have the following to become president, but I would not say his chances are all that bad. He has a solid following and a lot of people like his stance, including myself.

The idea of a very successful business man in charge is a good thing. I think this should happen.