Fight for $15...

[Vigilant]

Spending is what stimulates the economy. If businesses cut wages in a downturn then workers spend less. This in turn further hurts the economy.

Again, I was alluding to the fact that if the tables were turned, few employees would do the same for the boss! I didn't say he would cut their wages!

 

[17 squirrel]

As a small business owner ( manufacturer ) I believe I understand bad times, as with getting through the last 5 + years. I never cut anyone pay except my own and almost nothing for about 3 years went back into the business except more advertising. Within a few months of the downturn did I layoff employees ? Why yes I did. I layed off deadwood and a interesting thing happened, our products tion numbers daily, weekly and monthly did not change.
Its a difficult thing for employers not to cut employees pay, let your employees know what's going on, give them some skin in the game, a new Tee shirt, a mug, a party to promote working harder, set the goal high and give bonuses when those goals are met.

 

[HoughMade]

I remember when I was in my early 20s, (early '90s) out of college 12 credits short of a degree with no immediate plans to go back. Married, living on our own. I was working for $5/hour and $50 for each car I sold. Not much money even then.

I formulated a plan. I went to a community organization who loaned me poster board and markers. I made a sign and picketed. I picketed like a champ. Weather? If it was 72 degrees or 76, I picketed. Whether it was sunny, or partly cloudy, I was out there.

There was no stopping me (unless it rained or it was over 84 degrees). I was going to picket until someone forced my employer to pay me twice as much for the same work.

That's how I got where I am today....one of the proud few the IRS comes to first and often.

......wait, that's not how it happened at all.

 

[17 squirrel]

Hahahahahaha.. That's funny.. Big ups to you..

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I remember when I was in my early 20s, (early '90s) out of college 12 credits short of a degree with no immediate plans to go back. Married, living on our own. I was working for $5/hour and $50 for each car I sold.

Which, by the way, is about $50 a week more purchasing power than minimum wage today not counting commission. You were able to live on your own and obviously able to go back and finish your degree. Your entry level job gave you the opportunity to move up.

And, of course, as I keep saying and everyone keeps ignoring...once you left someone else took that job. The position did not go away just because YOU left, and the next guy should have the same opportunity you did.

When the market adjusts for it, then fine, gotta do what you have to,

Do you think "the market" is what really explains wages for average workers, and that its a free market? Good luck.

 

[HoughMade]

...And, of course, as I keep saying and everyone keeps ignoring...once you left someone else took that job. The position did not go away just because YOU left, and the next guy should have the same opportunity you did...

Make the minimum wage a "living wage" and eliminate "entry-level" jobs. It is supposed to be uncomfortable....very much so. That's what pushes the desire to move up and out.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Which, by the way, is about $50 a week more purchasing power than minimum wage today not counting commission. You were able to live on your own and obviously able to go back and finish your degree. Your entry level job gave you the opportunity to move up.

And, of course, as I keep saying and everyone keeps ignoring...once you left someone else took that job. The position did not go away just because YOU left, and the next guy should have the same opportunity you did.



Do you think "the market" is what really explains wages for average workers, and that its a free market? Good luck.

Where is it an enumerated power that the Congress gets to set wages? Do we revisit the Commerce Clause and say that if I sell a burger and a traveler might take it over to Illinois to eat, it constitutes interstate trade? Or is if the General Welfare Clause because it's in everybody's best interest, the welfare of the country that government forces people to pay a minimum wage?

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Make the minimum wage a "living wage" and eliminate "entry-level" jobs. It is supposed to be uncomfortable....very much so. That's what pushes the desire to move up and out.

Last time this came up I posed a link to a paper by some top shelf economists who would put the minimum wage at a touch over $10.10/hr, so $404/wk assuming full time work. Assuming you sold one car a week, you were making $430/week in today's money. How comfortable were you?

The ideal that being uncomfortable is the only thing that drives people to improve their lot in life is truly ridiculous. I can take my overtime as time off or as pay. I generally take it as pay. I'm quite comfortable. So why not take the time off? Right, because I still want things I don't have, even if that's just more money in a retirement account or a larger cushion of emergency savings. I, and most people who work, are trying to get more comfortable, along with acquire the status that goes with money, the sense of accomplishment and "keeping score" with money, etc.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Where is it an enumerated power that the Congress gets to set wages? Do we revisit the Commerce Clause and say that if I sell a burger and a traveler might take it over to Illinois to eat, it constitutes interstate trade? Or is if the General Welfare Clause because it's in everybody's best interest, the welfare of the country that government forces people to pay a minimum wage?

The minimum wage has been tried before SCOTUS before. Pull up the cases and see what the Justices said.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

The minimum wage has been tried before SCOTUS before. Pull up the cases and see what the Justices said.

There's no doubt when they want to find justification for progressive causes, they can what they need to rule accordingly. It's far easier to reinterpret a living document than amend accordingly and properly.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Just as I thought. Bastardization of the Commerce Clause.

Nearly 70 years ago, the United States Supreme Court unanimously rejected this same Tenth Amendment argument and upheld the constitutionality of the federal minimum wage. In United States v. Darby, 312 U.S. 100 (1940), the Supreme Court found that, although the Constitution does not expressly give Congress authority to mandate a federal minimum wage, the Tenth Amendment does not deprive Congress of “authority to resort to all means for the exercise of a granted power which are appropriate and plainly adapted to the permitted end.” Id. at 124. The Court found that based on Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce, Congress could enact reasonable legislation in furtherance of its policy of excluding from interstate commerce any goods produced under substandard labor conditions. Thus, the Court held that the federal minimum wage is not unconstitutional.

 

[CHCRandy]

I used to service commercial beverage equipment, primarily for McD's (but also for Donato's, Boston Market, and Chipotles), including those machines, and you have your terminology a bit confused.
The machine called a Multiplex is the system (made by Manitowoc) in the back of the store that carbonates the water, chills the water and syrup (they run through separate lines and mix at the nozzle on the dispenser), and recirculates the carbonated water to keep it chilled.
The other machine that you're talking about, the one that automatically dispenses the drinks, is called an ABS (Automated Beverage System...made by Cornelius, btw), and it does indeed get the order electronically, first pulling down a cup to be filled, then dropping the ice (or not if no ice is requested), pouring the drink, then indexing it the front for the employees to put a lid on it and hand it out the window.
They must be recalibrated for the syrup/carbonated water mix ratio either every six or four months for each of the drinks that it can dispense, which generally took me about ten minutes if I could do it uninterrupted, or thirty minutes if I had to deal with a difficult manager.
The ABS is actually a very reliable machine that, while very expensive (somewhere north of 50 bills), is easily the single biggest money maker in the whole store, since McD's makes 70%-80% of their profits from soft drinks, and at least 70% of that goes right through the driveup window that the machine serves.
It's because of the money that the ABS generates that the managers are super particular about it, and they don't like even a minute of downtime, even when it's getting its essential routine service, a constant source of heartburn for guys who do what I had to do.
It also replaces a couple of employees...no one calling in "sick" because he wanted to go run around with his friends and such.
I generally only had to occasionally replace the little spring fingers that held the cups in their tubes, the rubber finger grips, or (rarely) the nozzle.
Manitowoc is based in Sellersburg, btw.

Thanks for that info. I seen Churchmouse talking about Multi-Plex and thought maybe that was what the ABS was. I was at a place today that's ABS was down......man that drive thru was backed around the entire store. That machine goes down.....and it sure throws a wrench in their program.

 

[churchmouse]

Cm, this is an old article. I don't have time to do my D&D to see if it is still ongoing. They started doing this back in 2003 or 2004.......... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/11/technology/11fast.html?_r=0


BTW........Is a multi-plex machine the one that tries to make it as it is ordered? Drops the cup and conveyors it around? Them seem to always mess up at my McDonalds......looks like it takes a lot of human interaction to keep them functioning.

No, these are touch button. I have seen the chain gun drink machines and they are a bear to get right.

 

[CHCRandy]

My wife serves at a large chain restaurant for $2.13 an hour. She worked 8 hours Saturday, 5 hours Sunday, and 4 hours Monday, so, 17 hours total and brought home $480 cash! That's $28.24 per hour without the $2.13 all for being a good employee and working! Another server who put in more hours, but is a lackluster performer made about $180. It's about what you personally put in, not about what someone gives you to do it!

Your wife obviously works some where that doesn't have tip share........huh? Anymore, it seems the waitress has to share her tip with bartender, bus boy, hostess.........

 

[17 squirrel]

difference between my wife and McDonalds, $2.13/hour and bust your ass, or $7.25 and stare at screen pointing at pictures. End of four hours, $112.96 on average vs. $29.00. No one forces someone to work for minimum wage. In my town McDonalds is across the street from the chain where you can make $28/hour starting at $2.13. Clock out at end of the shidpft, hop across the street, fill out an app, start making what you feel you are worth! Out side of training, she has never seen a paycheck from the 2.13/hour, it goes entirely to taxes. The people out of training that see paycheck, only see a couple before they are asked to move on.

Actually you're wife does make minimum wage, her hourly pay is $ 2.13 pee hour as long as her tips make as much or more than minimum wage. If she does not make enough tips on her shift to make at least minimum wage her employer is required to make up the difference. If she is setting up and preparing for a shift or cleaning she should be paid minimum wage. You can't take a waitress and have her clean for 4 hours and pay her $ 2.13 per hour. As long as she is not a 1099 employee her employed is required to pay her taxes that cover what deductions she has on her W2 forms.
Does she get cash for tips put on a credit card at the end of a shift ?
Tell me does you're wife pay taxes on the cash tips she brings home ?

 

[Vigilant]

Your wife obviously works some where that doesn't have tip share........huh? Anymore, it seems the waitress has to share her tip with bartender, bus boy, hostess.........

That is AFTER tip share!

Actually you're wife does make minimum wage, her hourly pay is $ 2.13 pee hour as long as her tips make as much or more than minimum wage. If she does not make enough tips on her shift to make at least minimum wage her employer is required to make up the difference. If she is setting up and preparing for a shift or cleaning she should be paid minimum wage. You can't take a waitress and have her clean for 4 hours and pay her $ 2.13 per hour. As long as she is not a 1099 employee her employed is required to pay her taxes that cover what deductions she has on her W2 forms.
Does she get cash for tips put on a credit card at the end of a shift ?
Tell me does you're wife pay taxes on the cash tips she brings home ?

She makes $2.13 an hour, and you are correct, if she doesn't make enough tips to equate minimum wage they pay her $7.25, BUT, as I stated previous, any employee that serves, and GETS a check, doesn't work very much longer. Her taxes are paid and taken out of the $2.13/hour, and we claim an extra 10% of cash tips on top of what the store claims for her based on her total sales. Yes she walks with cash credit card tips every shift! She is an officer in my company, so our accounting firm does our taxes and makes sure she claims enough of cash tips to not get in trouble as well. She, through hard work, basically sets her own pay rate. Her WORST night she brought home $80 for 5 hours. The worst servers at her store make $15 an hour average.

 

[17 squirrel]

That is AFTER tip share!


She makes $2.13 an hour, and you are correct, if she doesn't make enough tips to equate minimum wage they pay her $7.25, BUT, as I stated previous, any employee that serves, and GETS a check, doesn't work very much longer. Her taxes are paid and taken out of the $2.13/hour, and we claim an extra 10% of cash tips on top of what the store claims for her based on her total sales. Yes she walks with cash credit card tips every shift! She is an officer in my company, so our accounting firm does our taxes and makes sure she claims enough of cash tips to not get in trouble as well. She, through hard work, basically sets her own pay rate. Her WORST night she brought home $80 for 5 hours. The worst servers at her store make $15 an hour average.

So she pays ' enough tax not to get in trouble . WOW

 

[Vigilant]

So she pays ' enough tax not to get in trouble . WOW

Along with her full time day job, she pays MORE than most! If reading comprehension isn't your strong suit, I will type slower, EVERY penny of the $2.13 goes to taxes, along with 10% EXTRA out of cash tips, coupled with what she has deducted from her full time day job, ALONG with taxes on cash disbursements as a shareholder from our business. She asked the accountant to tell her what amount of cash tips to hold back for taxes to keep her out of trouble, AS IN NOT HAVING TO WRITE UNCLE SAM A CHECK ON 15 APRIL like I do every year!

 

[17 squirrel]

Along with her full time day job, she pays MORE than most! If reading comprehension isn't your strong suit, I will type slower, EVERY penny of the $2.13 goes to taxes, along with 10% EXTRA out of cash tips, coupled with what she has deducted from her full time day job, ALONG with taxes on cash disbursements as a shareholder from our business. She asked the accountant to tell her what amount of cash tips to hold back for taxes to keep her out of trouble, AS IN NOT HAVING TO WRITE UNCLE SAM A CHECK ON 15 APRIL like I do every year!

I can read just fine son, and you don't need to embellish your story as the conversation goes on.
You have told me so far that, So she pays ' enough tax not to get in trouble '
And ' she pays MORE than most! '.
What you have not said is ' she pays the correct taxes for her income and the writeoffs she has '

And with that you told me twice what I needed to know. Done here..

 

[CHCRandy]

And that my friends is why god gave us 2 eyes, 2 ears and 1 mouth, lol.