The fast food wage raise war continued onward at McDonald’s annual shareholder meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois Thursday morning as hundreds of the company’s employees lined up to protest, demanding minimum wage to increase to $15 an hour and the right to unionize. Just the night before, more than 100of the fast-food chain’s workers were arrested for crossing a police barricade.
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Is a $15 per hour wage an option for future salaries at the burger joint? And is McDonald’s really paying their workers an unfair wage compared to the industry overall? The fast food wage raise war has reached its peak over the past month, with a nationwide fast-food strike held on May 15th and with protests continuing, the chances of it stopping anytime soon look gloom.
There are more than 3 million people employed for preparing and serving food in the United States, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
They are a significant part of the labor market, making up 23 out of every 1,000 jobs in the United States. As of May 2013, the food-preparation and service industry paid an average hourly wage of $9.08. Statistics show that over half a million fast-food cooks earn an average of $9.07 an hour per BLS. This figure varies dependent on industry and state.
San Francisco area currently holds the highest average wages for fast-food workers in the country, but at $12.17 an hour, that falls nearly $3 short of what is being demanded by protesting McDonald’s employees. They are seeking $15 per hour. It is in fact true that fast-food workers, overall, are among the lowest paid employees in the country.
What is sure to escalate their frustration is there is no clear-cut definition of a livable wage in the U.S. However, it is clear that with an average annual wage of $18,880, fast-food workers who provided all the income in their households would only be able to support one other person without falling into poverty.
Fast Food Wage Raise War Continues at Shareholder Meeting
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