Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
There is a new movement of solidarity beginning to take shape across the country.
Last Thursday, September 4, dozens of fast-food workers from Los Angeles to Manhattan were arrested as they escalated a fight for better pay with strikes, rallies and various acts of civil disobedience.
A series of protests funded in part by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and local activist groups have sought to spotlight the plight of low-wage workers and push for higher pay by staging protests and walkouts in more than 100 cities in the one-day demonstration.
These demonstrations were intended to target multinational fast-food companies, like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and KFC, who have failed to share record profits with their lower skilled workers.
Closer to home, hundreds protested in West Milwaukee – blocking a roadway that led to a McDonald’s located on Miller Park Way.
Dozens were arrested, including Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore who was fined $691 for her justified civil unrest.
Interestingly enough, in a prepared statement, a McDonald’s spokesperson went on record as having said: McDonald’s and our independent franchisees Support paying our valued employees fair wages aligned with a competitive marketplace.
We believe that any minimum wage increase should be implemented over time so that the impact on owners of small and medium-sized businesses – like the ones who own and operate majority of our restaurants – is manageable.
Additionally, we believe that any increase needs to be considered in a broad context, one that considers, for example, the impact of the Affordable Care Act and its definition of “full time” employment, as well the treatment, from a tax perspective, of investments made by business owners.
It’s important to know approximately 90% of our U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated By franchisees who set wages according to job level and local and federal laws.
McDonald’s does not determine wages set by our more than 3,000 U.S. franchisees.
True enough, the minimum wage issue should be seen as a “societal issue” that currently haunts this nation.
Moreover, it’s quite disingenuous for McDonald’s to couch its alleged concern for raising the minimum wage on Affordable Care Act.
Here’s the bottom line, many fast-food workers do not make much more than the federal wage of $7.25 an hour, which adds up to about $15,000 a year for 40 hours week. This is completely unacceptable and, unfortunately, relegates these workers to a life of financial impoverishment.
McDonald’s, Burger King and the rest all have an opportunity to lead by example on this very important and salient issue. They can, and should, raise the minimum wage for these grossly underpaid workers, rather than making excuses (about the Affordable Care Act) or paying lip service (that they actually support increasing the minimum wage).