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California’s $20 per hour fast food wage. First semester grades are in . . .

Photo above - cleaning red snapper, dockside in Florida. This writer once held this job, at below minimum wage. And I have the knife skills to prove it.

Before assessing the accuracy of the link below, let’s assess the sources involved. TND (The National Desk) is a conservative outlet owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. In some markets TND programming gets legitimate time slots, in others it’s simply replaced televangelism and paid programming (half hour infomercials for ProActive skin care and the George Foreman Grill). TND reports originate at Sinclair’s Washington DC headquarters and are syndicated to stations willing to make space for it.

That said, TND's $20 minimum wage analysis doesn’t appear to be bogus. TND engaged the University of California at Santa Cruz to study what happened after the new wage law went into effect. University researchers found evidence of more people going getting hired by some fast food jobs, but lower hours per worker – because overtime all but disappeared. Many restaurant locations responded by cutting shifts, reducing hours, and installing automation. (see link below)

I personally could live on $20 an hour, but only if it was 2,000 hours per year, plus tips. But not here in Tampa Florida, and certainly not in California. That’s trailer park wages. Been there and done that, but not recently. (Plant City, Florida).

California’s governor and legislature recognize that $20 an hour is not a living wage. That’s why they're pondering a new minimum of $30 an hour. Which would mean $60,000 a year if you actually got 2,000 hours. And If no more bots and kiosks are installed. If no more shifts are cut. If there are no more early closures of fast food locations on weeknights. Lot’s of ifs . . .

Fast food used to be an entry level job for teens. A training wage for someone with no employment history, while learning important life skills like showing up on time, not stealing food from the walk-in, or spitting on the a burger for a customer suspected of being a cop, a jew, a muslim, or an Asian. Mickey D’s was NEVER a career.

Other entry level teen jobs were things like lawn mowing. (A truck and trailer hauling 3 zero turn mowers from “Martinez Landscaping” are seen weekly on my block now, instead). Cleaning tagged deer after being checked through by game warden (Pennsylvania). Cleaning redfish and Mahi-mahi for party boat boat customers. Picking strawberries and tomatoes. Crab picking. Oyster shucking. These are all now adult jobs pretending to offer a living wage and long-term security.

Automation cannot be stopped. It’s decimating the “want fries with that?” workers. Uber drivers are watching self-driving cars edge into most lucrative routes. AI is expected to displace thousands of accountants, supply chain workers, data analysts, and other clerical workers.

I doubt if raising everyone’s minimum wage to $30 an hour is going to halt this trend. My mother was a secretary. A job that disappeared about 2 weeks after PCs became ubiquitous in the office.

I don’t know what the future holds for dropouts, GED holders, parolees, art history majors, stoners, and people chronically unable to show up to work on time. But their problems won’t be fixed by hiking the minimum wage another $10 bucks every election year. That only keeps career politicians in office.

I’m just saying . . .

California raised fast food pay to $20 an hour to help struggling employees, but now a new study claims workers are worse off

The National News Desk - Wikipedia

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/california-raised-fast-food-pay-to-20-an-hour-to-help-struggling-employees-but-now-a-new-study-claims-workers-are-worse-off/ar-AA1ZtTHF?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=69c6657778674f6ebc683dab3a85c61e&ei=16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_National_News_Desk

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Pretzel · 70-79, M Best Comment

If you make the minimum wage 50 bucks and hour it will take 60 bucks an hour to get by

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Diotrephes · 70-79, M

@wildbill83 So, just reduce everything in price to what it was in 1938!!🥳🥳🥳
Problem solved!!!!

HoochieTheClown · 51-55, F

@Diotrephes Theoretically it would be nice but then wages would drop, so we would be in the same position.

Except one thing - the very reason inflation exists is because the govt and rich do not want people to have too much in savings. So they cheapen the value of the dollar.

If the govt and the rich had their way, the rest of us would be d3ad and they would own every last bit of everything. Of course THEN what would they go after once they sponged up everything?

MasterLee · 56-60, M

@Diotrephes abolish minimum wage does the same thing

exchrist · 36-40

Raising minimum wage is not a solution. Cost of living increases proportionally with minimum wage. It’s an effort by government to have enough income tax revenue coming in in order to pay its bills. Those bills are increasing I trust you see the infinite loop! Regardless minimizing cost and inclusion of those costs in basic day to day routines is the best solutions. Also more public services public transportation public recreation facilities public parks public restrooms. Sharecropping(community gardens). These types of cost reduction and time filing strategies minimize cost to the individual while get an output that makes life have purpose. Minimum wage should be lowered so cost of good doesn’t go up. But the government needs the revenue. It’s a struggle!

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exchrist · 36-40

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow we agree extractive capitalism is the main culprit. I’m didn’t mean the minimum wage should be lowered only that minimum wage is not the only means to a balanced budget. Producers have less competitive as the main players monopolize markets. Instead Cost savings should be the goal. Rather than tax dodging strategy as the rule of the land. Minimum wage does increase the cost of living because of corporate greed and bottom line economics. When costs go up the producer charges More for their products. Simple economics. I’d like to see a maximum wage or more effective tax policy to ensure wealth gets distributed. How to do it? Idk the U. S. Should look to India Japan and Europe for guidance. Those places have already done it for themselves. We need to get some instruction.

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

@exchrist First off that doesn't make sense. Minimum wage has nothing to do with balancing a budget. National or otherwise.

And yeah. Monopoly and cartels result in collusion against customers.

Minimum wage doesn't increase cost of living. There is zero evidence of that ever being a thing.

In fact actual economic statistics and data prove the opposite that there is zero connection. You will never see that reflected in reality but it is a popular excuse in right wing economic theory which doesn't survive contact with reality.

Corporate greed exists completely independently of minimum wage. In fact greed did just fine when MAXIMUM wage laws were still a thing.

Nobody stops to ask why should cost savings be a goal? A government is not a for profit company. It also completely ignores that many government debts are private sector assets.

Pretending that hiring is just about increased operating costs is just dishonest. Companies will charge whatever the market will bear and staffing is entirely based on requirements to meet demand. Since companies already charge what the market will bear regardless companies will hire what they need to meet demand even if it means cutting into profits.

The idea that minimum wage raises cost of living is a justification for exploitation of the poor and nothing more. It does nothing but create a justification for paying poverty wages while CEOs are billionaires or trillionaires now.

Maximum wages is a terrible idea. That is literally how Victorian England functioned. You want to turn the USA into Oliver Twist?

It only creates grinding poverty and makes it illegal to pay a living wage.

And taxes are not an effective deterrent when you can buy politicians to change the tax code to benefit you 10 or 20 years later.

I have no idea what you are talking about with Japan, or India, but Europe had maximum wage laws in the 1700 and 1800s.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow objective (not partisan) economists seem to regularly win nobel prizes for theories about how ]minimum wage laws, factory and farm subsidies, price caps, interest rates, money supply, and tax rates are all part of political efforts to convince everyone that the economic cycle can be controlled. That governments can outlaw inflation, job losses recession, ad bankruptcies as technology moves forward.

congressional laws are only a way to achieve re-election, not ensure prosperity.

Diotrephes · 70-79, M

There are lots of openings for TSA's at airports across the country.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@Diotrephes is that true? are they hiring during the walkout?

i'm not sure TSA is the best way to prevent unruly/terroristic passengers anyway. at least, the incidence of karen's and drunks causing flights to land early doesn't seem to be diminishing.

Diotrephes · 70-79, M

@SusanInFlorida

i'm not sure TSA is the best way to prevent unruly/terroristic passengers anyway. at least, the incidence of karen's and drunks causing flights to land early doesn't seem to be diminishing.

The gate agents are supposed to verify that the passengers are not obviously drunk.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@Diotrephes they're apparently failing at that low bar too.

MasterLee · 56-60, M

And a hamburger would cist $60.

MasterLee · 56-60, M

Have to pay the liberals for high speed rail

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@MasterLee we should have as much high speed rail as voters want. just tell us in advance what it will cost per ticket, and that it won't be subsidized by someone else.

MasterLee · 56-60, M

@SusanInFlorida they will charge amtrak pricing to hide the true cise which will be at least double.

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

Part of the issue with these discussions is the dishonest pretense that minimum wage jobs are still first jobs for teens like it is still 1963. And even back then people at the bottom were still getting a fairer share of the pie.

Just to even things out so the income of your average US worker had equivalent purchase power as they did in the 70 American workers would get an extra 1100 dollars a month.

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SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow i agree that the lots of minimum wage holders are over 30.

bet they wish they'd gotten a high school diploma, avoided prison, and not stolen from previous employers.

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

@SusanInFlorida It is the majority now according to the statistics.

And again you are determined to blame poor people for being poor.

As I pointed out in my reply you can literally have a Comp Sci degree and make less than a person at Target.

Hell Starbucks wants a BA to serve coffee.

But you are determined to blame the poor like they are the problem.

Nevermind that that their employers have been stealing their wages for 50 years. That is apparently totally fine.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow i blame people for dropping out of high school, joining gangs, dealing/using drugs, grand theft auto, breaking and entering, etc.

sorry, if that offends you

jackjjackson · M

There is a huge individual component. Workers are rewarded for skills, keeping up with or keeping ahead of technology, making the effort to create new ideas, skills involved in creating personal relationships that result in increased income and many other examples. Often it comes down to personal effort and motivation. What I am reading in this thread and the comments are excuses and a desire for universal compensation regardless of effort. When did being lazy and being compensated for it become an individual right? My answer is never has and never should.

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jackjjackson · M

🍆. See my response to Pix. It also applies to you. @MoveAlong

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PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

@jackjjackson Yes we know you are Trump's favourite pecker. 😂

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