Fast-food workers super-size protests in Missouri and elsewhere

[tachosomoza]

http://www.peoplesworld.org/fast-food-workers-super-size-protests-in-missouri-and-elsewhere/

http://www.peoplesworld.org/assets/Uploads/strike-520x320.jpg


ST. LOUIS - "We deserve more. We deserve $15 and a union. We work hard. We deserve more money," Jeanina Jenkins, a McDonald's employee, told the People's World. She was among 100 low-wage fast-food workers and union and community allies who rallied outside a south St. Louis McDonald's at noontime July 29.

Jenkins, 20, has worked at McDonald's for nearly two years, and makes $7.72 an hour without benefits.

She says the recent nationwide low-wage fast-food strike wave is proving a point.

That point: "We're not alone. People support us everywhere," Jenkins said. "People believe that we deserve more, that we deserve to be treated better."

Recent reports support her conclusion. There is broad-based support for low-paid fast-food workers and their demands across the country. And there is also a growing body of data challenging fast-food corporation assertions that they simply can't afford to pay more or provide better benefits.

In fact, a recent study conducted by a University of Kansas business student, Arnobio Morelix, sheds some pretty damning light on McDonald's claims. According to the researchers, if McDonald's "doubled the salaries" of its employees to $15 an hour, the McDonald's Dollar Menu would only increase by 17 cents and the Big Mac would only increase from $3.99 to $4.67.

If wages went up by 50 percent, the study added, the Dollar Menu would cost "less than a dime more, at $1.08."

These findings are based on financial modeling with data from McDonald's own Annual Report to shareholders and investors.

McDonald's made $1.4 billion in profits last quarter.

A second rally was held around 4 p.m. Monday at another McDonald's in north St. Louis County.

On July 30, more low-wage workers and their supporters rallied in both St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. According to Shannon Garth-Rhodes, a STL Can't Survive on $7.35 organizer, at least 150 workers walked off their jobs at over 60 different restaurants.

Strikers in St. Louis, Kansas City and New York will be joined by strikes in Chicago, Detroit, Flint, Mich,. and Milwaukee later this week, making this week's actions the largest fast-food worker mobilization in U.S. history.

Derek Wetherall, 23, a member of United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) Local 655, supports the fast-food workers, because "everyone should have a union."

Wetherall serves coffee and runs the cash register at a union grocery store here. He told the People's World, "Since I have a union, I make $12.65 an-hour with guaranteed raises. If a local grocery store is able to pay me $12.65 an-hour to serve coffee, McDonald's can afford to pay their employee at least $15 an-hour. McDonald's is one of the largest, most profitable corporations in the world."

Wetherall, like Jenkins, is excited about the recent wave of strikes. He said, "Each time it grows. People feel empowered. They are expressing their collective strength."

"If we can raise the wage-floor for low-wage fast-food workers, it'll get better for everybody. A rising tide lifts all boats," Wetherall concluded.

Surprisingly, there has only been one documented case of a striker being fired for their activities: a Brooklyn Domino's employee.

The Rev. Martin Rafanan, a minister here, said, "Every case of possible employer retaliation in St. Louis has been met with swift and decisive action by St. Louis Jobs with Justice, local unions, community leaders and politicians. Every case so far has been resolved in favor of the workers."

Additionally, he said, "Workers are beginning to reach out across stores," building solidarity and making connections in the broader community.

Rafanan, who serves as the St. Louis Workers' Rights Board co-chair, added, "This is the beginning of a movement."

Justin Johnson, another McDonald's worker, couldn't agree more. Pointing to the assembled activists during the noon rally on Monday, he told the People's World, "They've got my back. And we've got everyone's' back. And we're going to keep going until we get what we deserve."

What's that? he was asked. He replied, "$15 and a union!"

[RedBen]

good ol' people's world. it's really about time though. i dropped out of high school to work. my first job was burger king... that was the last fastfood job i ever worked. i quit and started doing construction because hard laborious work was better than the disrespect from people. people treat fastfood workers like shit, and the icing on the cake is the pay sucks. i don't think they'll get what they are (reasonably imo) asking for, but without the struggle, nothing will happen. i wish them the best.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

Pretty much anyone who has worked in a restaurant, fast food or otherwise, can sympathize with these guys.

I support our comrades in their struggle. The three big burger chains ignore these men and women at their own risk...may they tremble in their suits.

[RedBen]

may they tremble in their suits.
at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries, unite! :laugh:
i'm not being sarcastic or patronizing. i just had to:D

[StringsofG]

Those who make billions and pay their workers scraps deserve a lot worse than a strike. Thank goodness, they stand up for they're rights. May the entire left have solidarity with these heroes.

[tachosomoza]

Those who make billions and pay their workers scraps deserve a lot worse than a strike. Thank goodness, they stand up for they're rights. May the entire left have solidarity with these heroes.

Well, capitalism is essentially just that, comrade. That's called "profit". And yes, they have centuries to account for.

[Klaatu]

We hear all of this clap-trap from the right wing like "raising minimum wage will cut jobs..." I say nonsense!

People that are low wage earners spend their money right in their own communities (they sure don't hide it in secret Swiss bank accounts!)
This rapid turnover of their wages results in more employment, because they themselves buy more burgers, rent videos, etc. and this helps raise economic activity, not lower it!

We also hear the same clap trap from the business owners themselves. Well check out this amazing fact: the owners are billionaires! Can they give up a tiny bit of their take to help a worker? Even Henry Ford paid his workers more than his competitors, since he knew that the workers needed to be able to afford to buy the very cars they made...

[KurtFF8]

We hear all of this clap-trap from the right wing like "raising minimum wage will cut jobs..." I say nonsense!

It doesn't need to lead to job loss, but this Forbes article (http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/08/02/the-real-change-in-the-cost-of-a-big-mac-if-mcdonalds-workers-were-paid-15-an-hour-nothing/) actually makes a good point about the introduction and increased focus on newer technology that would come in to make up for the increased cost of labor (or variable capital as Marx would say) which could potentially lead to higher unemployment. Of course they aren't appealing to a Marxist conception here, but Marx did write about this (http://google.com/search?q=Marx+fragment+on+machines).

This is of course no reason to oppose such an increase in wages, because as the slogan of the fast food workers says (here in NY at least): can't survive on 7.25!

[Ele'ill]

I don't think this type of struggle should focus on an end. I actually find that to be divisive. I know the idea of getting out of such shit pay, schedule, etc.. situation is mandatory like a gasp of fresh air but what is different about fast food/food industry organizing in general? One thing that comes to mind is that the pickets and confrontation is in an every day visible space for a lot of folks, it is out in the daily mundane drone of every day life of strip malls and living space. It isn't in some industrial park slammed into some invisible north corner of a larger city area. Within the mundane drone of daily society Mcdonalds and BurgerKing are forever, they are unchanging, omnipotent kind of in their monoculture replication across that industry and other's like it (like retail and said strip malls) and that is kind of a shake up when people see that things aren't okay. Do I think that most people care about the picket? I don't really know maybe not maybe 'care' is too vague. I just know that if the strip mall at the corner of the warehouse area where I work at had food industry pickets that myself and a handful of other workers there would be extremely interested in other options since we are in another industry all together, with the same exact struggles, all neighbors, solidarity forever etc.. blah blah I just woke up so I might totally disagree with this observation in a few hours

[Ritzy Cat]

Well holy shit, I live in St. Louis. It's disgusting what a company like McDonald's can do, I hope these workers are able to secure something, but unless it really gives the companies something to actually worry about, we can't rely on the integrity of the white-collars... we NEVER can rely on their integrity.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I just hope that people don't end up with a union, find being in a union not nearly so inspiring as struggling, and give up on going further.

[argeiphontes]

Well, too bad it's not the IWW I guess (though SEIU seems pretty militant).

Are they calling for a boycott too? I wish them all the best, maybe it'll open some eyes and spread the idea of striking.

[argeiphontes]

newer technology that would come in to make up for the increased cost of labor (or variable capital as Marx would say) which could potentially lead to higher unemployment

They love to hold the worker hostage, don't they? Normally the problem with a hostage situation is that you can never kill the hostages and you can never let them go. Except here's there's no threat because people don't see unemployment and replacement of employment with machinery as contradictions of capitalism, that in any other society would be a good thing since it would mean less work for a given standard of living. (Another contradiction--where's the 3-day work week I was promised on the Jetsons?? ;-) )

I think somebody should push for a nationwide boycott of the f.f. industry and their parent companies like PepsiCo... (OTOH who's willing to take 15 minutes to peel and boil their own healthy potatoes instead of instantly gratifying themselves with deep fried ones after a hard day of wage slavery...)

[KurtFF8]

I just hope that people don't end up with a union, find being in a union not nearly so inspiring as struggling, and give up on going further.

You realize that one of their demands is for unionization right? Unions may not be the radical revolutionaries that we want them to be, but having representation at places like McDonalds would be quite an important improvement for working conditions for these workers.

What you said is similar to saying "I hope they don't get raises, because it was the struggle for raises that I thought was inspiring!" You see the problem with this logic?

[G4b3n]

I support them all the way.
It seems like we are seeing a bit of a return to striking, which is a very good thing, be it revolutionary or not.

[Sea]

You realize that one of their demands is for unionization right? Unions may not be the radical revolutionaries that we want them to be, but having representation at places like McDonalds would be quite an important improvement for working conditions for these workers.

What you said is similar to saying "I hope they don't get raises, because it was the struggle for raises that I thought was inspiring!" You see the problem with this logic?Uhh, read VMC's post again. You seem to have stopped at the first comma.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

Obviously, I would prefer if it was the IWW they were with....but to be honest, I don't care what union it is they join, I just want them in a union period.

Here in the U.S., unions have been undercut by both capitalists and politicians systematically for years. In context of the material conditions here in the U.S., unionization is in itself an act of revolution.

[Sea]

In context of the material conditions here in the U.S., unionization is in itself an act of revolution.No, because petty trade unions don't challenge capitalism. It is an act of reform.

[kashkin]

Yes, there are problems with unions, I myself work in fast food and am a member of the SDA (Shop Distributive and Allied Association), the largest union in the country, it represents retail workers, fast food workers and others. It is a right wing piece of shit. That is because the union management have actively kept members down, many members probably don't even know they are members. However being in the union has allowed me to talk with other delegates and members who are pissed off, and there is a rank and file group growing in Queensland.

Certainly the union bureaucracy is a reformist institution, and will have to be removed at some point, however having unions allows workers to create contacts and organise. Unions have historically been the main organising tool of workers during non-revolutionary periods (i.e. almost all the time). Even with a union as right wing and pathetic as the SDA, heavily unionised areas (retail workers for instance) have much better pay and conditions than fast food workers have, a sector where the union is practically non-existent.

[KurtFF8]

Uhh, read VMC's post again. You seem to have stopped at the first comma.

I did, and the rest of my post was quite clearly addressing VMC's entire post.


No, because petty trade unions don't challenge capitalism. It is an act of reform.

A trade union in the fast food industry wouldn't really make much sense though, it would have to be a broader industrial union like the UFCW or SEIU.