While, we most famously know Andrew from his ‘Bizarre Foods’ gig (and his short stint on my site in the form of toons) he is also a food columnist and radio host. He writes for Mpls St. Paul magazine. His column in the past issue was about raising the minimum wage for hospitality workers in Minnesota. While the article focuses on that state, it also touches on a National trend to pay workers more;
Today, 52 percent of families of fast-food workers are forced to rely on public assistance programs to make ends meet for food, rent, and health care. That’s DOUBLE the percentage of jobs in all other economic sectors. You see, only 13 percent of these food workers get health insurance through work, compared to 59 percent of other working Americans. That costs us almost $7 billion a year. Jobs in corporate fast-food sectors simply don’t offer living wages, even at full time, which is defined as 40 hours per week. About 67 percent of front-line fast-food workers are older than 20; these aren’t high schoolers. Almost 68 percent are primary earners in their families, and more than 25 percent are raising children. Spending on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for fast-food workers’ families is almost $4 billion nationally. Hourly wages average $16.57 nationally but are only $8.69 for fast-food workers. I asked five friends today to fill in this blank: 73 percent of fast-food workers are _______. They all guessed ethnicities. The answer is women. Wanna make a difference for women in America? Raise the minimum wage.
Interesting & sad. Nora Jones sang to him on one of his shows. It’s an emotional song everyone should hear.
Many fast food workers have 2 jobs and they still need public assistance to support their families.
I’m not opposed to raising the minimum wage but I think more can be done in different forms to increase wages.
As I have stated before we need corporate tax reform that is focused on what corporation pay their worker and not on profit.
I just want to eat bugs with Andrew.
I got an email today explaining how socialism is here in the USA and if you begin to explain the loss pf jobs, loss of income and expose it you are a racist. How do you explain to the masses that we are broke the system is broke and the politicians don’t give a hoot. I’m sorry that people don’t have wages to help
LJL – you’re opposed tp raising the minimum wage – you’ll be voting against it in November – don’t kid yourself.
Those aren’t jobs (well maybe they are in the Bernanke ZIRP age).
I worked for KFC who bought Roy Rogers (real roast beef not some compressed glued together with food glue beef scraps)during HS I didn’t have to compete with oldsters and 40 year olds or illegals.
It paid slightly better than a GD paper route with 100
customers.Could buy things like stereos and speakers
pay for car insurance.Not a job by any stretch of the imagination.People are dumb.
God I used to hate first of the month when
inner-city ambassadors used to come in and order
bucket after bucket of chix till our oil got fried out
(hahahaha yes I am raciss) with actual federal
reserve notes.
God bless the Holy EBT (big banksters get a cut of every swipe now)and papa murphys.
Circling the drain now and this turd won’t flush.
In art and labor,…
OBG
end of line
Sioux Falls is boom times but the working class is starving. It should be embarrassing but city officials & the upper crust walk over the fallout. Yes, raise the minimum wage. Also, better funded social services. The city budget is 6 times more than the county. They spend foolishly and extravagantly. The county provides social services and the jail. It wouldn’t hurt to partition more city pocket change across to the county.
We live in a nation where a vast percentage of our population are unhealthy because of their diet and especially because of their fast food diet – a diet which necessitates and is facilitated by under waged workers…. It is a vicious cycle which taxes our health care system and all of our economic safety nets as well…. I guess, it’s all McDonalds fault…. with the help of that “special sauce.”
Do the world a favor Rufux. Throw away your keyboard as you’ve done with your credibility.
BTW are you still working on that shit running uphill hypothesis?
LJL, probably not, he probably hired a consultant to work on that, because no one in his one-horse town engineering department has anyone with that kind of expertise.
LJL brushed onto some of the problem. Corporate executives compensation is millions & employees pay is pennies. We’re the only country in the world with this policy. The pennies pay the taxes that the executives use for private projects.
Sioux Falls is an example of how democracy became kleptocracy that’s moving into full a feudal kingdom. The Virginia governor is in trouble for fraud. Huether has him beat ten fold. We need the FBI here more than there. Single handedly, Huether could make a significant dent in the federal deficit. The IRS & FBI should team up with some RICO action.
You might read about it 10 years from now in section B on the last page of the Argus. Maybe section A last page because there won’t be a section B by then. Maybe not at all because by then there won’t be an Argus.
Once again, there’s many ways to help the working poor without raising the minimum wage, that per BLS less than 5% of all workers make. The minimum wage hike as being promoted by this Admin’s faux “grass roots” organization (used to be called ACORN) is nothing more than the quo pro payback to the Unions, as most of their contracts are indexed to the MW.