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I am all for the working class people to make a decent wage to take care of their families but $15 an hour I don’t think so.  There are highly educated people with degrees that in this economy are not making that and after benefits the take home pay is even smaller.  If minimum wage is $8.25 in Illinois I can agree that increasing the minimum up to $9.00 per hour is fair but there has to be a call for employers to offer some form of benefits for their employees whether they are part-time or full-time that will not cost a small fortune.  

I am not in favor of a simple job that does not require any form of formal education to pay their workers more than what a degree holding person would make.  Organizations are not paying the salaries of $60,000+ for entry-level employees as they were in the past.  Although the economy is getting better however it is still a slow process.  Workers in the airline industry at least those employees who work on the ramp at the airport make less than $10.00 an hour and their job is dangerous, people in positions of security make about $11.00 per hour and if the guard carries a weapon they may get a $1.00 more so there is little comparison to the restaurant industry and other professions.  If this is why they are requesting then I say do away with the tipping process and it be included in their salaries.  Just serve me my food and not expect a tip afterwards or better yet leave the restaurant jobs to the teens and make yourself a more marketable employee.  

Check out the story as reported by the Chicago SunTimes: 

Protesting fast-food workers chanting under umbrellas and red ponchos on a chilly, rainy Thursday in River North weren’t simply looking for a raise.

They said they want respect.

“We hope that McDonald’s realizes that, you know, we’re not replaceable,” said Adriana Alvarez, a 22-year-old single mom from Cicero who said she worked for two years without a raise from the fast-food behemoth. “They’re always talking about, ‘You’re replaceable, I could just hire someone else.’”

Alvarez joined other workers Thursday from restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s who took part in a protest expected to spread across 150 cities and several countries. They rallied in Chicago outside the Rock ’n’ Roll McDonald’s at 600 North Clark.

Nazly Damasio, a spokeswoman for the Fight for 15 campaign, said the workers want a living wage of $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation.

“They’re making billions of dollars — McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King — while their workers are living in poverty,” Damasio said. “Fifty-two percent of these workers have to rely on public assistance to make ends meet. These are mothers and fathers with kids.”

McDonald’s issued a statement saying, in part, that “the events taking place are not strikes. Outside groups have traveled to McDonald’s and other outlets to stage rallies.”

Alvarez said a union has taken root at the McDonald’s where she works — but not without retaliation for at least one worker. That employee was moved from her morning shift to an afternoon shift, only to be returned to her original schedule after the union fought back, Alvarez said.

Veronica Spann, a 29-year-old McDonald’s worker from Bronzeville, said at least one manager at her restaurant is supportive. Others, though, are more concerned with getting through their shift than “workers’ rights.”

“Right now they don’t care about you,” said Matthew Herring, a 29-year-old McDonald’s worker from the South Side.

Darius Finley, another McDonald’s worker from Humboldt Park, said there’s not much to take home at the end of the day, either.

“I feel like, the pay that we get, really can’t take care of a studio apartment,” Finley said.

The workers took shelter from the rain later Thursday morning at a nearby union hall. They were expected to rally on-and-off again outside the Rock ’n’ Roll McDonald’s until 5:30 p.m. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky was also expected to join them.

 Source: Chicago SunTimes

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