After my freshman year in college, I worked for Little Caesar's pizza. I was a delivery boy.
It was a hard job. I made minimum wage which was around $4.25/hour. I got $.75 per delivery (I guess they figured that covered gas, wear and tear on the car, etc) and tips, which didn't amount to much at all. I had to deal with people that didn't have the least amount of respect for the guy who showed up to deliver their pizza. I had to deal with traffic. I had to deal with all kinds of stuff.
I know that minimum-wage jobs are rough. That's why most of us try to find other lines of work to do. So, I'm not knocking the person working minimum-wage jobs.
I am, however, upset at the entitlement mentality I saw on the news yesterday.
The fast-food worker strike where workers were chanting, "We can't live on $7.25" was all over the news the other day. Now, I agree. It's tough to live on $7.25/hour. I'm not disagreeing at all.
But here is the question: who cares?
Before you get all angry at me for asking that question, let me back up and lay a foundation for what I mean. Here in America, we are shifting more and more to an entitlement mentality. For thirty years, we've been giving out participation trophies to kids who do little more than show up to practice and games. We've been promoting kids from grade to grade even when they couldn't do the work. We've been lavishing compliments and praise on kids and young adults for simply doing what they were supposed to do.
In other words, the word "earn" has been lost. It has been replaced with the word "deserve." Now, people don't earn things. They deserve things. And that was what was on display on the news.
These days, people don't earn a paycheck. They deserve a paycheck. And when that paycheck is less than what they "deserve", it is unjust. Never mind what they have earned. Now, it's simply all about what we deserve.
Nowhere in the news was there any discussion of workers doubling their workload, doubling their output, doubling their investment in their job so that they will EARN $15/hour. Folks, here is how the business world works:
A business wants to increase its profit margin. That's what good businesses do. Therefore, they look for people who, by hiring them on, will bring in MORE income than they are taking. For example, a worker that earns $7.25 an hour, after insurance, workers' comp, etc probably costs the business $12/hour. So, in order for that business to need you, you have to bring in more than $12/hour in revenue for you to be worth them bringing you on.
If you are taking $12/hour from the company in wages, and by your work ethic and output are only bringing in $10/hour, you are a liability. You are a bad hire. You need to be fired.
If I were the manager of a McDonalds, I would ask the striking employees one question: "If I double your pay to $15/hour, will you double your productivity so that we see double profits coming in here?"
Then I would ask a second question. "If your productivity DOESN'T double, and therefore you are not earning $15/hour, will you consent to being fired?"
I would ask questions like, "In order to earn the $15/hour you are wanting me to pay you, are you going to provide such exceptional customer service that we see twice as many repeat customers in a given week? Will you make phone calls to friends and relatives and acquaintances to come eat at our restaurant, translating into double the profits? Will you double your efforts to clean the restrooms, clean the dining area, move twice as fast to get peoples' orders to them? Will you show up early for your shift and leave only when the job is done, regardless of the time? Will you go out and get customers, bringing in their dollars, so that I can be justified in paying you $15/hour?"
But that discussion will never take place. Why? Because America is an entitled nation. The workers demanding $15/hour, most likely, aren't even thinking about doubling their productivity and therefore EARNING $15/hour. The word "earn" isn't even on the table right now. The only word on the table now is "deserve."
There is no discussion about the true nature of things- that businesses hire people who will help and advance their business. They don't hire people in order to help them out. They hire people who will help them do business, help grow their business, and help them increase profits. If workers are taking more in payroll than they are generating in productivity, the business will go belly-up. There will be no more jobs for anyone. Businesses can only afford to hire people who will EXPAND their business.
So, again, I ask the question: who cares? If you can't live on $7.25/hour, work two jobs. Live simply. Find another job that pays more. You don't DESERVE anything. You EARN what you have. If you don't like what you are earning, make arrangements to earn more.
Like I said before, I've worked minimum-wage jobs. I hated them. That's why I don't work them anymore. But minimum-wage can't be based on what people need. It can only be based on what people earn. We have to slay this entitlement mentality that is growing like cancer in our society right now; it will destroy us as a culture and will rob us of the character-building first steps of employment that all of us have to take.
It was a hard job. I made minimum wage which was around $4.25/hour. I got $.75 per delivery (I guess they figured that covered gas, wear and tear on the car, etc) and tips, which didn't amount to much at all. I had to deal with people that didn't have the least amount of respect for the guy who showed up to deliver their pizza. I had to deal with traffic. I had to deal with all kinds of stuff.
I know that minimum-wage jobs are rough. That's why most of us try to find other lines of work to do. So, I'm not knocking the person working minimum-wage jobs.
I am, however, upset at the entitlement mentality I saw on the news yesterday.
The fast-food worker strike where workers were chanting, "We can't live on $7.25" was all over the news the other day. Now, I agree. It's tough to live on $7.25/hour. I'm not disagreeing at all.
But here is the question: who cares?
Before you get all angry at me for asking that question, let me back up and lay a foundation for what I mean. Here in America, we are shifting more and more to an entitlement mentality. For thirty years, we've been giving out participation trophies to kids who do little more than show up to practice and games. We've been promoting kids from grade to grade even when they couldn't do the work. We've been lavishing compliments and praise on kids and young adults for simply doing what they were supposed to do.
In other words, the word "earn" has been lost. It has been replaced with the word "deserve." Now, people don't earn things. They deserve things. And that was what was on display on the news.
These days, people don't earn a paycheck. They deserve a paycheck. And when that paycheck is less than what they "deserve", it is unjust. Never mind what they have earned. Now, it's simply all about what we deserve.
Nowhere in the news was there any discussion of workers doubling their workload, doubling their output, doubling their investment in their job so that they will EARN $15/hour. Folks, here is how the business world works:
A business wants to increase its profit margin. That's what good businesses do. Therefore, they look for people who, by hiring them on, will bring in MORE income than they are taking. For example, a worker that earns $7.25 an hour, after insurance, workers' comp, etc probably costs the business $12/hour. So, in order for that business to need you, you have to bring in more than $12/hour in revenue for you to be worth them bringing you on.
If you are taking $12/hour from the company in wages, and by your work ethic and output are only bringing in $10/hour, you are a liability. You are a bad hire. You need to be fired.
If I were the manager of a McDonalds, I would ask the striking employees one question: "If I double your pay to $15/hour, will you double your productivity so that we see double profits coming in here?"
Then I would ask a second question. "If your productivity DOESN'T double, and therefore you are not earning $15/hour, will you consent to being fired?"
I would ask questions like, "In order to earn the $15/hour you are wanting me to pay you, are you going to provide such exceptional customer service that we see twice as many repeat customers in a given week? Will you make phone calls to friends and relatives and acquaintances to come eat at our restaurant, translating into double the profits? Will you double your efforts to clean the restrooms, clean the dining area, move twice as fast to get peoples' orders to them? Will you show up early for your shift and leave only when the job is done, regardless of the time? Will you go out and get customers, bringing in their dollars, so that I can be justified in paying you $15/hour?"
But that discussion will never take place. Why? Because America is an entitled nation. The workers demanding $15/hour, most likely, aren't even thinking about doubling their productivity and therefore EARNING $15/hour. The word "earn" isn't even on the table right now. The only word on the table now is "deserve."
There is no discussion about the true nature of things- that businesses hire people who will help and advance their business. They don't hire people in order to help them out. They hire people who will help them do business, help grow their business, and help them increase profits. If workers are taking more in payroll than they are generating in productivity, the business will go belly-up. There will be no more jobs for anyone. Businesses can only afford to hire people who will EXPAND their business.
So, again, I ask the question: who cares? If you can't live on $7.25/hour, work two jobs. Live simply. Find another job that pays more. You don't DESERVE anything. You EARN what you have. If you don't like what you are earning, make arrangements to earn more.
Like I said before, I've worked minimum-wage jobs. I hated them. That's why I don't work them anymore. But minimum-wage can't be based on what people need. It can only be based on what people earn. We have to slay this entitlement mentality that is growing like cancer in our society right now; it will destroy us as a culture and will rob us of the character-building first steps of employment that all of us have to take.
Great post. I didn't think about the comparison to a nurse salary but you are right, not worth the same. This country has to get out of this mind set. If it doesn't, I'm afraid to see what will happen in the next couple of years.
ReplyDeleteI would just love to see a pledge on the part of the striking workers that they would produce $30/hour for McDonalds if they were paid $15/hour. I wish there were more statements of "earning" $15/hour instead of "deserving" $15/hour.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that entitlement is a huge issue in American culture, but I also think that a lot of people have it worse than you know. A lot of people really could work harder, get a second job, etc, but there are just as many people who seriously can't find a job because there aren't jobs out there. And there are McDonald's employees who work hard, who would work twice the hours if they could. But businesses like that purposefully limit the hours of each employee so that they don't have to pay out any sort of benefits.
ReplyDeleteNot to start a huge debacle or anything, I just think you should give a little more grace to people participating in a strike or asking for more wages. Because maybe that person does work two jobs and it's still not enough - even to cover rent/gas/food/actual necessities.