Labor Practices of the Fast Food Industry
Labor Practices of the Fast Food Industry Today, the fast food industry has been considered the source of many problems in society. From advertising to children to unfair labor practices and all the way to the common cause of obesity, the fast food industry seems to be the primary root of all these troubles despite what McDonald's may claim. But most importantly, the issue of labor practices within the fast food workplace has become a highly regarded subject for debate over the past decade for three distinct reasons. First, the fast food industry has the tendency to over work their workers. Secondly, the fast food industry usually does not adequately pay their employees. Lastly, many fast food restaurants do not provide any benefits for their workers. Therefore, the topic of labor practices in the fast food industry still stands strong as the number one controversy surrounding the real "fast food nation." In "Fast Food Nation" the author, Eric Schlosser, presents the harsh realities of the unfair labor practices of the fast food industry along with many other controversies. He first attacks the poor labor practices of the industry through a story about a teenage girl named Elisa. Through the use of Elisa, Schlosser is ab
Furthermore, the McDonald's homepage states that they are fully committed to the worker in order to help them reach managerial status and to the customer in order to make sure they leave with a smile. On the other hand, according to the McDonald's "People Promise," managerial benefits include health coverage for prescription drugs and accidental deaths, a 401(k), "McSave" bank accounts, a ten percent discount on child care, and finally, free or discounted meals when on the job (McDonald's). Sadly, the majority of restaurant crime is committed by current or former, disgruntled employees. On one end of the scale, the McDonald's corporation is proud to be the number one employer of minimum wage workers because they "value" each and every one of them individually. Worse yet is the fact that more fast food workers are murdered on the job than police officers in the United States per year. In turn, many of the managers at these establishments receive benefits such as paid vacation and sick leave for holding down the labor costs and keeping a tight schedule (Food Service Manager). As a result, the quality of workers has been declining over the past three decades. For example, a survey in 1992 showed that McDonald's workers' basic hourly wages were among the lowest 25 percent in the nation. As for the work schedule, many workers are urged to not punch in until the establishment becomes busy and on the other end of the spectrum, if the worker intends on staying overtime, he or she is told to punch out before cleaning up or staying later. In addition, there are still many workers that are happy with working at a fast food restaurant. As a result, all the tasks of the restaurant are broken up into small, repetitive bits requiring no skill or training, which allows the immigrants and elderly to be employed. le to show that the fast food industry aims to employ teenagers simply because they are easier to control due to their inexperience, they are cheaper than adults, and they are willing to accept lower pay (Pottinger). Contrarily, a study done by an Iowa State University student, Michael Benner, found that the majority of high school employees at McDonald's actually enjoy working there for numerous reasons such as it is easy money and there are not many other job opportunities in today's society for a student still enrolled in high school. In conclusion, the subject matter of labor practices within the fast food industry seems to have many opposing views.
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