By Attorney Nadim Tarabishy of Hartford Legal Group
FAST FOOD WORKERS ACROSS THE NATION ARE PROTESTING FOR A NEW AND MUCH HIGHER MINIMUM WAGE OF $15.00 PER HOUR. THIS WEEK, IN CONNECTICUT ALONE, THERE ARE PROTESTS TAKING PLACE IN MANCHESTER, HARTFORD, WEST HAVEN AND BEYOND. PROTESTS ARE CENTERED AT MCDONALD'S AND SUBWAY RESTAURANTS- PERHAPS APPROPRIATELY SO AS THESE TWO CORPORATE GIANTS HAVE GROWN TO BECOME TWO OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE, ICONIC JUNK-FOOD DESTINATIONS.
THE FAST FOOD STRIKES ARE A BIG DEAL BECAUSE THE MASSES ARE RISING AGAINST THE CORPORATION’S PROFIT-MAXIMIZING MACHINERY TO DEMAND MORE. FAST FOOD WORKERS ARE POINTING OUT THAT THEY CANNOT SURVIVE OFF THE PALTRY MINIMUM WAGES THAT SO MANY OF THEM ARE RECEIVING, AND THAT THE CORPORATIONS AND FRANCHISEES THAT THEY WORK FOR CAN AND SHOULD PAY SOME OF THEIR PROFITS FORWARD IN THE FORM OF HIGHER WAGES.
THE FAST FOOD STRIKES ARE A BIG DEAL BECAUSE THE MASSES ARE RISING AGAINST THE CORPORATION’S PROFIT-MAXIMIZING MACHINERY TO DEMAND MORE. FAST FOOD WORKERS ARE POINTING OUT THAT THEY CANNOT SURVIVE OFF THE PALTRY MINIMUM WAGES THAT SO MANY OF THEM ARE RECEIVING, AND THAT THE CORPORATIONS AND FRANCHISEES THAT THEY WORK FOR CAN AND SHOULD PAY SOME OF THEIR PROFITS FORWARD IN THE FORM OF HIGHER WAGES.
Unfortunately, I believe that the fast food strikes will yield limited effect in Connecticut.
Right now the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Some states provide for a greater minimum wage, while others simply defer to the federal law, the Fair Labor Standards Act. For employers paying their employees the federal minimum wage, an increase in pay rate to $15.00 per hour would represent over a 100% increase in wage costs. Such a change is drastic – and apart from a more daring, publicity-seeking franchisee, no employer is going to willingly damage their bottom line so badly. If we the public could come together and boycott fast food restaurants until they increased their workers’ pay then they would be forced to do so - but let’s be honest, that’s not going to happen.
That means the only other entities that can satisfy the demands of the fast food strikers are our state and federal law makers.
At the federal level President Obama has been championing raising the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour. Thus far he has had little success. Opponents argue that a higher minimum wage would hurt small businesses and limit job growth. Unfortunately, at this point in history I feel it is fair to say that we the public do not expect our Federal government to achieve anything quickly, especially not something with as far-reaching implications as increasing the federal minimum wage.
The challenge is thus left to the states. In Connecticut the minimum wage is $8.25 per hour. On June 6, 2013, Connecticut's Governor Malloy signed legislation setting Connecticut’s minimum wage to increase to $8.70 per hour effective January 1, 2014, and $9.00 per hour effective January 1, 2015. Given that our state minimum wage has been recently addressed, state law-makers are unlikely to try to bump minimum wage any further in 2014 or 2015.
At the very least, the fast food strikes have had the immediate effect of raising awareness and prompting public discourse. Undoubtedly minimum wage discussions are proliferating throughout the nation. As students return to class this fall, teachers will be prompting minimum wage discussions in their classrooms, minimum-wage earners will be hoping and praying for an increase, any increase, in pay at night, and lawyers who love $1.00 medium sized ice coffees and the occasional cake-soft melt-in-your-mouth McDouble will be forced to pause, if only for a brief moment to contemplate, What If?
Hopefully some of the states that provide for only the federal minimum-wage will take the fast food strikes as a wake-up call to move things forward a little bit towards President Obama’s goal of $9.00 per hour, but unless a corporate actor finds a marketable and profitable way to pay its employees $15.00 per hour it just is not going to happen any time soon.