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From: orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: US statistics
Message-ID: <591@whuts.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Mar-86 08:56:29 EST
Article-I.D.: whuts.591
Posted: Tue Mar 25 08:56:29 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Mar-86 09:17:20 EST
References: <2013@psuvax1.UUCP> <7801143@inmet>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 42

> 
> [cramer@kontron.UUCP]
> >> > America, there are few
> >> > jobs anymore that pay minimum wage.  A lot of burger chains out here
> >> > are starting kids at $3.50/hour.
> 
> >>    Yes, Clayton, you're right.  After all, minimum wage is currently $4.35/
> >> hour.  So getting $3.50/hr is a real privilege, isn't it?
> 
> >Minimum wage is $3.35/hour.  Shows how much you know about this.
> 
> Near my home there's a McDonald's. They start kids  at  $4.75  an
> hour  plus  various  perks. You can work from 1 to 5 days a week,
> any time you like.  They are always looking for personnel.  Their
> ads  promise  "Fun,  Friends  and Flexible hours". Unemployment ?
> It's got to be voluntary.
> 
> 			Jan Wasilewsky

I went to work for a McDonald's for one week when I was in high school.
The McDonald's opened and recruited tens of local high school students
to work.  I went to their propaganda training session and later I
worked for one day.  Then they said they would call me when they
needed me.  As they had vastly overhired, they never did call me.
If I had pressed the point I suppose I might have been able to work
for one day a week at a minimum wage with no sick pay, vacation pay,
health benefits or retirement benefits.  Other high school students
never worked at all, those that did worked about one day a week.
 
I cannot speak for McDonald's now, and it depends greatly on
the local employment situation as far as how many jobs are
actually available and how many hours one could actually work.
But I think it is quite reasonable to say that, *at best*, this
type of job (*if* available) offers a future in poverty which
will be most unattractive to the laid-off steelworker with
a house and family to support.
 
I think we can offer admittedly hard-working Americans who are
laid-off now and will be laid-off in droves in the future from
automation and foreign competition  a future better than that!
 
         tim sevener  whuxn!orb