Haven't seen any one day work stoppages here by fast food workers, but I've been very interested to see the press that this sort of protest has been getting in the US.
The federal minimum wage in the US is $7.40 an hour, considerably below thatn the $10.15 Quebec legislates. But it still can't be easy to live a decent life on that. Do the math: 40 hours a week at 52 weeks a year works out to somewhat more than $21,000 in Quebec. In the US $7.40 would amount to about $15,000. Try raising a familly on that, or paying for child care, or keeping a car on that. Or for that matter, buying Big Macs on a regular basis: at $4.56 US, buying one a day would cost $1,664.40 US, or more than 10 per cent of a Macdo worker's gross annual wage.
Wouldn't we be a lot better off to pay our workers better and may be eat a little healthier too?
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One thing that always astounds me is the large drive-through McDo one short block north of the Jean-Talon Market. Passing by there, I often see drivers in obviously expensive cars and trucks queueing to buy that dubious "food" from minimum-wage workers.
Not that workers at the market necessarily earn any more, though they don't seem as tightly controlled. There is so much good food available less than five minutes' walk from there. Perhaps the McDo customers are time-poor? Or actually prefer that stuff?
And yes, in many US locations, and even in suburbs here, many McDo workers need a car. I don't understand how they could possibly afford one on that wage, and not all are working full time.
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