Reader: Fast-Food Workers Who Want $15 Per Hour Are Clueless About Costs

Our recent post about rallies by Denver fast-food workers calling for a $15 per-hour wage spurred both support and opposition to this demand. Here's a post by someone who thinks the economics simply don't work. See also: Photos: Denver Fast-Food Workers Demand $15 Per Hour Wages, Union Rights...

By Michael Roberts

December 11, 2014

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Our recent post about rallies by Denver fast-food workers calling for a $15 per-hour wage spurred both support and opposition to this demand. Here's a post by someone who thinks the economics simply don't work.

fitzbim writes:

My wife manages a fast food restaurant and let me clue you in to something. Each time they get an invoice, ALL food items go up in price. In the course of the last year there has been about a 30% overall hike in food cost to the store. They have only raised prices to consumers by about 5% so that those people can still have a job. Her company still offers health care to their employees as well. The managers don't make what these people think they deserve in many cases and if they do make that $15 or more it's because they have been managing for 20 plus years.

These people have no clue how these stores are ran or how much it costs to run them. The company even went as far as restructuring the corporate staff, they now make less and there are less of them, so these people can still have a job to complain about.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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