October, 15 2013, 12:00am EDT
Low Wages Paid by Fast-Food Companies Cost the Nation Nearly $7 Billion Annually
The public cost of low-wage fast-food jobs in Illinois is fourth highest in the nation
CHICAGO
Chicago fast food workers and fellow members of the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago were joined today by Senator Jacqueline Collins of the 16th District, Rev. C.J. Hawking, Action Now Executive Director Katelyn Johnson, and representatives from the Heartland Alliance to react to the UC Berkeley report "Fast Food, Poverty Wages: The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the Fast-Food Industry." They also reacted to a companion report by the National Employment Law Project that breaks down the Berkeley data to show how much low-wage jobs cost the public at each of the 10 top fast food corporations. Workers and allies convened at the iconic Rock & Roll McDonald's to speak out on the reports' findings and called for accountability.
"The findings in this report are surprising. Taxpayers should not bear the burden of low wages when corporations like McDonald's make billions in profits," said Senator Collins, who joined the workers at the protest. "Fast-food workers deserve a livable wage that will not cost Illinois taxpayers $368 million dollars per year in public assistance programs. Our economy cannot grow unless hard-working families earn enough to live above the poverty line. I am calling for immediate hearings to investigate the public cost of low wage work."
The Berkeley study also includes a breakdown by state that reveals low-wage, no-benefit fast-food jobs in Illinois cost taxpayers $368 million annually. The public cost of low-wage fast-food jobs in Illinois was among the fourth highest in the nation.
"It's so stressful working for a minimum wage when I have children at home," said Julia Morocho, a mother of three and a McDonald's employee. "I work and struggle too hard to have to depend on Link card or any government help just to get by. I want my kids to learn the value of hard work for fair wages. It's not fair that I work for one of the richest corporations on earth and I still live in poverty."
In the Chicago area there are 275,000 low wage fast food and retail workers. An adult with one child needs to make $20.86 an hour working full time in the Chicago area just to afford the basics, according to a model developed by a professor at MIT. Nationally, the median wage for cooks, cashiers and crew at fast-food restaurants is just $8.94 an hour. In Chicago a fast food employee working the average hours per week and making the median wage would only earn $11,318 a year.
Fast-food companies have said that their low-wage jobs are stepping stones to better ones, but that couldn't be further from the truth. A report released this year by the National Employment Law Project reveals managerial positions make up just 2.2% of all jobs in the industry, proving that fast food jobs are not the "launching pad" industry officials would like Americans to believe. Likewise, the industry's claim that its workers are teenagers is simply not backed by fact. The median age in the fast-food industry is older than 28 and more than one-quarter of fast-food workers are raising at least one child.
"If fast-food workers earned a living wage they would be able to stand on their own feet and invest in their communities," said Action Now Executive Director Katelyn Johnson. "The health of Chicago neighborhoods would directly benefit from earning a fair wage. Taxpayer money could be better invested in revitalizing our neighborhoods, our schools, and our social programs. If companies keep paying workers as little as they can get away with, the economy will never get moving again. It's ridiculous that corporate fast food is draining money out of families and their communities."
"The high public cost of these low-wage, no benefits jobs is paid by taxpayers for the benefit of the corporations' bottom line," said Wendy Pollack, Director of the Women's Law and Policy Project at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. "Think about that the next time you order from the dollar menu."
Hundreds of members of WOCC have gone out on strike three times this year. Workers have been enthusiastically welcomed back by their coworkers as they returned to work, accompanied by clergy and community supporters, in the days following the strikes. Inspired by their courage and success in winning raises and other workplace victories following the strikes, hundreds of workers have since joined WOCC across chicago.
LATEST NEWS
Calls for De-Escalation Mount as Israel Plans to 'Exact a Price From Iran'
"Now is the time for restraint and diplomacy, not more unconditional support for military escalation," said one advocate.
Apr 14, 2024
Since Iran on Saturday sent hundreds of drones and missiles—which were mostly shot down—toward Israel to retaliate for an Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria, anti-war voices around the world have called for de-escalation efforts.
"We are deeply concerned that Iranian retaliatory strikes following Israel's April 1 attack on its diplomatic compound in Damascus will move the region even further from the path to peace and security," said Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council. "The launch of a significant attack on Israeli territory from Iran is without recent precedent and, unless there is a serious effort towards deconfliction, may confirm that Iran, Israel, and the United States are in the midst of the regional war that so many have feared."
"We call on the Biden administration to exercise the United States' considerable diplomatic leverage to restrain Israel and Iran to ensure this conflict does not spiral further out of control," he continued. "Far too many innocents have already suffered in the war that began October 7, and the cycle of violence and inhumanity must be broken."
"What's at stake is nothing less than stopping a regionwide war in the Middle East, which the United States would surely be drawn into."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel with an assault of the Gaza Strip called plausibly genocidal by the International Court of Justice. Israeli forces have killed at least 33,729 people, wounded 76,371 more, and obliterated civilian infrastructure, displacing most of the 2.3 million Palestinians who live in the besieged enclave.
Blasting Iran's Saturday attack on Israel as "another unacceptable turn in a dangerous escalation spiral," Win Without War executive director Sara Haghdoosti said that and U.S. President Joe Biden and senior administration officials "must use all their diplomatic heft and leverage to prevent further violence."
"What's at stake is nothing less than stopping a regionwide war in the Middle East, which the United States would surely be drawn into. There are no military solutions to this crisis—only diplomatic ones," she stressed. "The Israeli government's destructive and failing campaign in Gaza has driven violent instability throughout the Middle East, which was further exacerbated by Prime Minister Netanyahu's reckless attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus. And the Iranian government's own inexcusable retaliation, which we utterly condemn, has put the lives of people across the region—including communities in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran—at terrible risk."
While repeatedly urging the the Israel Defense Forces to more precisely target militants in Gaza over the past six months, the Biden administration has also opposed multiple United Nations cease-fire resolution and sent more weapons to Israeli troops while pushing for a support package worth more than $14 billion—on top of the $3.8 billion in annual military aid that the United States gives to Netanyahu's government.
"Preventing a regional war must be the top imperative and this may mean that Joe Biden must finally say 'no' to Israel and Netanyahu," argued Abdi. "Biden's bearhug approach towards Israel has completely failed and has put the U.S. at the risk of entering a war of choice—Netanyahu's choice. Israel launched a military attack on a diplomatic compound, violating international law and all but guaranteeing an Iranian response."
"Netanyahu appears eager to extend and expand the disastrous war in Gaza and draw the U.S. into a regional war and, by continually abetting the war and enabling Israel's worst instincts, Biden may have granted Netanyahu's wish," he said. "Now is the time for restraint and diplomacy, not more unconditional support for military escalation. President Biden must put his foot down to do what's necessary to prevent further military engagement between Israel and Iran and to demand a cease-fire to end the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza."
Israel this weekend fended off most of the Iranian drones and missiles with help from Jordan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Benny Gantz—a member of the Israeli War Cabinet with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—said Sunday that his nation now intends to "build a regional coalition and exact a price from Iran, in a way and at a time that suits us."
Biden publicly reaffirmed "America's ironclad commitment to the security of Israel" but a White House official also confirmed to Reuters that during a call with Netanyahu, the president made clear the U.S. will not join any military offensives against Iran.
Denouncing the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' retaliation against Israel, Center for International Policy president and CEO Nancy Okail said Sunday that "escalatory actions by both countries threaten to fan the flames of conflict throughout the region, endangering the lives of millions."
"We appreciate the apparent advance diplomatic efforts by the United States and others behind the scenes—as well U.S., U.K., and Jordanian participation in air defense measures—to minimize the impact of Iran's attack," she continued. "Prioritizing civilian protection and de-escalation was clearly the right approach and should continue to serve as the international community's objectives in the critical days and weeks ahead."
Okail emphasized that "achieving those goals requires not only arresting the escalation of violence between Israel and Iran, but securing a cease-fire in Gaza that halts the killing of civilians, releases the hostages, allows vital humanitarian aid to actually reach those who need it, and lowers tensions in the region. The continued unconditional supply to the Netanyahu government of the arms it is using in Gaza undermines those objectives, as well as U.S. and international law."
"Netanyahu's repeated disregard of U.S. red lines in Gaza, moves to deepen permanent occupation in the Palestinian territory, and escalation with Iran are destabilizing the entire region," she added. "With American forces already drawn into hostilities with the Iranian-backed Houthis and actively engaging Iranian missiles and drones, President Biden cannot afford to let the extremist prime minister continue to have a harmful, undue influence on the course of events. Hopefully, the president's efforts have averted a wider regional war with Iran; we urge him to bring that same level of effort to save the people of Gaza."
Trita Parsi, an expert on Iran and the Middle East and EVP at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said that "if you give Biden (deservingly) credit for having helped prevent the region from falling off the cliff last night, you must also give him credit for helping bring the region to the edge of the cliff in the first place by refusing to restrain Israel and blocking a cease-fire."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Major Media Outlets Urge Biden, Trump to Commit to 2024 Debates
"There is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation."
Apr 14, 2024
After Tuesday previews by CNN and The New York Times, a dozen major U.S. news outlets on Sunday called on Democratic President Joe Biden, who is seeking reelection, and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, to agree now to debate each other.
Although the presidential primary season is ongoing, the two historically unpopular candidates have already secured enough delegates to receive their parties' nominations at the conventions this summer. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) last year announced the date, time, and location of three debates scheduled for September and October.
"With the contours of the 2024 general election now coming into clear focus, we—the undersigned national news organizations—urge the presumptive presidential nominees to publicly commit to participating in general election debates before November's election," says the joint letter signed by ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, NewsNation, NBC News, Noticias Univision, NPR, PBS NewsHour, and USA Today.
"General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years."
"General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years, dating to 1976," they wrote. "In each of those elections, tens of millions have tuned in to watch the candidates debating side by side, in a competition of ideas for the votes of American citizens."
The news organizations noted that "though it is too early for invitations to be extended to any candidates, it is not too early for candidates who expect to meet the eligibility criteria to publicly state their support for—and their intention to participate in—the commission's debates planned for this fall."
"If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high," the letter concludes. "Amidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation."
In a Thursday letter to CPD leaders acknowledging the media organizations' call, Trump's campaign wrote that "the commission must move up the timetable of its proposed 2024 debates to ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting, and we would argue for adding more debates in addition to those on the currently proposed schedule."
"We have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace, anywhere—and the time to start these debates is now," the campaign letter adds. This, despite the Republican National Committee's 2022 withdrawal from the CPD.
At a Saturday rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, Trump stood next to a podium with a sign that said "anytime, anywhere, anyplace" and renewed his call for Biden to debate him. The twice-impeached former president—who faces four ongoing criminal cases—has a track record of defying debate rules.
As ABC Newsdetailed Sunday:
Biden has mostly avoided commenting publicly on engaging in debate with Trump. Asked following his State of the Union address in March if he would commit to one, Biden remarked to ABC News: "It depends on his behavior."
"Well, if I were him, I'd want to debate me too," Biden said earlier in March, after Trump challenged him to debate "anytime, anywhere, anyplace."
"He's got nothing else to do," Biden added.
The Times reported earlier this week that "the Biden campaign has not ruled out agreeing to the debates, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions, who requested anonymity to share details intended to be private. But the campaign does not see an advantage to publicly committing to participate this early in the year, the person said."
Trump declined to participate in the Republican primary debates this cycle and Democrats didn't hold any, despite protests from longshot candidates. In 2020, there were only two presidential debates; a third was canceled after Trump tested positive for Covid-19 and refused to shift to a remote format.
In February, Ralph Nader, who has run for president as an Independent, suggested holding presidential debates in major cities and swing states, writing in a Common Dreams opinion piece that "unlike the one-shoe-fits-all model of the CPD, this proposal would provide a greater variety of debate formats and reflect national issues by the moderators but also regional issues."
"The proverbial named 'empty seat' for no-show candidates would be visible to millions of TV viewers if an invited candidate declined to participate," he argued. "All that is needed to make these debates happen is for the mayor and city council in each city to establish a representative host committee to organize the details of when, where, and how these debates are to be planned."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Abortion Rights Supporters Rally in Florida Ahead of Ballot Measure Vote
"There is no medical reason for abortion bans and there is no medical reason for the government to be forcing their way into our exam rooms," said one doctor.
Apr 14, 2024
Supporters of a Florida ballot measure that would outlaw pre-viability abortion bans kicked off the "Yes on 4" campaign in Orlando on Saturday, after the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the proposed amendment can be considered in November.
Abortion care patients, their partners, healthcare providers, and pro-choice politicians were among those who gathered in Lake Eola Park to express support for the proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution.
The Orlando Sentinelreported that Danielle Tallafuss spoke through tears about her decision to get an abortion in 2020 after a scan at around 20 weeks revealed a heart defect that would require multiple surgeries before age 2, if the child, whom she named Nathaniel, even lived that long.
"It was a decision we made out of love, compassion, and doing what was best not just for the son we already had at home, but for Nathaniel, who would have had to suffer through treatments that most adults wouldn't be able to handle before he could even take his first steps," Tallafuss said.
According toReuters:
Derick Cook, a Florida resident, described how his wife finally got pregnant after multiple miscarriages. But a complication at 16 weeks meant her fetus would not survive and threatened her life. Florida had enacted a 15-week abortion limit a few weeks before.
"The doctor told us that because of the ban, there was nothing he could do to help," Cook said, even though the law allows abortions when the mother's life is at risk.
Cook's wife, Anya, delivered the fetus in a hair salon the next day and nearly died at the hospital from blood loss, he said.
On the same day that Florida's right-wing Supreme Court greenlighted the ballot measure earlier this month it also upheld the state's 15-week abortion ban—and effectively approved a more recent law banning most abortions after six weeks, before many people even know they are pregnant. The stricter policy is set to take effect May 1.
The court's early-April decision to let Floridians weigh in on abortion rights "underscores the crucial role of Florida's ballot initiative process, which provides voters an important opportunity to take the reins when politicians aren't representing our interests," Yes on 4 campaign director Lauren Brenzel said earlier this month.
"Polls have consistently shown well over 60% of Florida voters support limiting government intrusion in the personal healthcare decision of accessing abortion care," she pointed out. Notably, the measure needs that percent of support to pass.
"The fact is, we can never know what someone else is going through—we're not in their shoes. That's why we must vote 'yes' on this amendment: to keep government out of our exam rooms and make sure Florida families and the doctors who treat them can make the decisions that are right for them," she added.
As Dr. Marian Sampson, an OB-GYN with Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, told the Sentinel, "Trust me when I say there is no medical reason for abortion bans and there is no medical reason for the government to be forcing their way into our exam rooms and standing between me and my patients."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a failed Republican presidential candidate, signed both the 15- and six-week bans. He was unable to run a primary campaign that could compete with former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP candidate to face President Joe Biden in November.
Trump kicked off this week by highlighting his role in reversing Roe v. Wade—appointing three right-wing U.S. Supreme Court justices willing to erase nearly half a century of abortion rights—and endorsing state-level ban efforts over a federal prohibition. He then said Friday that a nationwide policy is long longer needed "because we broke Roe v. Wade."
Biden, meanwhile, has faced some criticism for comments on abortion, but his reelection campaign has also emphasized his support for reproductive freedom, sometimes using statements from First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Donald Trump is the architect of this healthcare crisis. And that is not a fact by the way that he hides. In fact, he brags about it," Harris said Friday. "Here's what a second Trump term looks like. More bans, more suffering, and less freedom. Just like he did in Arizona, he basically wants to take America back to the 1800s. But we are not going to let that happen."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular