The Daily BuzzMcDonald’s tells employees to go to church, sing and sell things to get by
A new video by a group protesting low pay for fast food workers lambastes the advice McDonald's gives its struggling employees, including to sell possessions online and "quit complaining."
The fast food chain's McResource Line doles out health and financial advice to its 1.8 million low-wage employees, including instructions for obtaining food stamps and tips for eating healthy. However, like McDonald's employee budget released this summer, the resource seems to highlight how poor of a deal these workers have, earning on average $7.75 an hour, rather than providing any useful help.
The group Low Pay Is Not OK pointed out several months ago that McDonald's sample budget assumed workers had two incomes, put heating costs at zero dollars and allotted only $600 a month to mortgage costs — a tiny sum for anyone living in an urban centre.
On Tuesday, the group released another video criticizing McDonald's happy-go-lucky advice to its workers, many of whom struggle to make ends meet, to go on vacation and "quit complaining" to lower stress hormones.
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The company's holiday debt advice in particular has led to some damning press coverage. For example, consider McDonald's suggestions for employees trying to clamber out of debt after the holidays:
On a short term basis, do whatever it takes to dig out from your holiday debt. You may want to consider returning some of your unopened purchases that may not seem as appealing as they did. Selling some of your unwanted possessions on eBay or Craigslist could bring in some quick cash. Consider bringing a brown bag lunch and skipping the takeout, renting free videos from the library, or giving up your gym membership. You might also consider a temporary part time job to dig out of debt quickly.
When a company is advising its own employees to find a second job, it's no wonder many of them rallied in the streets this year, protesting for wages of at least $15 an hour for fast food workers.
A shift in the population that makes up minimum-wage earners has also exacerbated the problem; nearly half in this low-income group is comprised of adult women, according to CNN.
According to a story by Slate from August, more than a quarter of U.S. fast food employees have one or more children.
