Why ask for Change? Wages and Hours in Fast Food

Who are we to ask for change?

From working hours to wages, we want change, yet who are we to ask for it?

All we do is work in fast food, a job that anyone can do!

Well, that’s not all true, not when you look at it from a truthful perspective. If you ask someone to come in and run the drive-thru with no training or understanding, how are they gonna get it done?

If you ask someone to man the grill, even with a day or two of training, how fast will they be? Will they run out of food in the cabinets?

Training in fast food can be grueling, as it is on-the-job and many of the employees are less than willing to accommodate your newness or help you, and many managers will ignore your need for help entirely, expecting you to learn and understand on your own.

Yet, when it comes down to it, who are we to ask for those few dollars more an hour to sustain our lives?

People tend to look at fast food as a simplistic job, capable of being done by anyone, but that isn’t true either, now, is it?

No, we slip, we fall, we carry and operate heavy boxes and equipment while maneuvering around others constantly. We have to perfect how we work, or we end up falling behind and deal with heavy reprimanding and the possibility of cut hours and even loss of job if it isn’t fixed fast enough.

But why should we want our hours fixed to work better? Why would we not want to wake up at 3 a.m. or get home at 2 a.m.?

What purpose is there that these places stay open until past midnight, or open so early in the morning? Nobody comes in after 11. Nobody wakes up at 4 and thinks “Hey I want to get some fast food!” I don’t see a soul until at least 5:30-6 when I work mornings. I didn’t see more than one person trying to get food after 10:30-11! But that doesn’t matter, because the greed of those higher than us trumps how late we need to be awake, or how early. No, we need that one extra sale.

So, again, who are we to ask for more wages?

We work in tough, fast-paced conditions that require ample training and practice to do properly. We carry heavy equipment, large boxes and work with chemicals constantly to clean, restock and more, going so far as to use and maneuver with them around other people who are as susceptible to getting harmed as we are. There is constant yelling from both management and customers, regardless of fault and blame being on us or not, and there are many who work there that get treated like dirt the whole time they’re there. On top of it, some of us are in such a position in life that we had to sink ourselves into debt to pay for things as a result of the working conditions and less-than-commendable pay. Sometimes, we even get second jobs in other places doing the same things to make ends meet.

So, why should we be the ones to want higher wages?

More like why shouldn’t we?