Should fast-food workers be paid a minimum of $15/hr? This a question that has been frequently asked by many across the nation since November of 2012 when Fast Food Forward, an SEIU-funded coalition, organized their first strike. It caused many activist to stage protests and demand for higher pay and the formation of a union throughout 150 cities in America. There are many who support the movement and there are also many who don't. Some believe that changing the minimum wage of fast food workers to $15 will be a positive change, while others believe that the change will have negative consequences. I do not believe that the minimum wage for fast food workers should increase to $15. A $15 hourly pay for fast food workers will come with an increase in prices on food items, many people living in poverty will suffer, teenagers will be less motivated to pursue a successful career, and it will not be fair to those who do intense or skilled labor for the same hourly wage.
Paying workers $15 an hour would cause the prices of food items to go up. According to the Daily Signal, "certain popular fast food items or combos, such as the Big Mac meal and the taco bell 3 crunchy taco combo, would increase by $2 each. This means that the Big Mac meal would go from $5.69 to $7.69, overthrowing the purpose of it being cheap fast-food. An increase in prices will cause a decrease in sales. In the article, Higher Fast-Food Wages: Higher Fast-Food Prices by James Sherk, a chart is shown. The chart shows that profits for fast-food restaurants will decrease by 77 percent, sales and hours will decrease by 36 percent and prices will increase by 38 percent. This means that fast-food companies will lose millions of dollars and won't be able to even pay their employees $15 an hour therefore replacing them with machines. Some restaurants have already resorted to using machines. For example, Chili's a casual-dining food chain has placed tablets at every table where customers order their food and drinks and in a matter of minutes, what they have ordered through a screen appears at their table.