Opinion

Fast-Food wage follies

We need to rein in the corruption of big government tied to big unions, such as the Service Employees International Union, which is now organizing young fast-food workers with the unconscionable notion of doubling their entry-level minimum wage (“The Burger Wars,” Editorial, Aug. 31).
This will hurt the small-business franchises of McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell — and all ­the ­others.
Apple Valley, Calif.
Any governmentally imposed standard in excess of an amount determined by a free and open marketplace constitutes a broad-based hidden tax — politicians’ favorite kind of levy.
This sub-rosa tax is paid by customers through higher prices, by employers through reduced earnings and by taxpayers, who will have to provide more to fund the safety-net social benefits for workers displaced as employers cut back or resort to automation to reduce costs.

The unintended consequences of such political meddling with the free market are less productive economic activity and prosperity.
Bob Foys, Chicago
Absent from the controversy about higher wages is the view that the unions are trying to hijack these jobs and make them into something they shouldn’t.
These low-wage jobs permit those starting out to gain employment and a paycheck and plan for a better career.
The wage structure also permits the fast-food chains to produce meals that many people can afford.
If we look at Detroit, we can see how unreasonable wages serve ­­a city.
Gene Sullivan, Manhattan

In light of the new labor activism and ObamaCare costs, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know the fast-food industry will innovate and automate and eliminate a vast amount of the human labor ­required to provide its product to the retail ­customer.
Steve Weissbard, Stony Brook
Businesses are started for one reason: to make money — not to create jobs. Job-creation is a by-product of a business start-up.

Wages are a cost to a business and therefore are intentionally kept as low as possible.
The workforce must make itself valuable to a company’s bottom line. It would be great if every floor sweeper and dish washer could make $25 an hour, but it’s just not in the cards.
The reason people spend years and megabucks on education is so they can make themselves worth a higher wage.

Doubling the minimum wage will force companies to get by with fewer employees — they will not just double their employee cost and eat up their profits. Remember, that’s why they started a business.

Child labor, 12-hour work days and working seven days a week were issues that needed to be dealt with, but labor unions have long since outlived their worth. Their demands on the auto industry are a perfect example of the unions’ destruction.

Public-sector unions have municipalities confronting bankruptcy all across the country, and they also have corrupt politicians agreeing to demands that are just not sustainable.

The hamburger flippers may protest, they may go on strike, but if they wind up at $15 an hour, businesses will close — or burgers could end up costing $12.50 each.
Dickie Benzie, Charlotte, NC