Fast Food Workers deserve to make minimum wage or slightly above because it's one of the most basic jobs. I worked at wendy's a few years ago and I got paid 2.00 over minimum wage at the time (when I was crew). I work as an Engineer now, and Fast Food is not easy work like many would have you believe. But it's basic work and you should get paid accordingly.

If you raise fast food workers jobs. Inevitably managers that are getting paid 15 dollars are going to want to get paid more because they're in higher skilled positions. It's either going to cause inflation, or you're going to go out of business because your competitors can pay less in labor and drop prices etc.

You can't live on a minimum wage by yourself but you're not supposed to. Either work 2 jobs, or share an apartment. You're supposed to advance which is easy enough, I got promoted to manager when I was 18 because I worked hard and then got paid more, You shouldn't be set at an entry level job.

no you can't train a chimp to do their job, my personal opinion:

the entire U.S is a piece of shit in the way it pays people, NOBODY CAN LIVE ON MINIMUM WAGE AND MAKE A LIVING, the minimum wage being under 10 an hour is ridicoulous

I would rather see them make much more than minimum, but not raising the whole min wage. As that would restrict me from hiring people.

There used to be restrictions that the person making the most at the company couldn't be like 15 times more than the lowest - Japan actually is closer to things like that. But the USA it can be closer to 5000+ as some top level managers give themselves HUGE bonuses.

I think there should be restrictions on all publicly traded companies that the top and bottom person can't be like more than 20 times (more or less, but no higher than 50 times) what someone else in the company makes. They are all part of the same team, and the way it's set up looks more like the old Pharaohs in Egypt where the people that the top have more money than anyone could possibly ever need.

Startbucks does a better job at giving full benefits, as does Cosco, Microsoft and In N Out Burger. Even Google gave it's all employes bonuses when it made a huge profit last year. It can be done and the company and still be mega successful.

It very badly organized and its mostly just demonstrations outside a few selcet locations.  You can't expect people that barely make more then minimum wage to have a well organized strike.  Well organized stikes are usually made by people that really don't need a raise.

There is no way they would get close to what they are asking anway even if it was a well organized strike with massive public support.  No worker strike has ever resulted in an almost doubleing of wages.

I have worked in the food industry for my entire career. Its easy work with onsite training that anyone can do. Since the economy has taken a turn for the worse the average age of employees at my restaraunt has risen as there are more college kids who cant find good jobs so now we hire them instead of highschool kids. People shouldn't be in the restaurant business for careers or for the rest of their lives unless they expect to own one someday. Its a basic job that requires basic skills, it should be used as a stepping stone for other jobs. With that being said, many managers and hard workers at fast food chains make good money and get benifits. I know I once thought of switching to working at McDs because they pay their managers well (and often managers end up buying franchises). If we take away all entry level jobs, how will people get into the job market? I have had many employees go on to get great jobs after college and showing that they held a job at a compnay for 3-6 years and worked well. In fact many got hired due to their commintent to working for us for a period of time anf not job hopping.

Edit: You mention starbucks, but it looks like their pay is similar to McD's, except that their managers probably make less due to McD's locations haveing greater revenue. Couldn't find the best info, but here is what i could find (i didn't log into it with facebook so i couldn't see all the numbers.

http://www.glassdoor.com/Hourly-Pay/Starbucks-Hourly-Pay-E2202.htm

http://www.glassdoor.com/Hourly-Pay/McDonald-s-Hourly-Pay-E432.htm

If you can find better info please let me know.

Edit 2: Sorry one more thought, if these workers get paid too much, they may just loose their jobs to machines. I know right now at my work we are getting ready to get some new equiptment to make and portion our pizza dough because its no longer cost effective to have emplyees do it. I am sure a company like McD's can get more things autopmated too. Its just their is no need yet.

I'm not totally unsympathetic, either. I want everyone to live well. I just think it has to be earned and not handed to you. What's the point of doing well in school if you can just go to the local fast food joint and live the rest of your life in comfort? I just know a lot of people in my town that work in my local McDonald's and aside from the high school kids and a couple of older people (at least two of which I know did drugs), the employees are dropouts and ex-cons. My cousin used to work at that same McDonald's years ago and he'd tell me how hard he worked, mopping floor and cleaning bathrooms while most of the employees did the bare minimum. One of his classmates is STILL there, a decade later. Meanwhile, my cousin makes a good living as the maintenance man of his upscale apartment complex. He went to school, learned a trade, and now he's doing better for himself because he put that effort in.

You're young.  You'll learn.  The world will teach you.

People shouldn't be living off of min wage jobs. they are entry levels jobs. not careers.

Starbucks offers much better benefits then MCD on top of that they can also earn tips.