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I don't have a discussion on minimum wage, but these automation systems have nothing to do with whatever the minimum wage is. It's a case of getting the technology available more than anything else. If it were available 20 years ago, we'd have had this discussion then. The whole minimum wage argument merely gives them the cover to do what they would have done anyway.
I agree. Trying to tie this to increases in minimum wage is just BS tactic to keep wage costs down for business in general. Its not like McDonalds is struggling to stay afloat without culling staff. If the tech was available sooner and it was cheaper than the current wage it would have been implemented sooner. Business will do what's best for senior management's bonuses and shareholders more than what's in the best interest of their employees. Introducing technology to reduce the costs of lawyers and doctors and bankers, etc would be better for society (imo) than the minimum wage market. These workers cant lower their wage demands to compete and where are the replacement jobs going to be for them. Its inevitable though and governments need to take this into consideration for future policy. Service workers today, career workers down the track.
I read about a study they did of millennials and how they much prefer to deal with automation than real service people. Well, I guess they are going to grow up and compete in a society with the consequences of that. Lots of people wont give a stuff about the service workers losing their jobs, but you can bet your arse if their company brought in AI/automation/offshore workers to start replacing jobs at their company dept they would be screaming for support.
I am skeptical about how severe kiosk impact will be. Look at ATMs. We still have bank tellers. Personally, I prefer to deal with a human. Same thing with self checkout registers.
Kiosks were inevitable anyway. Just as robots are inevitable in manufacturing, which is why there will be fewer manufacturing jobs no matter what Trump does. Given a choice, employers will usually choose to interact with machines over people. Machines don't ask for benefits or raises and they aren't late for work. Why do you think there are half as many human tellers at banks than there used to be? Tellers always were and always will be poorly paid and still they were replaced with ATMs.
Although it's not just liberals who are for it. Arizona, Colorado, and Maine voters approved increases.
And it's being claimed that the minimum wage increase in Seattle was a success
"The unemployment rate in the city of Seattle – the tip of the spear when it comes to minimum wage experiments – has now hit a new cycle low of 3.4%, as the city continues to thrive. I’m not sure what else there is to say at this point. The doomsayers were wrong. The sky has not fallen. The restaurant business, by all accounts, is booming (in fact, probably reaching a saturation point when one looks at eateries per capita). I think it’s safe to say we’ve got enough data – over almost two years now – to declare that Seattle has not suffered adverse consequences from its increases in the minimum wage, and has certainly not experienced the dire effects foretold by the anti-min wage crowd. Seattle Minimum Wage Experiment is Over - The Big Picture
Not a good sign, it looks like there will be fewer McDonalds jobs in the future.
The push for a $15 starter wage has negatively impacted the career prospects of employees who were just getting started in the workforce while extinguishing the businesses that employed them.
Im glad to hear that. I dont think they all deserve $15 an hr...maybe someone who has been there a while does...but not all McDonald's employees deserve 15 an hour. If they want to make more than that get another job. Id like my job to pay me 100k but they wont.
Irrelevant. For many of us, we're not paid what we deserve. We're paid what we negotiate.
How much is a Big Mac in Seattle? The article I saw from 3 years ago said they would only have to raise prices by 4.3 percent.
WalMart said raising the minimum wage is actually good for the economy because all of that money is pumped back into the economy. Low wage workers spend whatever extra money they make. That's more cars being bought, furniture, electronics, etc.
Corporate America has you fooled..their profits are better than ever. Yes they would have to raise their prices some but the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives.
ANYONE WHO WORKS IN FAST FOOD OR RETAIL DOES NOT DESERVE $15/HR.
THOSE JOBS ARE MEANT FOR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS JUST STARTING OUT.
THEY ARE NOT MEANT FOR 30 YEAR OLD SINGLE MOTHERS WHO CAN'T AFFORD RENT.
BY THAT AGE, you SHOULD already have a career.
If only you had a device that had access to all of the world's knowledge at the tips of your fingers. We could call that device a computer... And by linking other computers we could create something someone may one day call the internet... Maybe one day someone will create a website (I'd like to think they'll call it Google) that will answer anyone's question within seconds.
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