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Should the fast-food industry pay better wages?
Vivian Lao, San Tran, Vivian Huang, Esmeralda Siordia

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Most of America has little pay, notably, fast-food workers. Many people are debating whether or not the fast-food industry should pay better wages. We believe that the fast-food industry should pay better wages. To illustrate, most workers lost bargaining power due to lower wages, has financial responsibilities, and can't survive on the amount of money they make. Under those circumstances, it would be better to pay better wages.

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To start with, fast- food industry should pay better wages because workers have lost their bargaining power so it resulted to lower wages when they were suppose to be increasing over the decades. For example, a Newsela- PRO/CON: "Should the fast-food industry pay better wages?, it states, " If the federal minimum wage had increased since 1968 the way it did in prior decades, it would be $17 per hour today. Not a meager $7.25. " To clarify, this evidence means that workers originally are suppose to have higher wages but the link between how much a person produces and how much he or she takes home has been broken. For this reason, all employees should have the right to bargain because they have the right to.

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Secondly,  most workers have financial responsibilities.According to a newsela PRO/CON: ''Should the fast food industry pay better wages'' it states, '' The majority are at least 23 and only 30 percent are teenagers. More than a quarter of them are raising at least one child.'' As a result,  most food industry workers have kids that they need to take care of. To elaborate the fast food industry should pay higher wages for this reason.

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Think about this, how are fast food workers suppose to survive on the amount of money they make? In fact, the Newsela-PRO/CON: Should the fast-food industry pay better wages?, it states, " "How are they supposed to survive on about $9 an hour - their average wage - with many making the current federal minimum of just $7.25?" Another example is in Newsela-PRO/CON: Should the fast-food industry pay better wages?, it states,"Obviously, they are not just there for a little while before advancing to higher-paying jobs with benefits. Our terrible economy is not producing enough decent jobs to which they could move." In other words fast food workers are surviving on an edge of about $9 an hour. In addition, right now the current minimum wage is $7.25, barely surviving with a semi-decent home.

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To summarize, fast-food industry should pay better wages because workers lost the right to bargain, financial responsibilities, and the money they make is not enough. This is important to consider because without better wages it makes it hard for families to support one another and it is harder when that is the only job that they can do. As a result, workers that work in the fast-food industry should definitely get better wages.

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The fast-food industry should pay better wages. My opponent might say that people would be replaced with technology. Although this could be true, do they realized that many companies would raise their wages slowly to become the "employer of choice." Furthermore, raising wages could also benefit a company.

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Pro

How are they suppose to survive on the amount of money they make?

"How are they supposed to survive on about $9 an hour - their average wage - with many making the current federal minimum of just $7.25?"

Most fast food workers are taking care of children.

"The majority are at least 23 and only 30 percent are teenagers. More than a quarter of them are raising at least one child."

The fast food workers should actually be paid $17 if its been increasing over decades.

"If the federal minimum wage had increased since 1968 the way it did in prior decades, it would be $17 per hour today. Not a meager $7.25."
Con

The Fast food restraunt would lose money

"Doubling McDonalds' wages would raise its total costs by 25 percent, meaning the company would not make any profits on its sales."

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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The US government won’t increase the minimum wage — but fast-food chains are paying more anyway

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After a rough quarter at fast-food chain Sonic, the CEO is looking for growth by paying employees more.