[caption id=”attachment_98631″ align=”aligncenter” width=”638″] (Associated Press)
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The “Fight for $15” fast food workers campaign for a higher minimum wage certainly doesn’t look to be getting the results it wants. In fact, it looks like workers could soon be replaced with automated machines.
Back in September, thousands of fast food workers went on a union-backed strike to demand a $15 an hour minimum wage for their industry. But this kind of strike is only effective if the employer actually has a need for those employees.
The latest earnings report from McDonald’s, one of the biggest targets of the strike, looks like the company will likely be eliminating employees and turning to automation to help keep costs low.
By the third quarter of next year, McDonald’s plans to introduce new technology in some markets “to make it easier for customers to order and pay for food digitally and to give people the ability to customize their orders,” The Wall Street Journal reported. The chain’s CEO said that customers “want to personalize their meals” and “to enjoy eating in a contemporary, inviting atmosphere. And they want choices in how they order, choices in what they order and how they’re served.”
The touch screen ordering process the chain is suggesting would make some employees obsolete. Plus, these machines can’t demand better benefits.
Conservatives have long cautioned that raising the minimum wage would harm businesses and cost jobs. Unions and progressives, however, have said repeatedly that fast food chains should be able to easily absorb the cost.
Guess they didn’t take into account the other options available to these chains.
