Fight Back Against Wage Slavery! The Fast-Food Industry’s Exploitation of Black & Low-Wage Workers

Fran Marion has over 20 years of experience in the fast-food industry. She has worked at Taco Bell and now works as a General Manager for McDonald’s.

On most days, Marion starts her day by waking up at 4:15 in the morning–45 minutes before her morning shift starts. From there, she inspects the machines to ensure they are running properly, counts cash drawers, prepares tea, coffee, and hash brown, and takes morning inventory. These things all have to be done before the first customer arrives at 6:00 a.m.

A normal 8-hour shift would mean that Marion is off the clock by 1:00 p.m. (including an hour lunch), but normal for fast-food workers has its own implications.

It’s normal for employees to be pressured to work even when they are sick. It’s normal for fast-food workers to deal with unruly customers, disrespectful upper management, and unsafe work environments. It’s normal for fast-food workers to endure all of this while receiving low wages and hardly any paid time off.

As a low-wage worker and leader with Stand Up KC–a multiracial organization of low-wage workers–Fran Marion is challenging that norm and advocating for change. Marion and Stand Up KC–along with support from Missouri Workers Center–are working diligently for Healthy Families and Fair Wages.

The Healthy Families and Fair Wages initiated aims to address two key concerns: increasing the minimum wage and providing workers paid time off work.

For Marion, it was her time at Taco Bell that reinforced the need to organize for workers’ rights. The unsafe work environments, mistreatment, and discrimination she inhibited at Taco Bell all led to Marion organizing a protest and walkout in 2022.

“We walked into a shift where we had water this high [gestures to indicate water levels reached midcalf] off the floor,” Marion recalls. “We couldn’t stop the water from running.”

Recognizing a safety and liability concern, Marion decided to close the store. But beyond its physical condition, it was the store’s owner whose demeaning response reminded Marion how harmful the fast-food industry is.

“She was like ‘why did you close my f*cking store?’ Not ‘Are you okay?’ [she] belittled me as a person.”

Low-wage fast-food workers are often subjected to disregard and dismissive attitudes from management. In fact, according to a 2021 survey conducted by Black Box Intelligence–a software company that tracks and analyzes restaurant trends–nearly 50% of restaurant workers reported abuse from managers.

Perhaps the most appalling aspect of the fast-food industry, and one The Healthy Families and Fair Wages initiative intends to impact, is the compensation afforded to the industry’s workers. As of January 1, 2024, the minimum wage in Missouri is $12.30 (excluding tipped workers whose minimum is $6.15.) If passed, Healthy Families and Fair Wages would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2026 with an immediate increase to $13.75 by the start of 2025. The initiative would also include cost-of-living adjustments for the minimum wage to ensure its purpose of sustaining a livable wage.

“I’m generating a paycheck, but it’s nothing compared to what I’m generating for [CEOs],” assesses Marion on her salary and wage disparity, “We’re generating hella money for the CEO but they give us nothing in return.”

According to Restaurant Business, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski brought home a salary of over $19 million in 2023. A quick google search of the average salary earned by a McDonald’s worker will yield many results ranging well below $19 million. In fact, an article published by the Employee Benefits Network in July of 2023 claims that the average salary for a McDonald’s employee is $8,897 annually. 

To put that into perspective, it would take the average McDonald’s worker over 2,000 years of continuous work without spending any money to match Kempczinski’s 2023 salary.

Speaking of the average McDonald’s worker, there is this fallacy that fast-food work is for teenagers or young adults. Even McDonald’s–before removing the link–taunted the very trope on their website and claimed their average hourly employee was 20 years old. Market research firm Datawheel–however–lists the average age over 25, and when combined with other food-preparation and service jobs, the average age is just over 31.

“You let me know what teenager is waking up at five o’clock in the morning and clocking in,” said the 44-year old mom with 20-year experience in the fast-food industry.

As it relates to continuous work, the average McDonald worker–no matter the age–is subjected to hours, days, or even years of physical and mental deteriorating labor day in and day out whether at full strength or not.

“In my field of work, paid time off, you have to be there a certain amount of time,” Mairon explains. For some fast-food workers, they must reach a certain tenure before accruing any paid sick time off. For Marion, that required tenure is one year.

“So basically, you’re telling me you can’t get sick for a year,” she continues, “so I’ll have to go to work sick or indifferent.”

Being able to not only call in sick for work, but to also be compensated for those hours is necessary for fast-workers to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Any missed and unpaid time is crucial for those in the industry.

“One missed day is one bill”

Says Marion. “It’s either a light bill, gas bill, or food for the house. That’s the majority of the check. Especially if you’re living paycheck to paycheck.”

If passed, Proposition A would grant employees like Marion the opportunity to accrue paid sick leave. For every 30 hours worked, they would receive 1 hour of paid sick time. This equates to approximately 7 days a year for a full-time worker in a larger company and 5 days a year in a smaller company. The paid sick days would allow workers to care for themselves and their families. 

“When my kids were sick, I’d still have to go to work,” explained Marion. “As a parent. I should be at home with my sick child,” she proclaims.

“It’s economic injustice.”

The Healthy Families and Fair Wages initiative is a crucial step towards addressing the systemic issues that plague low-wage workers like Fran Marion in the fast-food industry. By advocating for an increase in the minimum wage, providing paid time off, and ensuring fair compensation for their labor, this initiative not only upholds basic human rights but also fosters a more equitable and morally just environment.

“I’m tired of just surviving. I’ve never known what it’s like to live and I know I’m not alone.”

Through the efforts of Marion and organizations like Stand Up KC, the initiative aims to bring about positive change that benefits all workers, empowering them to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.

The Healthy Families and Fair Wages initiative is on the November ballot this election, making it a critical opportunity for voters to support the rights and well-being of low-wage workers like Fran Marion in the fast-food industry. Passing this initiative is essential to provide fair wages, paid time off, and better working conditions for these individuals.

For more information on Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, please visit their website.