Discussion Week 2 session 1.docx - Week Two Discussion...

Week Two Discussion Session 1
Follow the Instructions on the DB Entrance Block.
Answer either Q1 or Q2 (Note: Answering both will not contribute to a higher grade.)
Q1 Discuss why there has been a recent movement to unionize fast food workers. What
are the key labor issues? Analyze the impact and effects if fast food workers were to
unionize.

recent attempts have been
made to unionize fast-food
workers, one of the largest
segments in the country, and,
at the sametime, raise the
minimum wage to $15 an hour
“Social inequality has been directly tied to the decline of labor unions. In an
effort to reverse the trend, recent attempts have been made to unionize fast-food
workers, one of the largest segments in the country, and, at the same time, raise
the minimum wage to $15 an hour.” (Beaver, 2016). The declining wages of low-
income workers and the reasons that wages have not increased can be traced to
the decline of unions in the private sector. Employment growth in fast food
workers, which represent approximately 3.9 million individuals, is occurring outside
of the union.
Fast food workers issues are vast. Some of the most common issues include
low wages, work schedule issues, unpredictable hours, denial of breaks, overtime
issues, feelings of dehumanization due to the assembly-line nature of their work,
and other poor working conditions-related issues. Fast-food workers have little say
over their working conditions. Moreover, given the absence of a union and a
collective bargaining agreement, workers have little recourse when it comes to
health and safety issues, retaliation, and harassment.