Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Fast food jobs in Denmark pay living wage [View all]pampango
(24,692 posts)6. That's what the head of the International Franchising Association said, but that does not make it
true.
Many American economists and business groups say the comparison is deeply flawed because of fundamental differences between Denmark and the United States, including Denmarks high living costs and taxes, a generous social safety net that includes universal health care and a collective bargaining system in which employer associations and unions work together.
$20 an hour is the lowest the fast-food industry can pay under an agreement between Denmarks 3F union, the nations largest, and the Danish employers group Horesta, which includes Burger King, McDonalds, Starbucks and other restaurant and hotel companies. By contrast, fast-food wages in the United States are so low that half of the nations fast-food workers rely on some form of public assistance, a study from the University of California, Berkeley, found. American fast-food workers earn an average of $8.90 an hour.
In Denmark, fast-food workers are guaranteed benefits their American counterparts could only dream of. Under the industrys collective agreement, there are five weeks paid vacation, paid maternity and paternity leave and a pension plan. Workers must be paid overtime for working after 6 p.m. and on Sundays.
True, a Big Mac here costs more $5.60, compared with $4.80 in the United States. But that is a price Danes are willing to pay. We Danes accept that a burger is expensive, but we also know that working conditions and wages are decent when we eat that burger, said Soren Kaj Andersen, a University of Copenhagen professor who specializes in labor issues.
$20 an hour is the lowest the fast-food industry can pay under an agreement between Denmarks 3F union, the nations largest, and the Danish employers group Horesta, which includes Burger King, McDonalds, Starbucks and other restaurant and hotel companies. By contrast, fast-food wages in the United States are so low that half of the nations fast-food workers rely on some form of public assistance, a study from the University of California, Berkeley, found. American fast-food workers earn an average of $8.90 an hour.
In Denmark, fast-food workers are guaranteed benefits their American counterparts could only dream of. Under the industrys collective agreement, there are five weeks paid vacation, paid maternity and paternity leave and a pension plan. Workers must be paid overtime for working after 6 p.m. and on Sundays.
True, a Big Mac here costs more $5.60, compared with $4.80 in the United States. But that is a price Danes are willing to pay. We Danes accept that a burger is expensive, but we also know that working conditions and wages are decent when we eat that burger, said Soren Kaj Andersen, a University of Copenhagen professor who specializes in labor issues.
Of course the fundamental differences between Denmark and the US are not population but government policies - "high taxes, a generous social safety net that includes universal health care and a collective bargaining system in which employer associations and unions work together". If the Danes can do it (not to mention "France, Finland, Switzerland, Germany and Norway" then I think we can do it too.
If you look throughout the rest of the world, fast food unions aren't all that rare. In addition to Denmark, McDonald's has worker unions in France, Finland, Switzerland, Germany and Norway. This isn't because the workers in those countries simply asked their local McDonald's reps for one. It's because they've been fighting for years to get recognized. (If you have some time, this history of McDonald's fighting attempts to unionize is worth checking out.) These kinds of things don't happen overnight. They take time. And maybe, now it's time for the American workers to get one.
http://www.kcet.org/living/food/food-rant/mcdonalds-workers-in-denmark-make-21-an-hour.html
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
91 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
There are 16 McDonalds per million Danes, and 45 McDonalds per million Americans
Recursion
Oct 2014
#57
How is it then, that states with higher minimum wages have lower unemployment?
immoderate
Oct 2014
#66
That's what the head of the International Franchising Association said, but that does not make it
pampango
Oct 2014
#6
It's the standard excuse for not paying people or taking public transportation seriously.
tenderfoot
Oct 2014
#28
People in a First World country should not be paid starvation wages. Period.
nomorenomore08
Oct 2014
#38
The point is that *no one* should work 40 hours a week and not be able to feed themselves.
nomorenomore08
Oct 2014
#54
There is some truth to the supply and demand model, but it's far more complicated than most
nomorenomore08
Oct 2014
#60
Yep. If there were no truly no need for a minimum wage, then our wages would look more like Denmark.
nomorenomore08
Oct 2014
#62
All I know is that the libertarian "free market" ideal leads almost inevitably to massive inequality
nomorenomore08
Oct 2014
#49
I am not being "pessimistic. " It's reality, unlike your level playing field fairy tale.
SunSeeker
Oct 2014
#88
If you're going to tell me that all discussions between employer and employee to be....
daleanime
Oct 2014
#81
I heard this story on the radio. It was explained that the Danish fast food workers had a union and
Louisiana1976
Oct 2014
#27