Fast Food in Denmark Serves Something Atypical: Living Wages

originally posted by: StoutBroux
The Danish also get 5-8 weeks holiday each year. The Danes have high depression and suicide rates. With all that vacation and great wages, Danes still aren't all that happy. Who would've guessed? And it's darn expensive in Denmark. People in India only get .50cents and hour but I don't see people clamoring to jump on THAT boat. Denmark only has 5 1/2 million people. They have a super high tax base and the government supplements workers wages with a pension if they make less than around $49,000 a year. What works for a small city doesn't always work for a large one.

Not as bad as Greenland:
en.wikipedia.org...

My original assumptions were that it would be linked to lack of sunlight (northern latitudes), high population density and social pressure to succeed (South Korea, Japan) or poverty and lack of career opportunities (rural areas in UK and West Asia).

But: "Researchers have blamed insomnia caused by incessant daylight." That's a weird one. It would be easy to fit blackout curtains onto every window. But a consequence of incessant daylight is that your neighbors like to have noisy late night parties since it is daylight. That will drive you insane, especially in a housing estate or apartment block.

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

The funny thing is I at one time or another knew the people who work there, and they aren't the brightest light bulbs around, so to think if they hired competent people they wouldn't need, a person for each task, they could hire multi taskers, and those who are most likely get promoted to management in like 3 hours.

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
a reply to: crazyewok

So who says they should change?
They can do whatever they want to do with their
6 million population.
Not to sure it would work in the usa.

That's right, that is why the founding fathers agreed to states. The fed has outgrown the states, but only for the benefit of corporation. So you are right we can't run a country of 300 million exactly the way Denmark runs.

But we could have 50 states set up to run like Denmark with the Fed government acting only to ensure states comply with Fed Law.

Amazing what a great idea the founding fathers had if we would have only stuck with it.

originally posted by: buster2010

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
a reply to: buster2010


North Korea and India are socialist. Nobody goes hungry there do they? So maybe no system is perfect.

You do know there are many different kinds of Socialism right? Here's a link read up on it a little.
Socialism

I'm well aware that there are several types of socialism. But I don't believe you specified which one you were talking about so I figured you didn't know the difference.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

An interesting read countering the source article.

Source 2

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
In the US of A fastfood workers struggle to make ends meet, yet in Denmark the same fastfood industry pays a fair wage, whats up with that?

I try really hard not to answer question without some sort of constructive thought, but this has been beaten and beaten and beaten, and I would just say that if you are still asking that question, you'll never quite understand.

But, here's part of what's up with that: $11 for a combo meal

Plus, from your own link:

Denmark has no minimum-wage law. But Mr. Elofsson’s $20 an hour is the lowest the fast-food industry can pay under an agreement between Denmark’s 3F union, the nation’s largest, and the Danish employers group Horesta, which includes Burger King, McDonald’s, Starbucks and other restaurant and hotel companies.

So, thank/blame (I prefer the latter) for the high cost of living in Denmark, which includes the $11 combo meals, on unions. In fact, unions lie at the heart of many problems concerning the higher-than-necessary cost of doing business, period.

I can guarantee that if it weren't for unions over there, the cost of doing business would be much lower. What good is getting paid twice as much as here in the U.S. if your food costs twice as much? Why do you people who thing raising the cost of doing business (i.e.: mandatory higher wages) will only produce higher wages? It also raises the cost of living and there is generally a net-zero effect, but we end up getting less for our dollar.

Sorry, couldn't not get all constructive with my response. Damn!

ETA:

Forgot to mention this gem from your article, as well:

Danish law does not require fast-food companies or their franchisees to adhere to the wages required by the agreement with the 3F union. But they do, because employees and unions pledge in exchange not to engage in strikes, demonstrations or boycotts. “What employers get is peace,” said Peter Lykke Nielsen, the 3F union’s chief negotiator with McDonald’s.

Here in good ol' 'Merica, that's called extortion.

originally posted by: crazyewok
a reply to: StoutBroux
And that means what?
They should be given lower wages and less holiday? That will make the happier?
I dont see how the suicide rate correlates with there economy here.

My point wasn't just about suicide, it was about depression as well. How can such a happy group be depressed? It's conflicting

Those that support this idea are either uneducated or lying to themselves
I can prove it too.

Care to see it
Herstory itself proves you wrong every time

1)how long has Denmark been doing this?

Very important question
please answer if you prefer not to lie to yourself

2)How many times has the minimum wage been increased in the United states

VIQ
PAIYPNTLTY

3)What happens in the US if we raise the min wage to a living wage?

VIQ
PAIYPNTLTY

The answers to these question DESTROY all arguments made in favor of this. Hence Herstory conquers all

originally posted by: SlapMonkey

Here in good ol' 'Merica, that's called extortion.

Well you can stay in "good ol' 'Merica" then cant you? Not everyone wants the American way of life shoved down there throats!

originally posted by: SlapMonkey

I can guarantee that if it weren't for unions over there, the cost of doing business would be much lower. What good is getting paid twice as much as here in the U.S. if your food costs twice as much?

Sure, our food is twice as expensive, and our rent is probably higher too - my 650 square feet apartment is considered dirt cheap at $250/month - and, you know, I really am bothered by the level of taxation.

On the other hand, I quite like that not only is my entire education paid for - I am actually being paid $1000/month just for attending school. And so is everyone else aged 18+

(I might change my mind, once it becomes my turn to give something back to the big community chest, though :-) )

I agree the unions today are more of a nuisance than anything else (and I loathe their mobster like tactics), but they are not all that powerful today, and I recognize that they do have a part in our Nation becoming so wealthy. Biggest problem is that the unions do not know when to quit bitching (is that, by the way, considered a swear word?) and demanding more.

And even though I consider myself pro business I like how McDonald's et al. had to cave in and accept keeping less of the profits for themselves.


Oh well, all in all, I think we have a pretty decent system going on in our little kingdom.

originally posted by: DupontDeux
And even though I consider myself pro business I like how McDonald's et al. had to cave in and accept keeping less of the profits for themselves.

Except it is not McDonalds that caved, it was Horesta that had to pay the wages. I am sure that McDonalds is still making their typical profit based on the higher prepared food costs at those franchises.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

Denmark is not the US. What's up with THAT?

Fast food jobs are not permanent jobs, they are jobs that high school kids get so they can buy skateboards and whatever overpriced shoes they simply must have. If you are 36 and working at McDonald's, you took a wrong turn somewhere - YOUR mistake, not McDonald's.

Getting tired of this liberal "living wage" garbage. Raising the minimum wage does one thing: It raises the cost of living for everyone, and those costs are passed through and inflation occurs.

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

If you are a forty year old wearing a jumpsuit and you are not climbing into a cockpit you probably made a few bad decisions in your life.

Despite the higher cost of living, it seems more fair to everybody instead of fair to him, but less for him or her.

Really awesome to pay through the nose to get an education while wondering how to finance it.

If the whole world was like the Danish system, nobody would have a problem with it, except those who seek to profit off the sweat of lowly low paid workers.

Still though, Canada is still better than most countries, at least until Harper is done screwing it up to feed his rich cronies.

Just wondering, is bribery (lobbying) allowed in danish parlaiment?

originally posted by: iclimbtowers
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

The funny thing is I at one time or another knew the people who work there, and they aren't the brightest light bulbs around, so to think if they hired competent people they wouldn't need, a person for each task, they could hire multi taskers, and those who are most likely get promoted to management in like 3 hours.

Hard to find 'competent' people in the US anymore thanks to our abysmal public education, addictions (video game addiction is a real motivation buster) and bad role models.

Anyone 'competent' would be 'competent' enough not to work fast food.

The big elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is the racial profile of countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweeden and Finland.

They're pretty much all homogeneous.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
The big elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is the racial profile of countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweeden and Finland.

They're pretty much all homogeneous.

So talk about it... what exactly is your point?

originally posted by: StoutBroux
The Danes have high depression and suicide rates.

That does not seem to correspond with what Wiki is reporting:

en.wikipedia.org...

Denmark made number 41 on the list out of 110 countries with 16.6 suicides out of 100,000 people
The USA is number 34 with 19.2 suicides out of 100,000 people.


Edit - I see where they may have gotten it from.
Greenland takes the number one spot with 116 suicides per 100,000


Greenland (Greenlandic: Kalaallit Nunaat [kaˈlaːɬit ˈnunaːt]) is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
a reply to: buster2010


North Korea and India are socialist. Nobody goes hungry there do they? So maybe no system is perfect.

I think the point is you can get capitalist hells and capitalist heavens and socialist hells and solecist heavens.

Both system can work. It depends on how its implemented and what fit the people living there.

Good Point there crazy.

Denmark socialism is oriented more for the people.
North Korean Socialism is more for the dear leader and his cronies.

Sort of like USA Capitalism is more for the Corporations and Banks in bed with the Government.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
The big elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is the racial profile of countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweeden and Finland.

They're pretty much all homogeneous.

That's a tiny little elephant. I wouldn't have even noticed.
Not sure what being a nation of blondes with blue eyes has to do with their wages.

Canada is a real melting pot of skin and hair tones and depending on location, some of our fast workers also have a living wage. Not a great wage like $20 an hour, but that's likely partly due to their higher cost of living there. It's a little over $10 per hour.
Some areas don't have a living wage for any job unless it pays $$$$$$$, like Vancouver or Toronto

Sometimes wages need to be brought up to the cost of living for workers to survive, it's not like the cost of living will ever go down to meet poor wages.