McDonald's Employee Posts Viral Message About Work on Facebook
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A McDonald's employee from the United Kingdom is garnering global attention for getting real about the lives of fast food workers.
Mike Mozart/Flickr - flickr.com
Mike Waite's post, in which he responds to the "judgmental criticism" of McDonald's employees, is blowing up on Facebook.
Mike Waite / Facebook - facebook.com
He admitted that the pay at McDonald's can be low and that the responsibilities of the job can be very hard.
"Yes it has its downsides, yes the wages can be bad and yes it can be difficult, but every job has is negatives and McD's is no different. As someone who has nearly walked out of a shift a few times...I can say despite the difficulties the greater picture is not always that terrible."
However Waite writes that the most important thing is that people should stop judging fast-food workers.
"Overall please just take your preconceptions and be rid of them because I work with some amazing people, and like many of them McDonalds is not a "dead-end" of my working life but rather part of the beginning. Now, what drink would you like with that order?"
Here's Waite's full Facebook post.
The vast majority of the comments were supportive of Waite's post.
Facebook/Mike Waite - facebook.com
Many of them shared their own stories of working part time jobs to meet goals for education or for their families.
Facebook/Mike Waite - facebook.com
Facebook/Mike Waite - facebook.com
Facebook/Mike Waite - facebook.com
He wrote that, like him, there are many motivated people working at McDonald's with goals for the future.
"Today I have had enough of the judgemental criticism. Let me be clear. YES I work at Mcdonald's and do it nearly 50 hours a week. Why? Not because I have no aspiration, motivation or intelligence...but for the opposite...because in a few months time like a great number of people I work with I will be going back into higher education."
He continued:
"There are people becoming pilots, lawyers, designers, architects, and people who are at a point in their life that they will do whatever it takes to look after their family. I work with people I would aspire to be like, who have strengths in areas I wish I had, who have overcome situations I never could and who have the determination to not fade away on handouts but rather step up and work for their living unlike a huge number of people in this country." — Mike Waite, McDonald's Employee
Unfortunately, in the U.S., not everyone is able to pursue their goals or support their family from working at McDonald's.
"Fight For 15" is an organization dedicated to raising the minimum wage for fast food workers to $15 an hour in the U.S. They argue that low fast food wages make it impossible for employees to earn a living, and they've organized walk-outs across the country to push for change.
John Taggart, epa
ATTN: has previously reported that McDonald's in the U.S. has come under fire for low wages and labor violations. In March, the National Labor Relations Board took them to court for labor violations following worker protests of low wages.
