FAST FOOD WORKERS HAVE JOINED THE FIGHT FOR 15, AN EFFORT TO
GET A $15 MINIMUM WAGE, WHAT THEY CONSIDER TO BE A LIVING
WAGE, IN AN AREA THAT IT HAS BECOME DIFFICULT TO LIVE IN.
OUR POLITICAL REPORTER, JORDAN CHARITON, SPOKE WITH SOME
YOUNG ACTIVISTS ABOUT WHAT THIS FIGHT MEANS TO THEM.
WE CAN'T SURVIVE ON MINIMUM WAGE.
I AM STRUGGLING EVERY
MONTH, GOING INTO DEBT, JUST HAVING THAT JOB.
BURGERVILLE
TALKS A LOT ABOUT SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY,
AND THEY CARE ABOUT WHETHER BEEF COMES FROM, AND WHAT WE'RE
SAYING IS IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR BEEF, YOU HAVE TO CARE
ABOUT YOUR WORKERS.
THEY ARE MAKING A LOT OF MONEY AND I'M NOT MAKING A LOT OF
MONEY, AND MY WORK IS WHAT IS MAKING THEM A LOT OF MONEY.
SOMETIMES I JUST DON'T BUY GROCERIES AND I LIVE EATING A
MEAL A DAY, WHERE I HAVE TO CHOOSE HAVING A HOUSE OR
APARTMENT WITH TWO DIFFERENT ROOMMATES, AND PAYING MY
RENT, OVER JUST BUYING GROCERIES FOR MYSELF.
IT IS A STRUGGLE TO PAY MY RENT EVERY MONTH, IT IS
HARD TO BUY FOOD.
IT IS NOT JUST BURGERVILLE, WE KNOW THIS IS PART OF A LARGER
SYSTEM WHERE PAYING WORKERS MINIMUM WAGE IS THE NORM.
WE ARE
DOING THIS FOR OURSELVES BECAUSE WE NEEDED, WE ARE DOING IT WITH
OUR COWORKERS BECAUSE SO MANY OF US NEED IT, BUT WE ARE ALSO
DOING IT BECAUSE THERE IS A WHOLE LOW WAGE ECONOMY AND SO
MANY PEOPLE ARE FACING WHAT WE ARE FACING.
AND WE SEE WHAT WE
ARE DOING AS PART OF A LARGER VISION FOR A WORLD THAT FOCUSES
ON HUMAN NEED INSTEAD OF THE ACUTE RELATION OF PROFIT,
AND IT IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE AT THE BOTTOM MAKING THAT
CHANGE BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS WHERE CHANGE COMES FROM.
A HOPEFUL MOMENT, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN LIFE?
A PASSION OF YOURS IF MONEY WERE NO OBJECT?
I DON'T KNOW.
MONEY HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN OBJECT.
RIGHT NOW IT IS NOT.
DREAM JOB.
I GUESS I WOULD JUST LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, LIKE,
EXPLORE THE QUESTION.
I THINK WORKING IN SOMETHING YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT IS
A LUXURY.
THAT WAS SUCH A POWERFUL VIDEO.
WATCH THE WHOLE THING AT
YOUTUBE.COM/TYTPOLITICS.
FIRST OFF, I DON'T LIVE IN THE AREA
WHERE THERE ARE BURGERVILLES, DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
HAVE DIFFERENT CHAINS, BURGERVILLE SOUNDS LIKE
SOMETHING OUT OF A MOVIE WHERE IT IS LIKE A DYSTOPIA, EVERYBODY
IS WORKING AT BURGERVILLE.
BUT I SEE THAT KIDDINGLY AND I MAINLY
MEAN THIS ISN'T ABOUT BURGERVILLE, THAT HAPPENS TO BE
ONE CHAIN AND THEY HAPPEN TO BE ORGANIZING TO MAKE SURE THERE IS
A UNION, BUT IT IS ABOUT THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
SOME OF THE
STUDENTS HE, JORDAN SAID ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT GOING TO SCHOOL?
HE SAID IT IS NOT LIKE I DON'T WANT TO, BUT MY FRIENDS WHO WENT
TO SCHOOL NOW HAVE A TON OF DEBT BUT THEY ARE WORKING AT THE SAME
FAST FOOD PLACE I AM BECAUSE THERE ARE NO JOBS.
AT LEAST I
DON'T HAVE THE DEBT THEY HAVE, WE ARE BOTH STUCK AT THE SAME
JOB, SO IF I WENT TO SCHOOL, IF I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET A
BETTER JOB OUT OF IT I WOULD DO IT.
HE IS SO DESPONDENT, I THINK
THAT WAS THE GUY WHO WAS 25, HE IS SO DESPONDENT THAT HE HASN'T
BOTHERED TO THINK OF WHAT HIS DREAM JOB WOULD BE.
AND SHE SAID
IT PERFECTLY AT THE END, THAT IS A LUXURY WE CAN'T AFFORD.
THIS
IS THE AMERICA THAT THE DAVID BROOKSES OF THE WORLD NEVER SEE,
THAT IS THE COLUMNIST RECENTLY ADMITTED, IT TURNS OUT I DON'T
TALK TO ANY REGULAR AMERICANS, EVERYBODY I KNOW IS RICH
UNCOMFORTABLE SO I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THEM FOR 20 YEARS AND
I LOST TRACK OF WHAT WAS GOING ON, IT TURNS OUT THE COUNTRY IS
ANGRY AND THAT IS WHY THEY ARE GOING FOR TRUMP OR BERNIE
SANDERS, MAYBE I SHOULD TALK TO REAL AMERICANS.
JORDAN IS ON THE
ROAD DOING THAT, YOU TALK TO REAL AMERICANS AND YOU REALIZE
THEY ARE GETTING CRUSHED.
YEAH, OF COURSE THEY ARE ANGRY.
IT IS
AMAZING THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT HAS NEVER SEEN THESE GUYS.
AND DOESN'T WANT TO.
AND DO THEY REALLY WANT TO FIX THAT?
ARE THEY SITTING AROUND
HUDDLED IN A CAUCUS SOMEWHERE GOING, HOW DO WE HELP THOSE
THREE?
AND WHEN I SAY THIS, THE CHRIS MATTHEWSES OF THE WORLD
GET REALLY UPSET, LIKE, HOW DARE YOU?
EVEN THEN THEY ARE RICH.
THERE ARE SOME HONEST PEOPLE LIKE PAUL WELLSTONE, AND IN THE
1960S THERE WERE A LOT OF HONEST POLITICIANS, SOME CORRUPT ONCE,
BUT BACK THEN IT WAS HARD TO BE CORRUPT, YOU HAD TO DO THINGS
ILLEGALLY.
NOW WE LEGALIZE THE CORRUPTION SO WHEN HONEST PEOPLE
GET INTO POLITICS THEY LOSE BECAUSE THE GUY WITH THE MORE
MONEY WINS 95% OF THE TIME.
THE SYSTEM SELF SELECTS THOSE WHO
CARE ABOUT THE DONORS AND DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE THREE
PEOPLE YOU JUST SAW, AND THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE THEY REPRESENT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT HILLARY CLINTON WILL BE ALL OVER
THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THEORETICALLY GOING TO
SCHOOL, HAVING A BETTER JOB, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY BARRIERS
BETWEEN THAT.
I'M SURE HILLARY CLINTON WILL CAMPAIGN FOR THEM AND GO FOR
$12 WHICH IS NOT ENOUGH.
ALAN SIMPSON OF ALL PEOPLE, I REPORTED ON MY SHOW, HE WAS
TALKING AND HE SAID IF YOU KEEP TELLING THESE PEOPLE ON MINIMUM
WAGE THAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO GIVE THEM A RAISE, STOP
PUBLISHING YOUR QUARTERLY PROFITS BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE
THEM.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GENERATING BILLIONS IN PROFITS
EVERY QUARTER FOR THEIR FAST FOOD COMPANY, MAYBE THEY SHOULD
SHARE IN SOME OF THOSE PROFITS.
THAT IS ALAN SIMPSON SAYING
THAT.
DON'T GET US WRONG, WE ARE NOT AGAINST PROFITS.
WE UNDERSTAND
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS AND WE KNOW THAT YOU WANT TO MOTIVATE PEOPLE
TO CREATE THE BEST RESTAURANT THEY CAN, BUT DON'T PRETEND YOU
CAN'T PAY THEM MORE.
YOU CAN, YOU ARE JUST CHOOSING NOT TO.
AND ONE OF THE WAYS YOU ENFORCE THAT CHOICE ON EVERYONE ELSE IS
YOU LEGALLY BRIBED POLITICIANS IN THE FORM OF CAMPAIGN
DONATIONS AND YOU SAY DON'T YOU, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, RAISE
THE MINIMUM WAGE.
THAT IS WHY THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE RIGHT
NOW IS $7.25.
WE ARE HAVING THEORETICAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
$15, AND SOME PROGRESSIVE CITIES HAVE PASSED THAT, BUT NATIONALLY
IT IS $7.25.
HOW CAN YOU LIVE ON THAT?
THE REALITY IS, YOU CAN'T.
THERE WAS A GREAT CLIP FROM A REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN, THEY
WERE ASKED CAN'T YOU RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE?
SHOULDN'T YOU LOOK
OUT FOR YOUR OWN CONSTITUENTS?
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT
THEM.
HE SAID, WHY DON'T THEY GET A JOB?
BUT THEY DO HAVE A
JOB, THEY ARE WORKING HARD, BUT IN THE MINDS OF THE POWERFUL YOU
ARE ALL BUMS.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE WORKING HARD, YOU
DIDN'T GIVE ME A DONATION, I'M NOT GIVING YOU ONE.
I'M NOT
DOING ANYTHING FOR YOU BECAUSE THE GUYS WITH THE
RECORD-BREAKING PROFITS SIGN MY PAYCHECK.
I WILL MENTION
WOLF-PAC.COM BECAUSE THAT IS HOW YOU GET THE MONEY OUT.
JOIN,
FIGHT, BE WITH US, ETC.
BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET THE WRONG
IDEA.
FIGHT ANYWAY YOU LIKE.
THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LIKE, WE
ARE GOING TO UNIONIZE BECAUSE THEN AT LEAST TOGETHER WE ARE
STRONGER AND WE WILL HAVE SOME LEVERAGE.
SO THEY CAN'T FIRE ONE
OF US, IF WE ARE ALTOGETHER, AT LEAST WE WOULD HAVE LEVERAGE TO
GET BETTER WAGES.
THEY CAN CLEARLY AFFORD IT, THEY AREN'T
DOING IT BECAUSE WE AREN'T FORCING THEM.
ONE WAY TO DO IT
IS GET THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS SO THEY GO BACK TO REPRESENTING
US, AND THAT TIME DID EXIST IN AMERICA.
WOLF-PAC.COM, DO
WHATEVER YOU WANT, YOU WANT TO GIVE DONATIONS SO PEOPLE CAN --
SO WE CAN HIRE MORE PEOPLE, WHICH WE DESPERATELY NEED TO DO
TO HAVE THIS FIGHT, YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER, LET'S DO IT.
WE ALL
HAVE TO DO IT TOGETHER.
AND CHECK OUT MORE OF THIS REPORTING
AT YOUTUBE.COM/TYTPOLITICS.