When I hear people talk about fast-food workers, I think about an 18-year-old I met over a decade ago. I'll call him Kenny, but I've met many people like him over the years. I was reporting a story about the precariousness of life in a Mississippi neighborhood, where many young Black men were at the precipice of decisions that would determine the rest of their lives. You could wind up an enlisted soldier as easily as you could find yourself trapping. It didn't take much to push a person in either direction. I ultimately decided not to include Kenny in my story, but a detail from our conversation has always stuck with me. Kenny worked at a McDonald's — not the one within walking distance from his home but a location a 15-minute drive away. Far from a nightmarish commute by today's standards. However, he explained, his managers over-scheduled shifts, anticipating last-minute childcare issues, sick calls and no-shows. So in a given week, Kenny might end up with fewer than 15 hours — less than $100 after taxes, based on the state's minimum wage. He basically worked for gas money to and from the job, Kenny said, plainly and with resignation. That's how tenuous survival is for workers like Kenny and those at the Bucks County, Pennsylvania McDonald's where former President Trump spent a few moments over the weekend standing over the fry cooker and handing paper bags out the drive-thru window. This week, we look at who American fast food workers really are and meet a pastor who will be praying for souls casting their ballots in Philadelphia in — gulp! — less than two weeks. Let's talk about it. |
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SuperSize my data points! |
Over the weekend, a billionaire real estate magnate worked the fry machine and served drive-thru customers. No, it wasn't an episode of Undercover Boss; it was a staged photo op by the Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump. Despite the Trump campaign's insistence that the event was iconic, social media users questioned whether it was as scripted as an episode of “The Apprentice.” Fact or fiction, what's true is that Trump couldn't be more atypical of today's fast-food workforce, which is majority female, with about half consisting of people of color (including many immigrants) and low-wage earners scraping by to feed their families. But don't beef with us — the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Employment Law Project (NELP) routinely publish data about America's fast-food workers. —Despite myths, most fast food jobs are no longer held by teenagers working part-time. Although there was some truth to that in the 1970s and 90s, a 2020 report by NELP, shows that more than 70% of fast food workers are 20 or older, with the share of workers between 25-54 increasing steadily. In 2021, less than one-third of fast food workers were between 16 and 19. —Women are the majority of fast food workers, around 58% according to the BLS. Interestingly, some research shows that within fast food establishments, some roles fall along gender lines, with women concentrated in front-of-the-house positions such as cashiers and counter workers, while men are more commonly employed in kitchen or back-of-house positions. —Hispanic and Latino workers are overrepresented in fast food jobs based on their share of the U.S. population, making up 30% of fast food workers compared to 19% of the overall population. Black workers are around 13% of fast food workforces, close to their portion of the U.S. population. Roughly half of fast food workers are white, predominantly in rural areas, according to the BLS —To knock down another stereotype about the prevalence of teenage fast food workers, a study by the University of California at Berkeley, found that 68% of fast food workers were the primary income earners for their families. |
An army of poll chaplains is preparing for a Nov. 5 peacekeeping operation |
It makes sense that all eyes are on Pennsylvania right now. After all, in the past three election cycles, the results of the presidential race have been razor thin in the Keystone State, with its winner going on to take the White House. Not to mention, the state was also the site of one of the most consequential battles of the Civil War, which gave us one of the most famous speeches in the world, President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Today, both presidential candidates are spending scores of money and time there — an astonishing $1 billion in ad buys alone. Understanding the importance and possibility of tension, especially in battleground or swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and more, Faiths United to Save Democracy, “a nonpartisan, multi-racial, multi-faith, and multi-generation” organization, is mobilizing poll chaplains ahead of Nov. 5. “It is rooted in the belief that everyone is made in the image of God and deserves the freedom to vote,” the group says of its campaign. “The FUSD campaign exists to overcome the recent assault on democracy, making it more difficult for voters who are low-income, Black and brown, elderly, students, and disabled to exercise their sacred right to vote.” Reckon caught up with the Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller, who pastors one of the largest African American congregations in Philadelphia and has worked as a poll chaplain since Obama’s first campaign in 2008, about what people can expect from poll chaplains on Election Day. |
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As always, thanks for reading the Reckon Report. If you come across anything interesting or just want to sound off, don't hesitate to email me at rnave@reckonmedia.com. Peace, R.L. |
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