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hissingmeerkat@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
In the 80s McDonald’s both didn’t pay minimum wage and required employees to purchase uniforms from the company.
Companies can still require employees to purchase uniforms in the US as long as the deduction for the uniform doesn’t reduce their wages below the pittance that federal minimum wage is.
I worked at McDonald’s in high school in 1983. Neither of those happened where I was, I made $3.35/hr and was given a uniform (polyester, bleh!) that I had to return in good condition when I left.
Of course my experience doesn’t mean it never happened, it just wasn’t overall what you described.
1987 here, I think. Started at c$3.65 , but minimums moved to $3.80 the next week and so did I.
Red poly tie, red striped button-down poly shirt, black heavy cotton-poly pants. The company supplied them, but I had to replace any pieces I wrecked.
People bitched about the button shirt vs a sloppy pullover jersey, but it was easier to clean. Ultimately I saw a preference for the dumb button-downs.
We were still in brown and yellow and there was no cotton. That uniform was hot and scratchy and reeked of fry oil no matter how often you washed it. The women’s uniform was similar to worthpoint.com/…/tb221c-1983-mcdonalds-uniforms-4…. They’re calling it burgundy but it was brown. Pure 70s brown. Yuk.
Liz@midwest.social 10 months ago
The first check I got from my first job was for $0.00 because I hadn’t worked enough to pay off my uniform. I still have it framed. I was also being paid a sub-minimum training-period wage. America’s labor laws are fucked.