McDonald’s is catching some serious heat for what, on paper, probably looked like a good idea: giving its employees a “budget planner” to help them manage their lives on minimum wage. Unfortunately, that budget planner inadvertently acknowledged some shortcomings in the current state of minimum wage and made it clear full-time employees had better pick up a second job if they want to make ends meet. And even on a second full-time job, some of McDonald’s numbers seem suspect, and illustrates just how difficult it is to get by on minimum wage in this country.
It recommends $600 for monthly rent (The Atlantic points out the average monthly rent in the U.S. is $1,048), $20 for health care (the company’s own healthcare plan costs $61), and makes no allowance for utilities or gas other than some ambiguous $27-per-day allowance for spending money. And you’d think of a fast food company would remember to put something in their budget about groceries …
