TheOtherView
Opinions from around the country

Pay increased wages to combat ‘McJob’ image

It’s official: If you have “a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement,” you have a “McJob.”

The forthcoming 11th edition of Merriam-Webster dictionary will include the term, which describes such jobs as the infamous low-paying ones at the world’s biggest fast food company, McDonald’s. By defining the term, which has been in use for quite some time by the public as well as in print, it has brought the wrath of the fast food giant onto them.

Already the term, which has been used by such print publications as The New York Times and Rolling Stone, is widely used in the United States as well as in the 119 countries in which McDonald’s has a presence.

Granted, a listing in the dictionary that since its first publication in 1898 sold 55 million copies worldwide and claims to be the best-selling dictionary on the market, will make the term more official. It is also understandable that the McDonald’s corporation is not happy about this development.

But it does not warrant such actions as chief executive, Jim Cantalupo, calling the definition a “slap in the face” to the 12 million people who work in the restaurant industry according to an Associated Press article.

Merriam-Webster is not responsible for employing a vast army of underpaid workers who are so unhappy they came up with a term describing their condition. If anybody is at fault for this, it is McDonald’s for handing down such employment practices to its workers.

As the “corporate vision” includes “a People Vision — to be the best employer in each community around the world,” according to the McDonald’s Web site, maybe the fast-food giant would be better off changing some things in their own locations. Rather than complaining about the usage of “McJob,” the corporation needs to offer better wages in order to stray from the stained image.

This, however, might not be financially feasible for the company. McDonald’s budget is already tight due to financial trouble as well as a new ad campaign reportedly costing more than $1 billion worldwide set on reinventing the image of the fast food provider, so an increased wage for its workers might be out of the question.

Yet, the only thing that can change the usage of the term “McJob” is a change of conditions at the source. Only then will McDonald’s employees respond with a smile and a resounding, “I’m lovin’ it” when asked whether they like their jobs.

This is a staff editorial from The Oracle at the University of South Florida. This editorial was distributed by U-Wire.