Business & Tech

McDonald's Gives Employees Budget Advice: Get A Second Job

Among other suggestions, the site recommends workers get a second job, spend only $20 a month on health care and nothing for food. What do you think of the plan?

McDonald’s Corp. is facing criticism for its involvement with what some are calling an attempt to help gone wrong.

The company came up with a site dedicated as a budgeting guide for its employees and had  Visa Inc. and Wealth Watchers International help create it.

The problem with the "budget" is that it left out life essentials for starters; and tells employees to get a second job to supplement for what isn't being made while working at McDonald's.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

A Bloomberg report points out one big issue with the chart, the budgeting guide includes a chart assumes its average employee needs to live off at least $12.88 per hour to survive, while American fast-food cooks are paid an average starting out $8-$9 per hour.

This was one reason many in the Greater St. Louis Area took to the streets to strike at various fast food locales in May. Check out:

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Shannon Garth-Rhodes, an activist protesting for better wages for fast food workers, said the budget also recommends workers spend only $20 a month on health care, and fork over nothing for food. It also doesn't keep in mind child care expenses for those with children working two jobs.

The Billfold posted a video a fast-food worker advocacy group called Low Pay Is Not Okay created, which highlights essentially everything wrong with the budget guide.

Danya Proud, McDonald’s U.S. Media Relations Director, told Chicago Business Journal editor David A. Arnott the guide was an effort to provide free, comprehensive money management tools. She also said McDonald's first used the Wealth Watchers International budgeting journal when this financial literacy program launched in 2008.

For more on local strikes and pushes for better wages see:



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Clayton-Richmond Heights