Since Fast Food employees started protesting against working conditions, McDonald’s has always been quiet regarding minimum wage; Until recently.
CEO Don Thompson recently spoke at Northwestern University and came out to support President Obama‘s proposed $10.10 wage increase. Despite, fast food employees asking for $15, McDonald’s CEO looks as though he plans to change the pay scale for thousands of employees across the nation.
“McDonald’s will be fine,” he reportedly told Northwestern. “We’ll manage through whatever the additional cost implications are.”
The implications of McDonald’s increasing their minimum wage may send shockwaves throughout the country and even affect the Television and Film Industry. Currently, the lowest paid position on a film and TV crew is the background extra. They average extra earns minimum wage to $8/hour. If Congress finally does decide to increase minimum wage, then the cost for background extras will increase.
Considering that the average SAG background extra is unable to make a $14,000/yr, increasing the minimum wage for extras may just be a good thing. Improving compensation for extras could provide producers with a group of professional, qualified and experienced extras who know what to do on set. Or, producers run the risk of a group of extras that take cell phone photos of the actors and sell them to tabloids and even ruin a multi-million dollar feature film.
Do you think Hollywood should pay extras more money? Would it hurt productions to pay extras $10.10/hr? What are your thoughts? Share them with us in the comments below!
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