海角大神

As hundreds of protesters in Illinois to demand higher wages and the right to form a union, a former executive of the hamburger chain gave them a sobering warning: If the minimum wage is raised to $15 an hour, you will be replaced by robots. 聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 cheaper to than it is to hire an employee who鈥檚 inefficient making $15 an hour bagging French fries,鈥� said Ed Rensi, the former chief executive and president of McDonald鈥檚 USA, in an interview on Fox's 鈥淢ornings with Maria.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to cause a job loss across this country like you鈥檙e not going to believe,鈥� said Mr. Rensi. Instead, he advocated for a 鈥渕ulti-faceted鈥� wage program regulated at the state level, which he said could include separate pay scales for teens or entry-level employees. 聽

Rensi鈥檚 warning reflects the increasing tension between fast-food chains and their employees in the 鈥淔ight for $15鈥� movement, as well as fallout of raising the federal minimum wage.

Some, like Rensi, emphasize the need to find a slow, sustainable way to increase wages and working conditions for America鈥檚 lowest-paid workers.

Others consider his rhetoric a threat to force the rank and file back in line.

鈥淚f automation would save them money, they would have done it already,鈥� says Terrence Wise, a McDonald鈥檚 and Burger King low-paid worker and a leader in 鈥淔ight for $15,鈥� in a phone interview with 海角大神.

Mr. Wise, of Kansas City, Mo., was outside McDonald鈥檚 headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., while shareholders were scheduled to meet on the corporation鈥檚 campus.

Wise says he has visited McDonald鈥檚 restaurants in Paris and Brazil with self-ordering kiosks.聽

鈥淵et, they have the same amount of workers as in America,鈥� he says.聽

Automation isn鈥檛 beyond the realm of possibility. For years, fast-food chains have tried to automate food delivery, says Lee Adler, a labor and civil rights expert who teaches at Cornell University, in an interview with the Monitor.

For example, Andy Pudzer, the chief executive of Carl's Jr., has expressed interest in an聽, PC Magazine reported.

Pizza Hut Asia is already halfway there, with plans to bring Pepper, a robot that can interact with customers, into restaurants by the end of the year. In addition to taking a customer鈥檚 order, Pepper could recommend daily specials and give calorie counts or other nutritional information, reported the Monitor鈥檚 Madison Margolin.

But Professor Adler believes Rensi鈥檚 comments should be interpreted as a 鈥渧eiled message,鈥� he says.

鈥� 'You better get back in line and oppose this in spite of yourself. You鈥檙e going to hurt yourself if you seek so much more than you actually deserve,' 鈥� deadpans Adler.

鈥淐an they attempt to automate as extensively as robotizing? Yes. If they could pull it off, they will,鈥� says Adler, adding, 鈥渋t鈥檚 important to separate the reason they鈥檙e saying this right now, in this context.鈥�

鈥淔ight for $15鈥� marched on McDonald鈥檚 campus outside of Chicago on Wednesday, forcing McDonald鈥檚 to close its headquarters the day before its annual meeting, Reuters reported. The union-led national movement, now heading into its fourth year, has organized protests across the world and driven the minimum wage up in cities and states across the country.

Now, it has set its sights on raising the federal minimum wage to $15.

鈥淐ritics say today鈥檚 gains are mortgaged to lower future employment, as it becomes more expensive to hire,鈥� wrote the Monitor鈥檚 Simon Montlake聽earlier this month. 聽鈥淩aise the minimum wage too high and a career ladder falls away for young and low-skilled workers.鈥�

Reni's proposed tiered models have already been explored聽by several states, including New York and Oregon.聽

Regardless of Rensi's actual intentions for warning of a robot takeover, Adler says he imagines McDonald's shareholders are looking out the "corporate glass" right now at "Fight for $15" protesters, as lawmakers across the country consider raising the minimum wage. 聽

The call to improve pay and working conditions has grown too loud for executives to ignore, says Adler.

鈥淎ll these different parts of society are saying, 鈥榊ou better do something about this. If you don鈥檛, we will.' "