MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Bernie Sanders sparks #RaiseTheWage debate after comparing McDonald's workers' pay in America and Denmark

Sanders unveiled $15 wage legislation with the backing of 37 Senate Democrats. His bill would gradually raise the wage to $15 over a period of five years

Senator Bernie Sanders sparked fury on the Internet after comparing the pay and benefits of McDonald’s’ employees in the US to McDonald’s employees in Denmark to illustrate that "America must join the rest of the industrialized world and ensure that our working class can live with dignity."

"McDonald’s worker in the US: $9/hr McDonald’s worker in Denmark: $22/hr, 6 weeks of annual vacation, a union, 1 year of paid family leave, life insurance and pension. America must join the rest of the industrialized world and ensure that our working class can live with dignity," he tweeted on Saturday, January 30.

Sanders unveiled $15 wage legislation this week with the backing of 37 Senate Democrats. His bill would gradually raise the wage to $15 over a period of five years. The federal minimum is $7.25 and has not been raised since 2009. Sanders is also the incoming chair of the Senate Budget Committee and stated that the government needed to pump money into the economy to make sure “people are not working on starvation wages.”

As soon as the comparison was made, people started digging into the facts and slammed him for the example he gave. One Internet user replied to the tweet saying, "Sounds amazing. How much of that $22 an hour do they keep? My bet would be it's closer to $9 after taxes. I could be wrong." While one questioned Sanders in a reply "The US is not Denmark. Why do we keep comparing ourselves to Denmark? Half of you grandstanders probably couldn’t point Denmark out on a map. Why don’t millions of people flock to Denmark every year if it’s so awesome there ??"

Another one explained: "$50. In Denmark, McDonald's is considered "fine dining" due to the prices. They make eating there exclusive. People wear tuxedos to eat there. It's crazy. If the employees snag a free burger & get caught: they're publicly whipped or sent to solitary confinement for life." One person tweeted: "I don't want to hear how much you appreciate essential workers while you oppose raising the minimum wage, oppose healthcare, and paid family leave. If we're essential then we should have these things #EssentialWorkers #RaiseTheWage #paidleave"

Another social media user sarcastically said: "Sounds like a much better deal. Also sounds like McDonald’s finds it profitable to still have businesses in Denmark and hasn’t left Denmark. Just saying." While complementing Denmark, another one said, "In Denmark, starting pay at McDonald’s is about $22 an hour. The workers there get six weeks of paid vacation, a year’s paid maternity leave and a pension plan. Like all Danes, they enjoy universal medical insurance and paid sick leave. This is what a civilized society is about."

The topic came under heavy scrutiny after Democrats pushed for a $15 federal minimum wage, over double the current rate of $7.25 (which was enacted in 2009). Under the proposed wage increase, nearly 32 million Americans - 21% of America's total workforce - would get a raise, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). As Insider's Grace Dean reported, the raise would benefit nearly one-third of Black workers, and six out of 10 working women. Overall, 23% of those who would benefit from the raise are Latino and Black women.

Some Republicans support an increase but are unsure about the $15 an hour. Their reason being an increase could lead to even more job losses amid a time when the pandemic is already causing businesses to shutter costing people their jobs. Moderates such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rep. Tom Reed of New York are urging President Joe Biden to split off the minimum wage hike from Covid-19 talks and deal with it separately.