Fast Food Worker Strike and Minimum Wage Protest

New York, NY, September 9, 2014 – Gary S. Young, Esq., a prominent business employment lawyer and Partner at the Law Offices of Scarinci Hollenbeck, was invited to discuss the recent fast food worker strike on EBRU-TV’s weekly talk show “Fresh Outlook”. Mr. Young joined a prestigious panel of professionals to discuss the strike, the workers’ right to unionize and the possible effects of raising the federal minimum wage.

The latest strike, which occurred Thursday, September 4, is the seventh such protest since November 2012 in New York, during which 200 fast food employees walked out of their jobs. This time, workers at fast food restaurant chains across the country walked off the job in 150 cities. They are demanding a raise to $15 per hour and the right to unionize, but while being credited with influencing policy and public opinion in favor of workers’ rights, their demands are unmet as of yet.

Those opposed to raising the minimum wage argue that doing so will put an unreasonable strain on the U.S. economy, an effect that economists call a “distortion.” They argue that small companies struggling to compete could go out of business as a result of such an increase and that the end result will be a higher rate of unemployment. Those in favor of the legislation say that large companies can afford to pay their employees considerably more, and that employment is unlikely to drop precipitously, because most of these businesses already staff the minimum number of people necessary. They also argue that increasing the minimum wage will result in a broader base for consumer spending, which in turn should result in higher profitability for many of these businesses.

Young weighed both sides of the issue carefully.

“I’m in favor of [raising the minimum wage] if it works and if it doesn’t dislocate the economics of the industry,” Young told the panel. “Working with restaurateurs, many find it very hard to make ends meet. The truth of the matter is that many of the franchisees are small businesses, and when you increase their costs – and we’re talking about doubling the wage by legislative fiat – that has a tremendous impact.”

“The bottom line is, I don’t think anybody in their right mind would say, ‘we don’t want people to do better and have more,’” Young continued, “but it’s a question of where does that come from and what effect does that have, ultimately? Does it benefit the worker, and if it doesn’t, should we be doing it?

Gary Young is an experienced attorney in ERISA law, employee benefits and executive compensation for over 35 years. He is Chair of Scarinci Hollenbeck’s Employee Benefit & ERISA Law Group and General Counsel to the New Jersey Restaurant Association. Few attorneys are as uniquely qualified to speak knowledgeably about the restaurant worker strike and the minimum wage issue.

He earned his law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1974 and developed broad knowledge and experience in ERISA early in his career. Young has represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and a variety of other governmental agencies. For more information on Gary Young visit his bio:

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About Scarinci Hollenbeck
Scarinci Hollenbeck is a New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. law firm that serves a diverse group of clients in numerous industries. The full service, general practice law firm retains a highly trained legal team with expertise in several areas, including, Labor & Employment, ERISA & Employee Benefits, Corporate Transactions and Business Law, Commercial Real Estate, Environmental & Land Use Law, Complex Litigation, Cyber and Data Privacy Law, E-Discovery, Insurance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights, Public Law, Sports and Entertainment Law, and Tax, Trust & Estate Law. Top-tier personnel, innovative technology and superior client service adds to Scarinci Hollenbeck’s reputation as one of the most highly ranked law firms in the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan area.