The Chain Gang

Fast-Food CEOs Get Paid 1,200 Times More Than Workers

Hamburglars, indeed.
Hamburglars, indeed.

Recent walk-outs staged at chain restaurants throughout the country and class action lawsuits have drawn attention to what workers say are essentially criminally low wages, but a new study lays out how wide, exactly, the gap is between the bottom and top of the food chain. In 2012, fast-food CEOs out-earned the average worker by more than 1,200-to-1 — all of which contributes to what’s been called the “most extreme pay disparity of all the sectors in the U.S. economy.” Workers are winning wage increases in some states, but by way of comparison, some CEOs are pulling in roughly quadruple what they made in 2000. No matter where your opinion falls in the minimum wage debate, the study’s results make typical responses from executives to workers like this one seem even more insincere. [WYNC, Related]

Fast-Food CEOs Get Paid 1,200 Times More Than Workers