Posted inSettlements

Corporate Executives Stand Tall On Worker’s Shoulders

Show me the money!

Despite the current upswing in revenue, large American corporations have decided to keep employee wages uncomfortably low while corporate profits increase.  Of the 12 companies that are paying their American employees the least, 7 are in the restaurant industry.  These include, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Red Lobster), Dine Equity (Applebee’s, IHOP), and Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC).  These companies are within the confides of the law with the nation’s minimum wage regulations, but these employees are getting less bang for their buck than they should.  The current minimum wage is worth 30% less in terms of purchasing power than it was in 1968.  The other offenders of this immoral salary situation are national retail giants like Walmart, Target, and Sears.  Being compared to Walmart is rarely a good thing.  In this scenario Walmart is an especially bad company, since it is pretty well known that the Walmart CEO, Mike Duke, makes more in one hour than one of his employees makes in an entire year.

3 minutes
Posted inLawsuits Settlements

Hot Coffee, Tort Reform & the Civil Justice System

Hot coffee
 I recently saw a documentary, Hot Coffee. It discusses the idea of tort reform and bogus lawsuits. When one thinks of frivolous lawsuits, the case of Liebeck v. McDonald’s comes to mind.  Stella Liebeck went to McDonald’s with her son.  She was the passenger. After purchasing her coffee in the drive-thru, her son parked the car.  Stella placed the coffee between her legs while she took off the lid.  The 180 degree coffee spilled on her cotton pants absorbing it through the skin. The result was severe 3rd degree burns. Look up pictures and you will be shocked at the damage. The trial uncovered hundreds of past cases and proved that there was no reason to hold the coffee at that temperature. The jury decided to give Ms. Liebeck a few minutes of McDonald’s national coffee sales for her pain & suffering. That figure amounted to roughly $3 million dollars. The verdict was then lowered substantially by the judge; a power passed by the state legislature.

2 minutes