Fast food managers do have the power to hire, fire, and schedule workers. Much of their time is spent motivating their crew members. In
the absence of good wages and secure employment, the chains try to inculcate “team spirit” in their young crews. Workers who fail to work
hard, who arrive late, or who are reluctant to stay extra hours are made to feel that they’re making life harder for everyone else, letting their
friends and coworkers down. For years the McDonald’sCorporation has provided its managers with training in “transactional analysis,” a set
of psychological techniques popularized in the book I’m OK — You’re OK(1969). One of these techniques is called “stroking” — a form of
positive reinforcement, deliberate praise, and recognition that many teenagers don’t get at home. Stroking can make a worker feel that his or
her contribution is sincerely valued. And it’s much less expensive than raising wages or paying overtime.
The fast food chains often reward managers who keep their labor costs low, a practice that often leads to abuses. In 1997 a jury in
Washington State found thatTaco Bell had systematically coerced its crew members into working off the clock in order to avoid paying them
overtime.The bonuses of Taco Bell restaurant managers were tied to their success at cutting labor costs.The managers had devised a number
of creative ways to do so. Workers were forced to wait until things got busy at a restaurant before officially starting their shifts.They were
forced to work without pay after their shifts ended.They were forced to clean restaurants on their own time. And they were sometimes
compensated with food, not wages. Many of the workers involved were minors and recent immigrants.Before the penalty phase of the
Washington lawsuit, the two sides reached a settlement;Taco Bell agreed to pay millions of dollars in back wages, but admitted no
wrongdoing. As many as 16,000 current and former employees were owed money by the company. One employee, a high school dropout
namedRegina Jones, regularly worked seventy to eighty hours a week but was paid for only forty. Lawsuits involving similar charges against
Taco Bell are now pending in Oregon and California.