McDonald’s location offering iPhones to new workers amid labor crunch

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The nationwide labor shortage has gotten so bad that a desperate McDonald’s location in Illinois is offering a free iPhone after six months of work to try to lure new employees.

A photo of a window display advertising the promotion, which read “free iPhone after 6 months employment & meet employment criteria,” went viral on Twitter after it was shared over the weekend.

While users joked about all of the potential loopholes to the offer, it shows how hard a time business owners are having attracting employees into the workforce just as the economy is emerging from the pandemic. Restaurants, in particular, are also preparing for the busy summer season.

The location offering the deal is in Altamont, Illinois, a staff member at the location confirmed to The Post.

A McDonald’s spokesperson added that, “franchisees around the country are offering various incentives around hiring but this is not a corporate backed initiative.”

Mark Salebra, chair of the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance, said that McDonald’s franchisees “offer a variety of unique employee programs and benefits locally” to attract and retain workers.

“To remain employers of choice and further differentiate what we have to offer, owner/operators are leading an effort to implement an enhanced Employee Value Proposition,” he added. “This platform includes a set of industry-leading best practices on pay and benefits that independent owner/operators can implement however they deem appropriate to stay competitive in their local markets.”

The promotion prompted some Twitter users to ridicule the company, joking that it would probably give employees an older model iPhone. Others questioned why the company doesn’t raise wages to attract new workers. 

The promotion comes as the fast-food industry faces a nationwide labor crunch that’s even forced some chains to cut hours. Fewer employees are returning to the workforce than expected, and restaurants, in particular, are trying to meet demand as it comes roaring back.

Chipotle, Taco Bell and other companies have announced new perks and raises in an effort to attract new workers. McDonald’s has announced massive hiring efforts across the country, including an effort to hire 25,000 new workers just in Texas.

McDonald’s announced earlier this month that it’s raising the hourly wage of its employees at company-owned locations by an average of 10 percent over the next several months. But that leaves out stores owned by franchisees, the overwhelming majority of its restaurants. 

“If you want to look like you’re raising wages to $15 an hour, then you should actually raise wages to $15 an hour, for every McDonald’s worker in this country, minimum,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said at a virtual event last week. “We’re not buying it. We’re not falling for it.”

Some economists and politicians have blamed pandemic-boosted unemployment benefits for the labor shortage. They say that the extra extra $300 in additional unemployment benefits every week add up to more than what businesses can afford to pay people, particularly for entry level jobs.

At least 23 states with Republican governors are now looking to lure workers back into the labor market by withdrawing from the federal program that provides the extra benefits.

Various states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana and Florida have moved to end the benefits this summer. They were set to expire in early September. 

The White House, however, has defended the extra benefits, saying that businesses should pay people more. President Biden has added that, “If you’re receiving unemployment benefits and you’re offered a suitable job, you can’t refuse that job and just keep getting the unemployment benefits.”

Proponents of keeping the extra benefits say that employers should offer higher pay to attract workers. 

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