Fast Food Nation
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This chapter takes us to Colorado Springs, CO–where Academy Boulevard is the main artery running through pervasive urban sprawl. Schlosser discusses the history of this city, which is home to many former California residents. Colorado Springs was a sleepy town until the outbreak of World War II, when military spending brought thousands of troops to the area. After the war, more bases were opened; today, half of the jobs here still depend on military spending. The area has grown very conservative in recent years and is home to a high concentration of evangelicals. While futuristic industries–such as aerospace and computer software–are an important part of the economy, the largest private employer is the restaurant business.
Schlosser considers how teenagers have been, for some time, the bulk of the fast-food workforce–this is because the fast-food industry seeks employees who are unskilled and willing to work part-time for low wages. The fast-food industry is modeled after assembly line systems, which were used by early twentieth-century manufacturers. “Throughput” is the most important aspect of this labor system– that is, the speed and volume of a factorys (or fast-food restaurants) flow. Fast-food restaurants are strictly regimented, giving employers power over their employees, who become dispensable. Because the fast-food industry relies on an operating system and machines, it does not require its workers to be skilled. Besides teenagers, the fast-food industry workforce is comprised of elderly, disabled, and immigrant individuals. For one-sixth of the nations restaurant employees, English is a second language.
Schlosser observes that while fast-food chains continue to accept hundreds of millions of dollars in government subsidies for training employees, they quietly spend enormous sums on research and technology to eliminate employee training. Fast-food restaurants employ the highest rate of low-wage workers,