City's police will now earn the wage of McDonald's cashiers

Police and firefighters in Scranton, Pa., will now earn the same wage as McDonald's employees. In accordance with a contentious move by Mayor Chris Doherty to slash the city budget, the salaries of almost 400 workers have been unilaterally reduced to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour for an "indefinite" period, down from their previous pay between $19 and $36 an hour. The new pay changes went into effect Friday, and the government employee's union has filed a lawsuit. Sure, carrying firearms, running into burning buildings and saving lives involves a wee bit more training than, say, pushing fries around a deep fryer; but times are tough, the mayor says.