( CNN ) -- Do n't let McDonald 's new `` Dollar Menu and More '' distract you . Although an order of McNuggets might cost more than a buck now , the truth is that the Dollar Menu was never a bargain . In reality , whether you eat the fries or not , fast-food companies such as McDonald 's actually shift billions of dollars in hidden costs onto taxpayers every year . How ? These costs flow directly from their business model of low wages , nonexistent benefits and limited work hours , which force millions of fast-food workers to rely on public assistance to afford basic necessities such as food and health care . To see this business model in action , take a look inside the employee break room at many McDonald 's restaurants , where you might find a poster displaying information for a 1-800 `` McResource '' hotline designed to offer counseling to employees who need financial , housing , child care or other help . In a recent exchange on the McResource hotline , documented in a newly released video , an employee who has worked at McDonald 's for 10 years -- yet earns the Illinois minimum wage of $ 8.25 per hour -- is urged to find additional support for herself and her two children by paying a visit to nearby food pantries , applying for food stamps and signing up for Medicaid . In other words , rather than sitting down with their employees to address the reality that the company 's pay scales are just too low -- and that even long-term employees ca n't get by on their small paychecks -- McDonald 's has decided to coach its workers on how to enroll in public safety-net programs to supplement their poverty-level wages . ( McDonald 's called the video an inaccurate portrayal of the resource line . ) In total , this business model of low wages and no benefits at the 10 largest fast-food companies costs taxpayers an estimated $ 3.8 billion each year , according to a recent report by the National Employment Law Project . At McDonald 's , the company 's low-wage jobs cost taxpayers an estimated $ 1.2 billion a year -- twice as much as any other fast-food company . Public safety-net programs such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program ( commonly known as `` food stamps '' ) and Medicaid are crucial programs for alleviating poverty and promoting economic security in the United States . That is precisely why we can not afford to let multibillion-dollar companies drain the resources of these programs by paying poverty-level wages to millions of their workers . The good news is that over the past year , thousands of workers in the fast-food industry have begun organizing and staging strikes in dozens of cities across the country , calling for a living wage and the right to form a union . These demands should be taken seriously . All Americans -- even those who have never worked in fast food or have no plans to eat fast food -- need to recognize that the low-wage fast-food industry poses significant costs to all of us each year . Fast-food workers should have the ability to bargain collectively for higher wages and better working conditions . Giving workers a voice at the workplace will ensure a fairer , more democratic workplace , while keeping in check the irresponsible business model of CEOs tapping the public safety net for billions in subsidies each year as they continue to pay poverty-level wages . At the same time , Congress should pass a long-overdue increase in the federal minimum wage , which has remained stuck at just $ 7.25 per hour -- or $ 15,080 a year -- for the past four years . Although many companies will continue to pay as little as they can get away with , raising the minimum wage to $ 10.10 per hour , as proposed in the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 , would boost wages for 30 million workers , generating $ 32 billion in new economic growth as higher wages power greater consumer spending . A fairer fast-food industry that provides higher wages , promotes greater economic growth and spares taxpayers billions in costs every year sounds like a real value worth fighting for . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jack Temple .
Jack Temple : Fast-food companies shift costs of their low pay onto taxpayers . Temple : McDonald 's tip line told worker , a mom , to apply for food stamps , Medicaid . Low wages at 10 largest fast-food firms cost taxpayers $ 3.8 billion each year , he says . Comment: