Jobs on the menu at McDonald's

Those queuing up at McDonald's restaurants around the Mid-Valley area might have hoped for the following question Tuesday: "Do you want health benefits with that?"

The fast food giant's hiring day attracted plenty of interest in a woeful economy, with a couple of dozen applications for part-time positions submitted by midday at one location.

As applicants came in, they filled out green-jacketed forms with pens provided by the restaurant, then waited for an interview as others dined on french fries and chicken sandwiches.

Leah Toms of Marysville, a recent high school graduate, said she was applying because she has had little luck anywhere else.

"No call backs, no e-mails, no nothing," she said, as she waited for an interview at the McDonald's at Harter Road and Highway 20 Tuesday morning. "They all say they're not hiring."

Toms, 17, said the perception by some of McDonald's as a low-rent job didn't bother her, because she was a first-time job applicant. A part-time job would fit with her schedule while she takes Yuba College classes toward working in photography, she said.

About 160 McDonald's locations across Northern California and Nevada took part in the hiring day, though the company did not say how many employees it expected to hire. Positions were up to 20 hours per week, though the company offers health insurance and other benefits to some of those employees.

Many of those hired will make $8 an hour, the state's minimum wage.

But the amount was enough for Jao Vue of Marysville, who filled out an application while wearing a blue dress shirt and patterned tie. "I wanted to get a job to support my family, pay my rent, get off OneStop cash assistance," he said.

Applicants could either do so in person or online through the restaurant's website. Though restaurant managers couldn't speak directly on turnout, at least two or three job seekers waited during much of the morning at a Yuba City store.

Some job hopefuls may have discovered what Toms has: Jobs are scarce, particularly in the Mid-Valley, where unemployment rates have been around 20 percent.

At the McDonald's in Marysville on Tuesday afternoon, a group of incoming Marysville High teenagers said they had spent the summer looking for work, to no avail.

"I'll do anything they need me to do. A job's a job," said Megan Fredrick, 17, of Marysville, adding, "You can't be picky, not with this economy."

Restaurant interviewers there told applicants they would get a phone call later this week if they're selected for a second interview.

Some who applied said they had acknowledge they have some characteristics holding them back from other jobs.

Norma Hutchings, 39, said she was a recent parolee from state prison.

"But I'm not going to give up hope," she said, waiting for her interview at a Yuba City store. "I have to be as honest as I can, and hope for the best."