Fast food workers nationwide are back on the street with demands of unionizing and better pay.
Employees at major fast food chains including McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC walked off the job Thursday in hopes of raising their $7.50 an hour pay to $15.
The workers say there is no way to live off the wage in New York City and want to unionize without retaliation. The strike is being held in over 50 U.S. cities and is being considered the largest fast food strike ever.
Reports indicate that dozens of workers packed into a McDonald’s in Midtown Manhattan in protest and gathered in Union Square on Thursday. Workers took to the streets earlier in the summer to raise the issue about the unfair pay. One worker said things have improved since then.
“Since publicly launching our campaign, workers have won victories like raises, more hours, and most recently, a repaired air conditioner on the hottest day of the year,” said Sixto Taveraz who works for Domino’s Pizza. “But despite these victories, we are still facing unlawful practices in response to our organizing, including terminations, reduction of hours, threats of retaliation and many other unlawful actions intended to discourage us from organizing but we aren’t giving up the fight.”
McDonald’s released a statement about the demands and said that employees have opportunities to make more money. The fast food giant previously said that if they increased wages, menu prices would go up.
“McDonald’s aims to offer competitive pay and benefits to our employees,” the company said. “We provide training and professional development for all of those who wish to take advantage of those opportunities.”