US Fast-Food Workers Strike for Higher Wages
August 30, 2013
Leading up to the Labor Day holiday celebrating the contribution of American workers to society, thousands of low-wage workers at fast-food restaurants and retail stores went on a one-day strike in more than 50 cities. These protests are part of a labor union sponsored campaign to pressure the fast food industry to increase wages and allow workers to unionize
In New York City, several hundred restaurant and retail workers took to the streets to demand higher wages.
One of them, Tasian Edwards works for Burger King and says the national minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, which she earns, is not enough to support her family.
“I’m the oldest in the house. And I’m the only one that can work right now, and $7.25 can’t feed my three siblings, including me and my mother," she said.
Organizers say workers in more than 50 American cities, including Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles, participated in one of the biggest worker protests in the country. The strikes are part of a campaign backed by labor unions to demand a minimum wage of $15 an hour and the right to join a labor union.
Proponents of the fast food industry say low-wage jobs provide opportunities to students and entry-level workers who over time will move on to better jobs and higher pay. Imposing higher wages, they say, could backfire on workers.
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