FILE - In this Tuesday, July
30, 2013 file photo, demonstrators fill the Hardees on Chestnut in
Downtown St. Louis. On Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013, organizers say thousands
of workers are set to stage walkouts in at least 50 cities around the
country, part of a push to intensify the spotlight on the wages paid by
chains such as McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Wendy’s. (AP Photo/Belleville
News-Democrat, Derik Holtmann)
NEW YORK (AP) -- Fast-food customers in search of burgers and fries on might run into striking workers instead.
Organizers say thousands of fast-food workers are set to stage
walkouts in dozens of cities around the country Thursday, part of a push
to get chains such as McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's to pay workers
higher wages.
It's expected be the largest nationwide strike by fast-food
workers, according to organizers. The biggest effort so far was over the
summer when about 2,200 of the nation's millions of fast-food workers
staged a one-day strike in seven cities.
Thursday's planned walkouts follow a series of strikes that
began last November in New York City, then spread to cities including
Chicago, Detroit and Seattle. Workers say they want $15 an hour, which
would be about $31,000 a year for full-time employees. That's more than
double the federal minimum wage, which many fast food workers make, of
$7.25 an hour, or $15,000 a year.
The move comes amid calls from the White House, some members of
Congress and economists to hike the federal minimum wage, which was last
raised in 2009. But most proposals seek a far more modest increase than
the ones workers are asking for, with President Barack Obama wanting to
boost it to $9 an hour.
The push has brought considerable media attention to a staple of
the fast-food industry — the so-called "McJobs" that are known for
their low pay and limited prospects. But the workers taking part in the
strikes still represent a tiny fraction of the broader industry. And
it's not clear if the strikes on Thursday will shut down any restaurants
because organizers made their plans public earlier in a call for
workers around the country to participate, which gave managers time to
adjust their staffing levels. More broadly, it's not clear how many
customers are aware of the movement, with turnout for past strikes
relatively low in some cities.
Laila Jennings, a 29-year-old sales associate at T.J. Maxx, was
eating at a McDonald's in New York City this week and said she hadn't
heard of the movement. Still, she said she thinks workers should be paid
more. "They work on their feet all day," Jennings said, adding that $12
to $15 an hour seemed fair.
As it stands, fast-food workers say they can't live on what they're paid.
Shaniqua Davis, 20, lives in the Bronx with her boyfriend, who
is unemployed, and their 1-year-old daughter. Davis has worked at a
McDonald's a few blocks from her apartment for the past three months,
earning $7.25 an hour. Her schedule varies, but she never gets close to
40 hours a week. "Forty? Never. They refuse to let you get to that
(many) hours."
Her weekly paycheck is $150 or much lower. "One of my paychecks,
I only got $71 on there. So I wasn't able to do much with that. My
daughter needs stuff, I need to get stuff for my apartment," said Davis,
who plans to take part in the strike Thursday.
She pays the rent with public assistance but struggles to afford
food, diapers, subway and taxi fares, cable TV and other expenses with
her paycheck.
"It's really hard," she said. "If I didn't have public
assistance to help me out, I think I would have been out on the street
already with the money I make at McDonald's."
McDonald's Corp. and Burger King Worldwide Inc. say that they
don't make decisions about pay for the independent franchisees that
operate the majority of their U.S. restaurants.
For the restaurants it does own, McDonald's said in a statement
that pay starts at minimum wage but the range goes higher, depending on
the employee's position and experience level. It said that raising
entry-level wages would mean higher overall costs, which could result in
higher prices on menus.
"That would potentially have a negative impact on employment and
business growth in our restaurants, as well as value for our
customers," the company said in a statement.
The Wendy's Co. and Yum Brands Inc., which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, did not respond to a request for comment.
The National Restaurant Association says the low wages reflect
the fact that most fast-food workers tend to be younger and have little
work experience. Scott DeFife, a spokesman for the group, says that
doubling wages would hurt job creation, noting that fast-food chains are
already facing higher costs for ingredients, as well as new regulations
that will require them to pay more in health care costs.
Still, the actions are striking a chord in some corners.
Robert Reich, a worker advocate and former Labor Secretary in
the Clinton administration, said that the struggles of living on low
wages is hitting close to home for many because of the weak economic
climate.
"More and more, people are aware of someone either in their
wider circle of friends or extended family who has fallen on hard
times," Reich said.
Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International
Union, which is providing the fast-food strikes with financial support
and training, said the actions in recent months show that fast-food
workers can be mobilized, despite the industry's relatively higher
turnover rates and younger age.
"The reality has totally blown through the obstacles," she said.
