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U.S. NEWS A7
Wednesday 11 November
Fast food protesters set sights on presidential candidates
JOSEPH PISANI support through Tweets on Demonstrators take part in a march and rally sponsored the Service Employees International Union
AP Business Writer Tuesday. A protest was also in downtown Los Angeles. Workers from fast food chain restaurants protested in cities around the
NEW YORK (AP) — Work- planned near the Republi- country Tuesday to push fast food companies to pay them at least $15 an hour.
ers from fast food chain can debates in Milwaukee
restaurants protested in Tuesday night, organizers (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
cities around the country said.
Tuesday to push fast food Fast food worker Adriana Rival Burger King, which is tional Inc., said it supports tors will respect the safety
companies to pay them at Alvarez says she plans to owned by Canada-based “the right to demonstrate of our restaurant guests
least $15 an hour. The pro- vote for the first time next Restaurant Brands Interna- and hope any demonstra- and employees.” q
testers also had a message year, but only for a can-
for presidential candidates: didate who wants to raise
Support the cause or lose wages to $15 an hour. Al-
their vote next year. varez, who is 23 and lives in
The fast food protests were Chicago, says she makes
planned by organizers at $10.50 an hour.
more than 270 cities na- The protests are occur-
tionwide, part of an ongo- ring against a backdrop of
ing campaign called “Fight weak wage growth nation-
for $15.” Janitors, nursing wide. Average hourly pay
home workers and pack- has increased at roughly
age delivery workers also a 2.2 percent annual rate
joined some protests, orga- since the recession ended
nizers said. more than six years ago.
Dominique McCrae, who In the retail, hotel and res-
serves fried chicken and taurant industries, average
biscuits at a Bojangles’ res- hourly pay for front-line
taurant for $7.55 an hour, workers — the roughly 80
joined a protest in Durham, percent who aren’t man-
North Carolina. Her pay agers or supervisors — is be-
isn’t enough to cover rent low $15. It was $14.90 in the
or diapers for her child, retail industry in October,
the 23-year-old says. She the Labor Department said
dropped out of college to last week, and $13.82 for
care for her grandfather, hotel employees. Restau-
making finances tight. rant workers, on average,
“We just want to be able earned $11.51 an hour.
to support our families,” Economists have long de-
says McCrae, who has bated the impact of raising
worked at Bojangles’ for the minimum wage, and
two months. some recent research has
A representative for Char- found that modest increas-
lotte, North Carolina-based es seldom cost many jobs.
Bojangles’ Inc. did not But a jump to $15 an hour
respond to a request for would be more than dou-
comment. ble the federal minimum
The campaign began of $7.25 — a much higher
about three years ago and increase than what econo-
is funded by the Service mists have studied. It would
Employees International also be far above the
Union, which represents minimum wage’s previous
low-wage workers. Several peak of just under $11, ad-
protests have been sched- justed for inflation, in 1968.
uled in front of fast food res- McDonald’s Corp., based
taurants, garnering media in Oak Brook, Illinois, said in
attention. a statement Tuesday that
This time workers are pledg- wages at U.S. restaurants
ing not to vote for presiden- it owns increased $1 over
tial candidates that do not the local minimum wage
support the campaign. in July. The world’s largest
Democratic candidates hamburger chain said the
Hillary Clinton and Bernie move affected more than
Sanders both showed their 90,000 employees.
