Fast food workers plan surprise strike
Source: Salon.com
Breaking: Workers in some 50 restaurants expected to walk off job, potentially shutting down several eateries today
By Josh Eidelson
New York City fast food workers this morning planned to walk off the job in what organizers promised would be the largest-ever strike against the fast-growing, virtually union-free industry. The workers are demanding that chains like McDonalds and Wendys raise their wages to $15 an hour and allow them to organize a union without retaliation. The campaign expected over 400 workers from 50-some stores to participate in the surprise strike, doubling the size of their previous walkout and potentially shutting down several fast food restaurants for the day.
Obviously, it will piss off our bosses even more than before, KFC worker Joe Barrera told Salon in a pre-strike interview. Barrera, 22, said that over his seven years in the industry, weve had our complaints, but no one actually spoke out about it
I guess people were finally tired of the disrespect, under-compensation, being overworked, not having steady schedules and times, not having enough hours basically, being played around with. Workers from Burger King, McDonalds, Wendys, Dominos, Papa Johns, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are also expected to join the strike.
Barrera, whos paid the $7.25 minimum wage, said that a decent raise would allow him to stop skipping meals and start pursuing college. Maybe I could afford to have a girlfriend, take her out on a date
he added. All of that money goes right now to just surviving.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/04/04/fast_food_workers_plan_surprise_strike/
A protester holds up a sign at a demonstration outside McDonald's in Times Square in support of employees on strike at various fast-food chains in New York November 29, 2012. (Credit: Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
Ilsa
(61,694 posts)leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)Myrina
(12,296 posts)jmondine
(1,649 posts)bitchkitty
(7,349 posts)Announce it when it's too late for the bosses to do anything about it. Struck me as odd too, that they would announce a surprise strike in advance.
classykaren
(769 posts)Brigid
(17,621 posts)joanbarnes
(1,722 posts)Duer 157099
(17,742 posts)Let them try to serve a whole bunch of people with no workforce, then they can weep while watching customers with money walking out the door...
cprise
(8,445 posts)Fast food is sort of the epitome of non-union labor. If these workers can see value in solidarity, then conditions in society may have changed enough where it is actually possible to organize a General Strike for economic justice.
cvoogt
(949 posts)the timing is not the surprise. Maybe they intend to sneak up on a company and strike. There's nothing more dangerous than a wounded. err.. wait. Wrong show.
Blandocyte
(1,231 posts)I've been reading about depression-era strikes and had been thinking that nowadays companies would just move the jobs to China or Mexico. But restaurants, ah, now those are jobs you can't outsource!
xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)Quick look found a claim that Michigan McDonalds wages are 25% of revenue. So doubling wages would be matched if product price increased by 25%. Yielding wages being 40% of the revised revenue.
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)Ash_F
(5,861 posts)Daniel537
(1,560 posts)but in NYC, that is just plain unlivable. Kudos to these folks for standing up for their rights. Retail and service industry jobs can be back-breaking, as i know first-hand, so they have every right to demand an increase in their wages. Its time we stop settling for less.
Cal Carpenter
(4,959 posts)and keep going!
EDUCATE! AGITATE! ORGANIZE!
STRIKE!!!!
Keep this momentum up!
This is great stuff..