NEW YORK - One year after their first strike, New York City fast food workers are expected to walk off their jobs Thursday, joining a 100-city strike wave. Workers will go on strike in every region of the continental United States. They will be joined by community supporters in an additional 100+ cities for a total of 200+ cities taking action. The fight for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation has grown rapidly since the first walkout in New York City just one year ago. Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights) will join workers in support of higher wages and organizing rights at a McDonalds in Washington Heights that has been a source of contention after a worker fainted and was hospitalized due to inadequate air conditioning in the kitchen during the summer time.
WHAT: Workers walk off jobs in call for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without interference from employers or unfair labor practices
WHERE: McDonald's at 4259 Broadway (Broadway and 181st St.), Manhattan
WHEN: Thursday, December 5th, 2013, 11:30 AM
WHY: Our country's fastest growing jobs are also the lowest paid, slowing the recovery and hurting our local economy. While the fast food industry is making record profits, its workers are forced to rely on public assistance - to the tune of 7 billion taxpayer dollars each year - just to afford the basics. That's why fast-food workers from across the country are joining together to fight for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without interference.
In New York City there are over 57,00 fast-food workers. The median wage is $8.89/hour - the lowest of any occupation in the city. An adult with one child needs to make $24.69 an hour working full time in the New York City area just to afford the basics, according to a model developed by a professor at MIT. [find the stat on this site: http://livingwage.mit.edu]
In addition to New York, strikes will hit cities all over the country, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, Raleigh and Tampa.
Thursday's strikes follow walkouts in 60 cities on Aug. 29, including NYC, and are the latest in an escalating series of actions by low-wage workers across the country. Last week, Walmart workers protested at 1500 stores nationwide on Black Friday, calling for Walmart to publicly commit to paying $25,000 a year, providing full-time work and ending illegal retaliation.
