According to organizers, fast food workers throughout 100 cities will walk off the job on Thursday in an effort to push employers to pay a more reasonable wage. If all workers participate, this will be the largest action taken so far in the fight to gain fair wages for fast food workers. This is the latest installment of a campaign that began about a year ago to bring attention to the low wage that most fast food workers are paid. The federal minimum wage at this time is $7.25 an hour, adding up to about just above $15,000 a year for those fortunate enough to receive 40 hours a week. Workers argue that this is not enough money to provide even the most minimalist type of living without assistance.
Results of Earlier Protests
Strikes held earlier in the year had mixed results, with some smaller fast food chains actually responding to the protests by raising the wage. However, the majority of those that participated in earlier strikes were members of unions, so their jobs were not threatened by the walk-outs the same way that non-union employees would have been. Many businesses were unaffected on days selected for the strikes because of the lack of participation. The participation level of Thursday’s strike is yet unclear.
President Obama said that he would support the raising of the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that a wage hike will be voted on; however Republican leaders are opposed to the action. Some states have taken action without federal mandates. California, Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island all raised minimum wage within their states this year.