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Protest Outside McDonald's Demands $15/Hour Living Wage
By
Marc Yearsley
Published Dec 4, 2013
Modified Dec 4, 2013
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Gothamist
By
Marc Yearsley
Published Dec 4, 2013
Modified Dec 4, 2013
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Fast food industry workers and supporters converged at demonstrations across the country today to protest universally low wages, as a part of MoveOn's "Low Pay Is Not Okay" petition, which you can sign here. Addressed to McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, and Subway, the petition has nearly 50,000 signatures calling for the implementation of a $15/hour living wage for fast food industry workers.
Outside of the McDonald's on Broadway and 46th street in Time Square today, 10-15 people, mostly supporters and MoveOn affiliates, held signs declaring "Workers need McMoney, not more corporate McProfits" and "Workers need a McLiving wage," with the occasional chant of "We want a living wage, not seven dollars an hour."
According to MoveOn volunteer Adrian Underwood, there are other demonstrations taking place at locations around the city, but this was intended mostly as an act of solidarity with the union-organized walkout and rally happening tomorrow. Underwood told us that they printed out the signed petitions and attempted to deliver them to the McDonald's manager, but the documents were not accepted.
McDonald’s spokesperson Lisa McComb said in a statement, "McDonald’s and our owner-operators are committed to providing our employees with opportunities to succeed. We offer employees advancement opportunities, competitive pay and benefits. And we invest in training and professional development that helps them learn practical and transferable business skills."
This protest comes at the end of a month (and year, in many respects) which saw significant backlash directed at large corporations like Wal-Mart and McDonald's for their allegedly poor working conditions and low wages. Leading up to Black Friday, and on the day itself, Wal-Mart—one of the most profitable companies on the planet—faced protest demonstrations across the country, including a notable one in Seacaucus, New Jersey. Even Santa Claus was arrested, the most recent casualty in the War on Christmas.
McDonald's has also come under fire for its bat-shit, tone-deaf suggestions to its poverty-stricken employees—like signing up for food stamps, not complaining, and taking more vacations.
Gillian Langdon, along with her husband Tom, were out in support of the campaign, telling us that "something has to be done. It's very hard right now. I have children looking for work. I think the aspect that the taxpayers are paying for these people on food stamps is important. We are subsidizing these millionaires." Wal-Mart is no longer selling those "Destroy Capitalism" Banksy prints, so we suppose that is a step in the right direction.
You can support the national action strike on Thursday here.
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fast food
living wage
mcdonald's
protests
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Marc Yearsley
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