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Video: Colbert Talks To Brooklyn KFC Worker Fighting For $15/Hour Minimum Wage
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 17, 2014
Modified Jan 17, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 17, 2014
Modified Jan 17, 2014
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Last night, Stephen Colbert interviewed Naquasia Legrand, a 22-year-old worker at a Brooklyn KFC. Legand has been rallying for a higher minimum wage—plus the right to unionize without retaliation—since 2012. She explained, "I worked at two KFC’s and still couldn’t make it" and didn't see $300 a week. "I still have a MetroCard I need, I still have a family to feed, I still have to make sure bills [are] paid, and I still could not do that with working at two KFC’s."
Legrand only works 15 hours now (at $8/hour), because her management won't give her more hours. Colbert noted that a part of Obamacare requires workers with over 30 hours to have healthcare, so clearly, it's "Obama's fault." She said it's not fair, given the corporations that own fast food restaurant make billions, to which Colbert said, "Hey, these corporations are there to make money, young lady. If you wanted to make more money, why didn’t you have the foresight to be a multi-national corporation?" Legrand replied, "I don't know about that—I'm just trying to have a living wage."
"I have to come with a team, I have to come with my co-workers and other workers around the country, and let them know it's not just me who's going through this; it's all of us going through this," she said of the ongoing struggle and walkouts. "That's what makes a union — Americans coming together to make a difference and have a voice together."
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Colbert Report
minimum wage
naquasia legrand
union
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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