Wave of fast food strikes hits 60 cities

NEW YORK | 06 – 09 – 2013 | Fast food workers in 60 cities across the U.S. walked off the job Thursday as they protest for higher wages. Workers from fast food giants McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Yum Brands -owned KFC are calling on their employers to pay them a minimum of $15 an hour and allow them to form unions without retaliation.

Currently, the median pay for the fast food workers across the country is just over $9 an hour, or about $18,500 a year. That’s roughly $4,500 lower than Census Bureau’s poverty income threshold level of $23,000 for a family of four.

Organizers called the action the largest strike ever to hit the $200 billion fast-food industry. As of Thursday afternoon, they still did not have a precise estimate for how many workers were involved, but said the figure was in the thousands.

Strikes took place in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis and dozens of other cities.

A number of community leaders and local politicians joined the rally in New York City, where participants hearkened back to the Occupy Wall Street protests in speeches outside a McDonald’s near the Empire State Building.  (CNN)

Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images