New York City fast food workers held mass demonstrations Thursday outside dozens of restaurants on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. The action was both a salute to the slain civil rights leader and a protest to promote workers’ rights to a living wage and union representation. Many fast food workers make just $7.25 per hour, live in poverty and require government assistance, like food stamps, just to make ends meet.
“Many of us make minimum wage — just $7.25 an hour, or as little as $11,000 a year. Meanwhile, the Goliath corporations we work for, like McDonalds, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, are part of a $200 billion industry. Despite record profits, thousands of fast food workers are living at or near the poverty level,” writes Fast Food Forward, an initiative promoting better working conditions for low-wage restaurant workers.
Economists contend that a pay bump for workers would not hurt the healthy profits enjoyed by these major corporations. “There’s no indication that the unionization would hurt the bottom line for these corporations. There may be higher wages for workers,” said Professor David Schultz, a nationally-recognized expert in government, nonprofit and business ethics to Mint Press News.
“We’re looking at corporate America enjoying record profits. This hasn’t translated into better wages and benefits for workers,” Schultz said.
The workers’ demonstration Thursday was supported by a bevy of local labor and faith-based community organizations, including members of Fast Food Forward, New York Communities for Change, UnitedNY.org, the Black Institute, the Service Employees International Union and local clergy.
“While I’m making $7.25, my money can’t take me anywhere,” said Stephen Warner, a part-time worker at a McDonald’s in New York City. “The price of living is going up it seems every day. I appreciate the opportunity to work. But I want them to consider how much I make and ask [themselves] if they could live off of it.”
According to 2010 U.S. Census statistics, New York City is among the most expensive cities for residents based upon cost of living. Some fast food employees working full-time earn just 25 percent of what they need to afford basic expenses such as rent, food and transportation.
This marks the second time fast food workers have walked off the job demanding better wages in recent months. In a similar demonstration in November 2012, hundreds working in the New York fast food industry protested for better wages, some calling for pay of $15 an hour and health benefits. The median pay for fast food workers in New Yorkers was $18,500 last year, lower than the U.S. Census Bureau’s designated poverty line of $23,000 for a family of four.
President Obama called for raising the minimum wage to $9 per hour in February, a proposal hailed by many labor leaders as an important step that would help millions of low-wage workers, including fast food workers, but would fail to meet cost of living expenses in New York and other cities around the United States. The proposal has not advanced to a vote in the House, hindered by limited Republican support.
“In this job, having a union would really be a dream come true,” said Raymond Lopez during protests last year. Lopez makes $8.75 saying, “It really is living in poverty.” Under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, companies cannot fire workers for trying to form unions, but many labor experts believe that the hostile “anti-union” stance of corporate America has hampered collective bargaining. “The National Labor Relations Act is basically dead,” Schultz said.
Because low-wage employees spend long hours working just to survive, unionizing efforts may be hampered by difficult working conditions and threats of termination. Experts posit that for many, walking off the job may be unlikely.
“First, I think many low-wage workers feel like they don’t have a choice. Their circumstances are difficult. If they walk off the job, they won’t bring in any wages. Realistically, it would make sense for lots of people to organize across low-wage sectors. It doesn’t seem to be high on the agenda,” Schultz said.