With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Fast Food Workers Will Strike On Thursday In L.A.
Photo by foodforfel via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
()
As a follow up to the strikes staged in August, fast food workers are banding together this Thursday to fight for living wages. The strike will take place in 100 cities nationwide, and will include locations who did not participate in the first round, including Charleston, S.C.; Providence, R.I.; and Pittsburgh, Penn.
The frustration with fast food employers first started when McDonald's created a budgeting site with VISA, suggesting that its employees get a second job and turn off their heat in order to get by. The protesters, on the other hand, believe that getting paid $15/hour would help them make ends meet. They are backed by groups like Fast Food Forward and Fight for 15.
The outrage continued last week when McDonald's suggested that employees return unwanted gifts for extra cash and cut food into small pieces to feel less hungry.
According to HuffPo, there are nearly 20 million people working in the restaurant industry, with nearly one third of them getting paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour or the "tipped minimum wage" of $2.13 per hour in restaurants.
Support for LAist comes from
The National Restaurant Association, who opposes the strikes and raising the minimum wage to $15, has called the one-day strikes publicity stunts. They believe that increasing minimum wage will result in more automation and fewer workers being hired.
But for now all their laws are doing is holding workers back.
In Los Angeles, the protest will take place at McDonald’s on 4166 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA at 12:00 p.m.
The New York Timesinterviewed an Angeleno regarding his employment situation:
“It’s very difficult to live off $8.07 an hour,” said Simon Rojas, 23, who is only assigned 20 to 25 hours per week at a McDonald’s in South Central Los Angeles. “I have to live with my parents. I would like to be able to afford a car and an apartment.”
Imagine that.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist