Organized labor mobilizing fast-food workers to unionize

A McDonald's fast food parlor remains closed during a unions' strike that blocks the approaches to the capital, on November 20, 2012 in Buenos Aires. A general strike was called Tuesday by the working unions opposing the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to protest against the taxes on wages.

While many in California might see the future as more rosy, the workers serving you burgers at your local fast food joint might not be feeling quite so upbeat. There's more than 2 million of these workers across the U.

While many in California might see the future as more rosy, the workers serving you burgers at your local fast food joint might not be feeling quite so upbeat. There's more than 2 million of these workers across the U.S.

They work in places like McDonald's and they're among the lowest-paid workers in the country. Most don't belong to unions, but organized labor has taken note and introduced a new approach to mobilize these workers.

Eduardo Porter, economics columnist at the New York Times, joins the show to fill us in about this new effort.