April 1, 2015
By Marc Bussanich
New York, NY—Fast food workers announced on Tuesday outside McDonalds near Times Square that they would be joined by thousands of other low-wage workers as they prepare for a mass mobilization on April 15, when taxes are due, that will occur across the country and go global.
In the accompanying video we interviewed Destiny Wells who works for McDonalds in the Bronx near Yankees Stadium. She currently earns $9 an hour and said she was thrilled as soon as she learned that airport workers, adjunct professors, college students and child care workers would all be joining up in the campaign to increase wages to $15 an hour.
“I was happy to learn that I’m not the only one fighting for better wages and that there are more people who believe in what I believe in and willing to fight for it,” said Wells.
Fast food workers first went on strike calling for $15 an hour in New York City in November 2012. More than two years later, the fast food companies still refuse to raise their pay.
We asked Ms. Wells is she more hopeful that fast food workers will now have a better chance of winning a higher wage with a broadened coalition.
“I believe so. I have high hopes. With all these people now coming to our support, I have high hopes for all of us,” Wells said.
Wells works only 16 hours per week, but she said that at $9 an hour she and her husband have a hard time making ends meet.
“I have to make hard decisions—either buy a MetroCard or new clothes or pay for my phone bill. But the majority of the time I have to buy the MetroCard so that I can get to work.”
She’s looking forward to the mass mobilization on April 15.
@marcbuss marc@laborpress.org
