Fast-Food Strikes Planned across U.S. on Thursday

More strikes by fast-food workers are planned Thursday across the South and West Coast, with the protests reaching as many as 35 cities, including Memphis, Raleigh, and Los Angeles.  As in prior strikes, workers are asking for a wage of at least $15 per hour and the right to unionize.  The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.  The strikes originally began in New York last November, when 200 fast-food workers walked off the job in a one-day protest.  Since then, strikes and protests have spread to many other cities, such as Detroit, Chicago, and Kansas City.

Experts agree the protests and strikes are likely to continue spreading, despite limited gains since the movement’s inception and the low likelihood that all the workers’ demands will be met. Workers say they will continue to push for change in the right direction, even if their full demands are not met.

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