Maryland Fast Food Workers Set to Protest For Wage Increase

By Tom Edathikunnel and Deb Belt

A dash to grab fast-food may not be so fast in parts of Maryland Thursday, as some workers at McDonald’s, Burger King and other restaurants say they will strike in an effort to gain increased wages.

The group Baltimore & Maryland Workers Assembly “We Deserve Better” says it will rally at noon Thursday, Dec. 4, at Eutaw and Lexington Streets, across from the Market, in downtown Baltimore. Thursday’s rallies across the country are a way to press for better pay and the right to form a union.

Police are preparing as workers demand higher wages. From Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York City, Detroit, and Chicago, workers nationwide are seeking an increase in wages to $15 an hour.

A vast majority of fast-food workers make minimum wage, $8 an hour, with no benefits. Compounding the problem of low pay, many employees are technically part time and receive less than 40 hours a work week.

Do you think fast-food and other retail workers should receive a $15 hourly wage? Tell us in the comments below.

The “Fight for 15” group, affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, is planning a national fast food worker protest for Thursday, December 4. Fast food workers in over 150 cities will walk off the job in hopes of receiving higher pay, according to SrikeFastFood.org, the movement’s homepage.

Additionally, workers are also demanding the right to form a union, ensuring that fast food employees across the country will receive adequate wages and benefits.

Since 2012, strikes by fast food workers striving for high wages have become increasingly common. Earlier this year workers planned a simultaneous demonstration in which they protested in front of a New York City McDonald’s locations. Protests continued in September, this time in over 100 cities across the country, according to Eater.

Rallies and sit-ins occurred throughout McDonald’s restaurants in numerous cities including Rockford Il; Hartford Ct and Boston. Police arrested over 100 hundred protesters, including 19 workers in New York, 42 in Detroit, 23 in Chicago, 11 in Little Rock, and 10 in Las Vegas, according to the LA Times.

A wage increase will invariably affect the fast food industry. Stephen J. Calderia, president of the International Franchise Association estimated in the New York Times that a $15 wage increase would lead to a 25 to 50 percent increase in food prices. “Increasing the cost of labor would lead to high prices for the consumer, lower foot traffic and sales for franchise owners, and ultimately lost entry-level jobs.” The protests continue to gain momentum as both Seattle and San Francisco have voted to raise their minimum wages to $15.

»Image: Andrew Burton/Getty Images