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Fast-food Protesters Want Wage Increase on Front Burner
11-25-15 Walter Thompson
Activists cheer during a rally in New York City after the New York Wage Board endorsed a proposal to set a $15 minimum wage for workers at fast-food restaurants with 30 or more locations in New York, July 22, 2015 Photo: AP/Mary Altaffer
1NEW YORK, N.Y. — Workers from McDonald's, Taco Bell and other fast-food restaurant chains protested in cities around the country Tuesday. They gathered to demand that fast-food companies pay them at least $15 an hour. The protesters also had a message for presidential candidates: support the cause or lose their vote next year.
5The protests were part of an ongoing campaign called "Fight for $15." The larger goal of that campaign is to get the nationwide minimum wage raised to $15 an hour for all low-wage employees.
The fast-food protests took place in more than 270 cities nationwide. Janitors, nursing home workers and package delivery workers also joined some protests.
Dominique McCrae, who serves fried chicken and biscuits at a Bojangles' restaurant for $7.55 an hour, 10 joined a protest outside a McDonald's in Durham, North Carolina. Her pay is not enough to cover rent or diapers for her child, the 23-year-old said. She dropped out of college to care for her grandfather, making finances tight.
Candidates Tweet Their Support
"We just want to be able to support our families," said McCrae, who has worked at Bojangles' for two months.
15Bojangles' said in a statement that its wages compare favorably to what similar companies offer.
The "Fight for $15" campaign began about three years ago and is funded by the Service Employees International Union. The union represents low-wage workers. Several past protests were also staged outside fast-food restaurants.
This time workers are pledging not to vote for presidential candidates that do not support the campaign. 20 Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders each tweeted their support Tuesday. Sanders showed up at a protest outside the Senate in Washington.
Some Say Wage Hikes Cost Jobs
McDonald's worker Adriana Alvarez of Chicago said she plans to vote for the first time next year, but only for a candidate who wants to raise wages to $15 an hour. Alvarez, who is 23 said that she makes $10.50 an hour. Higher pay would help her move out of the moldy basement apartment she shares with 25 her 3-year-old son.
"I can find a better place," she said.
In the retail, hotel, and restaurant industries, average hourly pay for front-line workers is below $15. Front-line workers are the roughly 80 percent who are not managers or supervisors. It was $14.90 in the retail industry in October, the Labor Department said last week, and $13.82 for hotel employees.
30Restaurant workers, on average, earned $11.51 an hour.
Economists1 have long debated the impact of raising the minimum wage. Some have argued that wage hikes only end up hurting workers. They say the hikes force employers to let workers go, because they cannot afford to pay everyone the new higher wage. Recent research, however, has found that modest increases seldom cost many jobs.
35However, a jump to $15 an hour would more than double the federal minimum of $7.25. Such a jump would be a much higher increase than anything economists have ever studied.
Companies Cite Barrier To Wage Boosts
McDonald's said in a statement Tuesday that wages at U.S. restaurants it owns increased $1 over the local minimum wage in July, affecting about 90,000 employees. However, the vast majority of U.S. McDonald's locations are independently operated, and thus wages are not set by the parent company.
40Rival Burger King said it supports "the right to demonstrate." The company said it hopes "any demonstrators will respect the safety of our restaurant guests and employees." It also said that many of its restaurants are independently operated and that the owners of those restaurants make wage decisions, not the corporate company.
Yum Brands, the company behind Taco Bell and KFC, said its employees are paid above minimum
45wage. Yum Brands has 2,000 company-owned stores.
Some at the rally were not fast-food workers. Liz Henry, 38, who works in environmental services at a New York hospital, makes more than $15 per hour but supports the effort for other workers.
"Even what I'm making right now is not even enough," she says. "How do they really get by? It's hard."
1economist: a person who studies the way money is made and lost in a society or government system
Re-read line 15 from to answer question 1.
Bojangles' said in a statement that its wages compare favorably to what similar companies offer.
1. What does the phrase "compare favorably to" mostly likely mean in line 15?
A are the same as
B receive approval from
C are minimally less than
D are higher than
Re-read lines 33-36 to answer question 2.
Recent research, however, has found that modest increases seldom cost many jobs.
However, a jump to $15 an hour would more than double the federal minimum of $7.25. Such a jump would be a much higher increase than anything economists have ever studied.
2. What is the best definition of the word "modest" as used in the first selection above?
A appearing decent
B moderate in ability
C in an attitude of humility
D not excessively large
3. According to the section "Companies Cite Barrier To Wage Boosts," what do fast-food companies agree on?
A Their workers deserve to earn more money for the work they do.
B Their workers already earn enough money.
C They do not always decide how much workers in their restaurants earn.
D They are not willing to increase the earnings of their restaurant employees.
4. What is the author's purpose for including McCrae and Alvarez in the article?
A to provide an inside perspective
B to make an emotional appeal
C to make a logical argument
D to provide a radical opinion
5. How does the author organize information in the article?
A by showing two opposing opinions on the topic of minimum wage increase
B by showing how minimum wage should increase for fast-food workers
C by highlighting one viewpoint through interviews with others
D by providing information sequentially to elaborate on the issue
6. How does the author provide examples of opposing viewpoints in “Fast-food Protesters Want Wage Increase on Front Burner?” Usetwodetails from the article to support your response.
Wage Increase on Front Burner?” Usetwodetails from the article to support your response.