Emboldened by an outpouring of support on social media, low-wage fast-food and retail workers from eight cities who have staged walkouts this year are calling for a national day of strikes Aug. 29.
The workers – who are backed by local community groups and national unions and have held one-day walkouts in cities such as New York, St. Louis and Detroit – say they have received pledges of support from workers in dozens of cities across the country.
The workers are calling for a wage of $15 an hour and the right to form a union. Organizers of the walkout say cashiers, cooks and crew members at fast-food restaurants are paid a median wage of $8.94 an hour.