You may find yourself waiting longer for McNuggets or a Whopper this week as thousands of workers in seven cities around the country strike for the right to unionize and $15 an hour wages.
Building on the momentum of strikes that began in November in New York City, organizers say dozens of restaurants in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Detroit and Flint, Mich., will be affected by waves of worker walkouts over the course of the week.
“These workers need a raise and they need representation in the workplace,” said Martin Rafanan, community director for STL735. The acronym stands for “St. Louis Can’t Survive on $7.35,” referring to Missouri’s minimum wage. Rafanan said the group, which plans to strike Monday and Tuesday, hopes to build on a May strike when about 100 workers walked off the job.