Seattle fast-food workers joined a nationwide, one-day strike on Thursday, demanding a pay increase to $15 per hour and the right to form a union without fear of intimidation or retaliation from the multi-billion dollar companies that employ them. Sparked by wages that fast-food workers say are unlivable, the strikes were held in cities as far away as New York and Wisconsin.
This week’s strikes were the latest in a campaign that got its start in November 2012 when members of the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago decided to stand up to CEOs and demand a livable wage. The Chicago-based organization has more than 200 members working in the fast food and retail industries.
“We’re getting all the workers together and we’re standing up against CEOs,” committee member Brittany Smith told Salon. “Because there’s more workers than there are CEOs.”
Since the campaign began, thousands of fast food workers have walked off the job in New York, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and Milwaukee.
Trevor Bagley, a full-time employee at Subway restaurant in Seattle, told the Seattle Times he has worked at the fast food chain for the past five months, is paid minimum wage and has no benefits, so he has to live with family.
“In this city, even if you work full time like I am, you need to choose between a car and an apartment, essentially. You can’t afford both,” he said.
Bagley was contacted by Good Jobs Seattle months ago about joining the strike. Hundreds of employees at McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco del Mar, Arby’s, Chipotle, Subway, Jack in the Box and Qdoba restaurants were part of the demonstrations throughout the city.
“We’re sending the message out that many of us who are providing the basic everyday services, in many of the positions that many take for granted, we aren’t always able to make the simple ends meet,” Bagley said. “With the inflated costs of food and gas, $9.18 is simply not enough to live off.”
It’s not just fast food workers in Seattle that are struggling financially. The average fast-food worker earns just over $9 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Once adjusted for inflation, fast-food wages have actually fallen 36 cents an hour since 2010, despite the fact that fast-food companies have posted record profits in recent years, reports USA Today.
Profits for McDonald’s, the nation’s largest fast-food restaurant chain in terms of sales, increased by 135 percent between 2007 and 2011. Last year, the company paid its new CEO $13.8 million, and gave its outgoing executive another $27.7 million, according to USA Today. Yum Brands Inc., which owns chains including Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, saw a 45 percent increase in profits between 2007 and 2011. Their highest-paid executive made $20.4 million in 2011.
“It’s fast-paced, hard work, but at the minimum wage of $9.19 per hour and only 27 hours per week, I don’t earn enough to make ends meet,” blogged one worker from the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard. “When I ask for more hours, my boss always says the same thing: hours are competitive – the harder you work, the more hours you’ll get. But I work hard, and I haven’t gotten any more hours.”
Employees take a stand
Will Pittz, executive director of the Washington Community Action Network, said that while the strikes are being organized in part by groups such as Good Jobs Seattle, most of the effort is done by employees themselves.
“Right now they’re trying to raise awareness,” Pittz said. “It’s not a coincidence that the corporations are making record profits and workers are struggling. Workers see that and it motivates them to do something about it.”
According to Census figures, about 33,000 people in the Seattle metro area work in fast food.
As a result of the demonstration in Seattle, a Burger King closed for the day after workers walked off the job in the morning. Management posted a note on the door saying its workers were taking part in a “strike for poverty.”
”We are understaffed and unable to serve you at this time. Sincerest apologies – management,” the note said.
Though the demonstration was mostly held on Thursday, the strike began on Wednesday night at a Taco Bell, where an employee shortage resulted in the restaurant having to close early for the night. The peak of Thursday’s demonstration occurred around 4:30 p.m. when workers gathered at a park and marched to nearby fast-food locations.
Owners of the fast-food chains have remained largely mum regarding the strike, but Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn released a statement yesterday in support of the workers.
“Seattle believes in shared prosperity for all of our workers, including those in the fast food industry. Too many of them are being left behind even as Seattle’s economy thrives. I support their organizing effort because our neighbors who work these jobs deserve to earn a living wage that can support their families and help them join a strong middle class.”
David Freiboth, the executive secretary of the King County Labor Council, said workers in other industries may benefit from the demonstration because it will help increase public awareness of the difficulty of living on minimum wage.