Local

Fast food workers striking today

The strike will take place in as many as 100 cities with protests in up to 200. If you like to eat on the run this might just make your lunch a little harder to get.

The protest began last year and is meant to show workers displeasure with their wages. Employees in fast food average $9 per hour but want to see that jump to at least $15 per hour.

Mary Kay Henry runs the Service Employees International Union, she told The New York Times "this isn't going to blow over."

"I think there's growing recognition that a nerve has been touched," she went on.

But National Restaurant Association Vice-President of policy and government affaitrs Scott DeFife has a differerent opinion. “When you start by insisting on $15 an hour, that’s not conducive to substantive dialogue,” DeFife said.

The strikes may impact customers today but the industry doesn’t expect any long term problems.

CNN reports The National Restaurant Association passes it off as a "coordinated PR campaign engineered by national labor groups."

McDonald's went a step further saying the actions weren’t strikes but are “staged protests from outside groups.”

 Politico pointed out President Obama weighed in and compared the issue to race problems.

"The opportunity gap in America is now as much about class as it is about race," he began." The gap in test scored between poor kids and wealthy kids is now nearly twice what it is between white kids and black kids."

Arindrajit Dube is an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He predicted a $15 minimum wage would certainly raise the price of fast food.

Dube estimates the average $3 hamburger would jump to $3.50 or $3.60.

More here.

Listen

news

weather

traffic

mobile apps

Everything you love about krmg.com and more! Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app.

amazon alexa

Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!