Fast food workers in New York City are campaigning for better pay. Workers at a variety of fast food chains including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and KFC walked out of their jobs earlier this week to take to the streets in search of a $15 per hour wage.
The fast food workers are currently paid an average of $7.25 to $9 per hour – the minimum wage for workers in New York. As one of the world’s most costly cities, fast food workers in the financial centre claim that they’re simply unable to get by on minimum wage.
The employees, who are not part of a union, are demanding an hourly pay increase to $15 per hour – twice what many are currently paid. The pay increase would give the average fast food worker over $100 per day in income, increasing their annual earnings to over $22,000.
Full-time fast food workers in the city currently earn between $12,000 and $18,000 per year and struggle to enjoy a reasonable standard of living. Many reside outside New York City and commute into central districts such as Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn to attend their jobs.
The drastic pay increase has been contested by employers, who claim that their low margins make it difficult to increase employee compensation. Several New York City fast food companies took out a full-page advertisement in USA Today to explain that the pay rise would result in higher unemployment and greater costs for consumers.
The United States’ fast food industry, which generates over $200 billion in revenue each year, depends heavily on inexpensive labour. The industry’s biggest expense is labour, leading many in the industry to predict that an increase in compensation for employees could lead to the industry automating jobs using touch-screen machines and other devices to reduce labour spending.
