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Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 10:48 PM UTC

200 take part in largest strike in fast food history

New York workers from a dozen Wendy's, McDonald's and Burger King stores walk out

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Topics: Strikes, New York, McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Fast food, Wal-Mart, Unions, Labor Rights,

200 take part in largest strike in fast food history Rally in support of striking NYC fast food workers gathers outside a Times Square McDonald's (Credit: Twitter/MKink)

As Josh Eidelson reported on Salon early Thursday, “New York City fast food workers walked off the job, launching a rare strike against a nearly union-free industry.”

Reports from organizers rallying in Times Square in support of the strike suggest that as many as 200 workers walked out Thursday to demand fair wages. The Huffington Post noted that employees, the majority from McDonald’s around the city, continued to walk off the job throughout the day, making official strike numbers difficult to confirm. “At a McDonald’s on Madison Avenue at 6:30 am, 16 workers picketed. According to Raymond Lopez, one of the 16, that was almost half of the store’s total workforce of 40 people,” HuffPo noted.

Radio Dispatch host John Knefel and writer Jesse Myerson, both reporting from the Times Square rally, posted the comments and chants of some one-day strikers on Twitter:

 

 

 

Following unprecedented industrial action by Wal-Mart workers leading up to and during Black Friday, today’s strikes are more evidence of a growing militancy among nonunionized service and retail workers.

Christine Quinn, the speaker of the New York City Council who plans to run for mayor, tweeted her support for the strike, writing, “I support fast food restaurant workers’ rights to organize and fight for decent wages.” The New York Times pointed out that Quinn “has struggled with various measures intended to improve wages and working conditions in the city.”

Occupy Wall Street participants, community organizers and civil rights groups and supportive city council members also took part in the midtown rally.

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Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com. More Natasha Lennard.

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