Fast-food striker fired — but not for long

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:47:00 +0000

Friday, 200-some New York City fast food workers returned to work after pulling off an unprecedented strike against one of the country’s largest and lowest-paying industries. They didn’t return alone – the strikers were escorted back into their stores by squads of supporters designed to discourage managers from retaliating. And organizers say the fast food companies so far haven’t tried to punish strikers, with one dramatic exception: A Wendy’s store that told a woman she was fired, then backed down after the store was occupied and picketed by activists, community leaders, and a member of the City Council.

According to Councilmember Jumanne Williams, 10 out of 11 strikers were allowed to resume work when they arrived at Brooklyn’s 425 Fulton Street Wendy’s, but management told the eleventh that she was being fired for absenteeism. Williams said that workers provided management with written notice that they were striking Thursday, but a manager claimed not to have received it. “We tried to speak with the general manager that was there, and he wasn’t forthcoming in talking to me,” said Williams. “So I decided to ask all of the customers that were there if they would leave in support of the worker that was fired. That did happen – they left. We began to protest in the store.”

In rare strike, NYC fast-food workers walk out

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:30:00 +0000

At 6:30 this morning, New York City fast food workers walked off the job, launching a rare strike against a nearly union-free industry. Organizers expect workers at dozens of stores to join the one-day strike, a bold challenge to an industry whose low wages, limited hours and precarious employment typify a growing portion of the U.S. economy.

New York City workers are organizing at McDonald's, Burger King, Domino’s, KFC, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Papa John’s. Organizers expect today’s strike to include workers from almost all of those chains, with the largest group coming from McDonald's; the company did not respond to a request for comment.

But employees were clear about their reasons for walking out. “They’re not paying us enough to survive,” McDonald's worker Raymond Lopez told Salon in a pre-strike interview. Lopez said he decided to join today’s strike because “This company has enough money to pay us a reasonable amount for all that we do … they’re just not going to give it to us as long as they can get away with it. I think we need to be heard.”

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Fast-food striker fired — but not for long

In rare strike, NYC fast-food workers walk out