Kansas City fast food chains were protested in the second one-day work action in under a month. McDonald’s and Church’s Chicken locations were targeted by protesters, who claimed that although the chains followed wage laws, they were not paying their workers enough. Their action was part of a demand for higher pay and to have the right to unionize without management retaliation. Organizers said it wasn’t a formal strike or a boycott, but instead was more of a protest rally to raise awareness.
One protester said that the protests led to increased pay as well as an increased level of respect from managers at the fast food restaurants where he worked. He said that he had worked for almost a decade at an area Burger King but earned just $9.25 an hour there. He also had worked at Pizza Hut for two years and was now making $7.40, just 15 cents above the national minimum wage.
A 70-year-old former restaurant supplies salesperson from the area said that the disparity of income among different workers was the greatest he had seen in his lifetime. People making just $7 or $8 an hour was a problem for every taxpayer, he said, because people who make more money buy more products. He said that they therefore boost the economy, which the country needs.
Minimum wage violation and other abuses of wage laws are unfortunately common charges among Kansas City workers. An attorney experienced in litigating for rights under the Wages and Hours Bill and the Fair Labor Standards Act may be able to help workers get the pay that is rightfully theirs. Such a lawyer may be able to help those who have been denied overtime or denied breaks in violation of the law.
Source: KCUR, “Fast Food Wage Protest Aims To Gain KC Momentum“, Dan Verbeck, August 29, 2013
