Did you know the person serving your Big Mac, fries and Coke are struggling to make ends meet?
McDonalds employees are taking to the streets to change this reality
McDonalds employees around Indianapolis stood together and protested to earn a $15 per hour and the right to unionize all without employer retaliation.
Shaneice Coleman, who is an employee at the North Post Road McDonalds said they are “Fed up. Our families can’t survive on $7.25 an hour while the CEOs of McDonalds get paid $90,000 a year to sit behind a desk.”
Coleman said employees also want respect and reasonable hours.
In the Indianapolis Metro area, there are over 23,820 frontline fast food workers. The average frontline fast food worker earns $8.69 an hour, which makes them the lowest paid occupation underneath a housekeeper who earns $8.90 a hour.
Nationally fast food workers on average work about 24 hours a week, which adds up to over $10,000 a year. According to the Economic Policy institute’s Family Budget Calculator an employee with one child working full time in the Indianapolis Metro Area would have to earn $22.71 an hour to meet his or her family’s basic expenses.
In a 2012 study done at the UC Berkeley Center for Labor research and Education, due to the low wages in the fast food industry states will pay an estimated $131 million annually in public assistant costs. That same study also showed that 52 percent of fast food workers, even those that work full time, have their family enrolled in public assistant programs.
Victoria Beaty who is the account supervisor at Bandy Carroll Hellige gave the Recorder a statement on behalf of McDonalds.
“At McDonald’s, we offer part-time and full-time employment, benefits and competitive pay based on the local marketplace and job level. McDonald’s and our owner-operators are committed to providing our respective employees with opportunities to succeed, and we have a long, proven history of providing advancement opportunities for those who want it.
“We invest in training and professional development that helps them learn practical and transferable business skills whether at McDonald’s or elsewhere. It’s important to know approximately 80 percent of our global restaurants are independently owned and operated by small business owners, who are independent employers that comply with local and federal laws.
“We respect everyone’s right to voice an opinion. McDonald’s respects our employees’ right to voice their opinions and to protest lawfully and peacefully. Employees who participate in these activities and return to work are welcomed back and scheduled to work their regular shifts. We value our employees’ well-being and the contributions they make to our restaurants, and thank them for what they do each and every day.”
The wage campaign began in November 2012 in New York City with over 200 fast food workers walking off their jobs. Since then the cause has been heard in over 150 cities in every region of the country, and even in cities around the world.
Destiny Martin who has been an employee of McDonalds for one year said they will be heading to Chicago next to protest with those employees at their various locations.
