Written by CharlieE on August 01, 2013
On the heels of low wage worker strikes in New York City and Chicago, hundreds of workers walked out of their fast food jobs at over 30 locations this past Wednesday, May 9 and Thursday, May 10.
Workers walked out for better pay, respect on the job, and the right to form a union.
St. Louis Jobs with Justice Student Co-Chair Rasheen Aldridge works at Jimmy John’s and has been a leader in the new St. Louis Can’t Survive on $7.35 campaign. He said,
Starting today, we’re standing up to huge corporations like Jimmy John’s, Subway, Panera, and more to make it stop. We’re demanding a living wage and the respect that we deserve, and we need to make sure that they – and all of St. Louis – get our message.
Most of us fast food workers here in town make $7.35 an hour – Missouri’s minimum wage – or just barely more. That means the average fast food salary here is less than $19,000 per year, and it just isn’t enough to cover our basic needs. With rent, food, health care, transportation, and often times a family to support, we’re struggling to get by. A lot of us are forced to rely on public assistance to make ends meet.
The day after the workers struck, clergy and community leaders walked the workers back to their job, ensuring they won’t be retaliated against for their actions.
Workers in Detroit walked off the job on Friday, May 9.
There was tons of great coverage of the rally, including KMOV, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MSNBC, and The Nation.
Check out our Facebook photo album here. Check out the Facebook photo album for the Walk Backs on May 10th here. Get links at http://mojwj.org/st-louis-fast-food-workers-hold-one-day-strike-we-cant-survive-on-7-35/
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