ST. LOUIS MO May 10 2013 - More than 100 workers are walking off the job at
fast food restaurants Thursday to say they cannot survive on minimum wage.
The fast food strike started at Jimmy John's Wednesday and will continue into Thursday at locations such as Wendy's, Hardee's and Domino's.
Workers who are currently making $7.35 per hour want to see an increase to $15 an hour and the right to form a union.
The St. Louis Organizing Committee campaign (SLOC) is seeking to put money back into the pockets of the 36,000 men and women who work in the fast food industry. These people can't afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for an adult with one child, living in St. Louis City, is $14.87 per hour working full-time (without employer healthcare).
The group says raising minimum wage will get St. Louis' economy rolling again.
These strikes come weeks after hundreds of fast food and retail workers went on strike in Chicago and hundreds more walked off the job in New York City.
Fast food and retail workers bring $1 billion a year into the cash registers of St. Louis every year, according to SLOC. Many of the workers who make minimum wage rely on public assistance programs to provide for their families and get healthcare for their workers
Source- KSDK