Bernie Sanders will join striking McDonald's workers demanding higher wages ahead of the chain's annual investor meeting
- McDonald's workers in 15 US cities plan to strike on May 19 for higher wages.
- Bernie Sanders and AOC will join the striking workers and make a speech.
- The strikes are planned for the day before McDonald's annual shareholder meeting.
Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will join McDonald's workers in strikes planned around the US for higher wages on May 19, the day before the company's annual shareholders meeting.
On "Walkout Wednesday," employees in 15 US cities will go on strike to demand all McDonald's workers make at least $15 per hour. So far, the strikes are planned for Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Chicago, Detroit, Flint, Kansas City, St Louis, Raleigh-Durham, Fayetteville, Houston, and Milwaukee.
A demonstration is also planned outside the company's Chicago headquarters, organizers from the advocacy group Fight for $15 said.
Sen. Sanders and two current McDonald's employees will give remarks about the strike in a livestreamed event, then workers in a Durham, North Carolina McDonald's will stream from their picket line.
"When working people stand together, they cannot be defeated," Sen. Sanders told Insider. "I'm proud to join courageous workers who are taking on corporate greed and demanding dignity on the job. The time is now to end starvation wages in the richest country in the world."
McDonald's announced earlier in April that it would raise minimum wages at corporate-owned stores. Entry-level workers will make at least $11 per hour, and shift managers will make at least $15, boosting the average worker by about 10%. The chain is aiming to hire 10,000 new employees in the coming months and says its average hourly wage is expected to reach $15 by 2024.
The raises only impact the 5% of locations owned by the company in the US, not franchises.
The Company previously told Insider when the demonstrations were first planned that it depends on local governments for minimum wage laws.
"It's the responsibility of federal and local government to set minimum wage, and we're open to dialogue so that any changes meet the needs of thousands of hardworking restaurant employees and the 2,000 McDonald's independent owner/operators who run small businesses," a spokesperson said.
The strikes comes as fast food restaurants struggle to hire enough workers. A labor shortage in many sectors of the economy has been a boon to some dissatisfied retail workers who are suddenly able to shop around for new jobs and leave retail for other industries.
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