Scores of Southern California fast-food workers will walk off the job Thursday, July 13, protesting low wages, workplace violence, harassment and other unsafe conditions they say are plaguing the industry.
At a series of rallies across the city, the non-union cooks and cashiers will urge local and state lawmakers to support their fight for a stronger voice on the job. They plan to speak out against big companies such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, which they claim have spent millions of dollars to silence employees instead of investing in higher pay and safer stores across California.
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Three rallies are planned including at 11 a.m. at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, 3 p.m. at a McDonald’s in East LA, and 5 p.m. at a Domino’s pizza on South Rampart Boulevard.
The action comes amid a groundswell of recent strikes and walkouts among area hotel employees, dock workers, screenwriters and healthcare personnel who are demanding higher wages and improved working conditions amid historically high inflation and housing costs.
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Low-wage fast-food workers say they’re struggling to keep pace with rising rents and mortgages.
“Some of the people I work with are on the verge of getting evicted, and others are sleeping in their cars,” said Anneisha Williams, who works the drive-through window at a Jack in the Box in Los Angeles.
Williams, who currently earns $16.54 an hour, said she was promoted to the position of shift leader but has yet to see the pay increase.
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“It wouldn’t be a lot more … 50 cents to a dollar — but people are struggling here,” she said. “I think we should be making at least $18 an hour, or even bump it up to $20 an hour.”
Employees at the McDonald’s at 3868 E. 3rd St. in East LA staged an eight-day walkout last month,…
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