DES MOINES – Labor leaders across Iowa applaud the spirit and the courage of the fast food workers in 150 cities who are walking off the job today demanding fair wages and the right to form a union without retaliation.
“Working families throughout Iowa stand in solidarity with the striking fast food workers who struggle to support their families every day. No one should work full time but live in poverty. Fast food executives who rake in multimillion dollar salaries should pay their workers a fair wage,” said Ken Sagar, President of the Iowa Federation of Labor.
Today’s strike, which features actions across America and six continents, is the first global day of action. Workers in countries like Denmark, Argentina and Japan are walking off the job in solidarity with their counterparts in America. In the U.S., strikes are taking place in more cities than ever before, including first time locations in Philadelphia, Sacramento, Miami and Orlando.
“Politicians in Washington D.C. and in Des Moines can help solve this problem by raising the minimum wage for all workers and indexing it to inflation,” added Sagar. “Fast food workers deserve to be treated fairly at work and so does every person who goes to work every day and sacrifices to support themselves and their families.”
As it stands, fast food workers depend on $7 billion of annual public assistance because the industry does not offer workers financial security. Fast Food companies across the country have also faced lawsuits in recent month over allegations of systemic wage theft. A poll conducted by Hart Research found that 89 percent of fast-food workers experience wage theft.
