Fast-food workers in 150 U.S. cities kicked off protests for a $15-per-hour wage that included a sit-down in New York’s Times Square, where 19 demonstrators were arrested on Thursday, police said.
About 400 demonstrators hoisting placards that read “Stick together for $15 and union rights” occupied Times Square during the morning rush hour. Some protesters sat down in the street, prompting the arrests for disorderly conduct, said a spokeswoman for the New York City Police Department.
Organizers expected the biggest protests to date, with fast-food workers from McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s [WEN.O] and KFC expected to walk off the job in 150 cities, including Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles and Cleveland. They will be joined by unionized home-care workers.
Another march and sit-down was planned for midday near Columbus Circle, a busy traffic intersection in Manhattan, demonstrators said.
“I want a better future for my kids,” said demonstrator Rutila Nunes, 38, of Queens, who helps support her sons, ages 14 and 18, earning $8 an hour as a prep cook at McDonald’s. Her elder son is in college studying automobile engineering, and she is deeply in debt to pay for it, she said through a Spanish interpreter.