Fast food workers in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and over 100 other cities protesting for $15 per hour wage

Fast food workers stopped working Thursday morning in 150 U.S. cities to protest, demanding that their hourly wages be raised to at least $15. Protests were held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere and lead to arrests.

Many of the workers were from the fast food giants, including McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King.

The protests caused gridlock in New York’s Times Square, where the workers at a McDonald’s there held signs that read, “On strike to lift my family up.” NBC News notes that strike organizers reported that 19 protesters were taken into custody by police for blocking the street. There were also roads blocked in Detroit and San Diego, where police arrested protesters as well.

Fanny Velasquez of South Los Angeles told the Los Angeles Times that her $9.34 per hour wage was not enough to raise her three children by herself. She said McDonald’s cut her hours to only 15 per week. “It's difficult, it's not enough to pay my bills,” she said.

The Chicago Tribune reported that 24 protesters were arrested outside one McDonald’s, where 150 people protested.

The protests were organized as part of the “Fight for $15” campaign. McDonald’s issued a statement on Thursday, saying that they would support protesters’ right to do so, but said it supported the minimum wage only increased gradually to make it “manageable” for small businesses.

image courtesy of Lek/INFphoto.com