MIAMI (AP) — Nearly 200 McDonald’s employees and community members in Florida are planning to hold a demonstration Thursday, demanding $15 an hour and union rights, organizers said.
Workers from around Tampa, Orlando and Miami are planning to hold demonstrations outside two stores in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, a Fight for $15 and a Union spokeswoman said.
Florida’s current minimum wage is $8.46 an hour.
“I have worked at McDonald’s for over 12 years, and every week is a struggle,” striking Tampa-based worker Bobby Fields said in a prepared statement. “I have to stretch every penny and make impossible choices just to pay my rent.”
Fight for $15 and a Union formed in 2012 when fast-food workers around the country began walking away from their jobs and demanding a minimum wage increase. The spokeswoman said the organization has helped win more than $70 billion in raises for more than 24 million workers across the U.S.
Seven states and dozens of cities have passed laws raising their wages to $15 an hour. The Fight for $15 and a Union spokeswoman said they hoping to gather renewed support before Florida’s presidential primary next Tuesday.
McDonald’s didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
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