About a dozen workers at fast food restaurants in Hartford left their jobs Thursday to join a national one-day strike for better wages, saying they’re struggling to make ends meet, The Associated Press reports.
Hartford was one of at least 50 cities around the country where walkouts were planned in the biggest coordinated action ever by fast food workers. A series of strikes began in November in New York City that later spread to other cities. The workers are calling for the right to unionize without retaliation and $15 an hour wages. That’s more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, or $15,000 annually for full-time workers.
In a statement, Connecticut Restaurant Association Executive Director Nicole Griffin said the majority of restaurant employees in Connecticut earn more than the state’s minimum wage of $8.25 an hour, among the highest in the nation. She said most industry workers are ‘‘students with irregular schedules, teenagers saving for school or parents and caregivers who need a job with flexible hours that fit their busy lives.’’
Strikers in Hartford were joined by local clergy, elected officials, union leaders and community organizers at a rally held at the Old State House, as well as noisy demonstrations at several restaurants, including Subway.
