Fast Food Workers Walk Off Job, Demand Minimum Wage Increase At City Hall
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some fast food workers are again demanding a higher minimum wage after walking off the job in Philadelphia and 270 cities today.
They are fighting for $15 an hour.
Despite the wet weather, about 100 people showed up at city hall demanding an increase of the minimum wage.
Fast food workers, cooks, cashiers. All gathering today near City Hall demanding higher wages…
"I work on Popeye's on Island Ave. I've been working there for the last year now," Ivy Berry says.
And with two kids at home…. Ivy Berry says $7.25 an hour just isn't cutting it.
"If you were in our shoes and know the labor we do... I'm a cashier. I do maintenance, and I cook. That's not in my job description. I do a lot of things," she says.
The peaceful protest by the fight for $15 group began around 3:30 at City Hall.
Protestors then snaked down Broad Street. The Philly group here are part of a coordinated nationwide effort, one year from Election Day to bring attention to workers' rights.
Why is the number 15 so important?
"That's basically our living wage. We can live on $15 without living on government assistance and just being able to take care of our families," says Shymara Jones.
Greg Argos: "Some will say, and I'm going to play Devil's Advocate, $15 is too much for certain jobs. These are supposed to be entry-level jobs where you move on afterwards. What's your response to that?"
"That's not true only because the jobs we work for right now are multi-billion dollar companies so they can easily pay us $15 an hour," Jones says.
This was not the only planned protest.
This Thursday, students from Temple, Penn and Drexel will also march to City Hall to demand an increase of the minimum wage.