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On November 29,
workers at dozens of fast food restaurants in New York City walked off the job,
formed pickets outside and raised demands for higher wages, better hours, and
union rights. It was a truly inspiring moment to see workers who suffer silently
in the margins come forward to speak up for themselves.
It is a myth that fast food jobs are just for youth looking to make some
extra cash. There are nearly 50,000 fast food workers in New York, and for many
it's their only means of earning income for themselves and their families.
Fast food work is more than just flipping burgers. Workers in fast food
kitchens have to deal with workplace hazards like hot grease that often burns
them (most have the scars to prove it). They work for minimum wage at $7.25, and
many depend on food stamps and other government assistance. With so little
weekly take-home pay some are forced to live in shelters. In fact, McDonald’s is
reported to have recruited workers at homeless shelters.
Workers strike
In Midtown Manhattan, where workers from Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, and other
restaurants walked out, the super-exploitation of fast food workers stands side
by side with all the glitz and glamour of New York City high-end commerce,
shopping, and tourism.
But now these heroic workers are taking a stand, and we as socialists, give
them our unconditional support. It’s part of a campaign called Fast Food
Forward, backed by New York Communities for Change (NYCC), UnitedNY.org, the
Black Institute, and SEIU. It is the biggest attempt ever to organize fast food
workers.
One of their demands is for $15 per hour in pay. This is significant, as many
low-wage battles have called for much more modest pay increases. By asking for
$15 they're going beyond saying they want a little more. The message is: “we
deserve a living wage.” In truth, $15 per hour in New York City is not enough to
live on for some, especially those with families, but it’s an enormous step in
that direction.
Fast food workers are not the only ones taking bold measures to fight for
better conditions. On Black Friday there were actions at upwards of 1,000
Walmarts across the country, with workers demanding union rights, no retaliation
for speaking up, better hours, and $13 per hour in pay. These actions were not
just one-off events, but are part of an on-going campaign of Walmart workers.
Taking on corporate giants
Fast food companies are expected to bring in $200 billion in revenue this
year. Walmart's revenues in 2011 totaled $477 billion with $15.7 billion of that
being pure profit. The Walmart family alone now owns as much wealth as the
entire bottom 40% of families in the U.S. This obscene wealth is not created by
smart business people making smart business decisions, it comes off the backs of
their highly exploited workers, who are rewarded for their hard work with
poverty wages.
Here in New York there have also been a number of battles recently to
organize low-wage workers, predominantly among immigrants. Six grocery stores
have been organized in Brooklyn. There are now four recently unionized car
washes as well. They are fighting for higher wages and back pay. Also recently,
workers at a Hot & Crusty bakery staged an occupation and 55-day picket to
win union recognition. These are examples of the new self-organizing of workers
into action, backed by the support of the community. Their employers caved
because of their bold action.
But fast food companies and Walmart are much bigger employers and enormously
powerful corporations that have and will continue to fight tooth and nail to
prevent a union from forming. The actions last week received media attention all
across the country and even forced McDonald’s to issue a statement saying they
were committed to dialogue to be an “even better employer”. Do they really
expect us to believe that? But it will take more than just bad publicity.
The Fast Food Forward campaign is a step in the right direction. Rather than
organizing a single restaurant or chain, the campaign is aiming to organize the
entire industry in New York City at once. A strategy is needed for highly
coordinated actions on a truly massive scale if we're going to bring these
corporations to heel. We'll need strikes and walkouts at hundreds of fast food
stores with visible pickets outside everywhere backed up by thousands of Occupy
and trade union activists and other supporters. This will require preparation
and the workers themselves taking ownership of their struggle by forming their
own workplace committees and linking them together to develop a strategy and
coordinate action.
The struggle at these massive companies should be linked to a broader
struggle to mobilize millions for the rights of all workers. Imagine if there
were rolling walkouts at hundreds of restaurants, shops, groceries, and retail
outlets all across the city demanding an across-the-board wage increase and
union recognition for all!
NYC elections
We can also have no faith in Democrats, who like the Republicans are a party
of the Wall Street and big business. In New York City, the mayoral hopeful and
current Democratic city councilor, Christine Quinn, has made gestures of support
for fast food workers, seeking to tap the support of workers for the 2013
election. But Quinn is deep in the back pocket of rich business owners. She even
opposes legislation requiring employers to give all workers sick pay, so how can
she be trusted to support a living wage?
Workers need to rely on their numeric strength and social power as the
economic foundation of society. This power should not be sacrificed to corporate
politicians at the ballot box. A far better way to impact elections and take the
struggle forward would be to run a slate of working-class independent candidates
for city council seats and mayor in 2013 on a platform of living-wage jobs and
union rights for all. Such a campaign could act as a collective voice for the
struggle of low-wage workers in the election while striking a powerful blow
against the corporate politicians that have stacked the deck against the 99%.
A sleeping giant
Despite the corporate character of the Democratic Party, the defeat of the
right wing in the 2012 elections is likely to give workers confidence. None of
the underlying problems that gave birth to the Occupy movement have been solved,
and 2013 is likely to be a year of renewed and potentially explosive struggles
in the U.S.
The huge mass of low-wage workers is like a sleeping giant, that when roused
could strike a mighty blow at the 1% and radically transform U.S. society. These
young, energetic class fighters would provide fresh blood to revitalize the
labor movement as organizations of class struggle, not class collaboration.
Having been through the experience of what capitalism in the 21st century means
– i.e. low wage jobs and miserable working conditions – support for socialist
ideas would surge.
It may be too early to say that we're on the cusp of a low-wage worker
rebellion, but one thing is for certain: this type of resistance is the music of
the future and right now low-wage workers’ struggles should be a rallying point
for Occupy activists looking to fight for the 99%, for trade unionists who are
seeking to reinvigorate the labor movement, and for everyone who is ready to
fight for the interests of working people and
youth.
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