Fast food workers gathered together in Boston to push for a $15 an hour minimum wage at a “Fight for $15” rally Monday.
CBS Boston reported that workers gathered outside a McDonald’s across the street from the Boston Common and chanted, “We work, we sweat, for $15 on a check.”
Some McDonald’s employees who worked at the Tremont Street location by the Boston Common walked off the job for the day to participate in the rally:
One rally attendee said he was protesting for a minimum wage hike because he feels many workers struggle to make ends meet.
“You can’t afford rent, bills, and something to put food in the house,” Darius Cephas, who works at Chipotle, said.
In addition to striking for a $15 minimum wage, workers are also trying to convince Massachusetts lawmakers to pass legislation that would mandate paid sick leave, the Associated Press reported.
Amity Paye, a spokesperson for SEIU Local 32, said the demonstrations were part of a national “day of action.”
“Workers across the country are striking as part of a big Labor Day Fight For $15 Day of Action, and so fast food workers here in Boston decided to do the same,” she said.
Other “Fight for $15” protests took place across the country in cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, and St. Paul, Minnesota.