Denver Fast Food Workers Demanding Higher Wages
DENVER (CBS4) – Fast food workers protested for higher pay on the 16th Street Mall on Thursday.
The Colorado employees say they want the right to form a union without retaliation.
Supporters want the United States federal minimum wage boosted from $7.25 an hour to $15. More than 20 states have pushed the minimum wage higher.
Naquasia LeGrande makes $8 an hour at a New York City KFC.
"$10 is not enough, $11 is not enough. Everybody needs a living wage," said LeGrande.
Protests were also held in South Korea and several other countries in support of the U.S. cause.
Fast food owner Don Davey of Firehouse Subs told CBS4 earlier this year a big boost in the minimum wage could force him to raise prices and lay off workers.
"Labor is our second highest cost as a business. We'd be forced to make a tough decision, we may have to close some locations," said Davey.
President Obama is pushing Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. However protesters say they will continue to fight for $15.
The National Restaurant Association says the union backed protests are nothing more than attempts to push their own agenda while attacking an industry that provides opportunity to millions of Americans.
