Fast Food Workers In Another City Strike: 'We've Been Pushed To The Edge'

Fast food workers in Seattle walked off their jobs late Wednesday and Thursday. That made Seattle the seventh city where fast food workers have gone on strike in recent months. A Taco Bell server in Seattle explains here why she (along with her co-workers) walked off the job Wednesday night -- shutting down a Taco Bell restaurant. Taco Bell declined to comment, referring inquiries to the National Restaurant Association, which stressed the industry provides "13 million job opportunities" and remains "one of the best paths to achieving the American dream." The full statement is below.


By Caroline Durocher

My employer has pushed and pushed my co-workers and me and gotten everything they can out of us. This week, we joined together and pushed back.

I was one of the first fast-food workers to walk off the job Wednesday night in Seattle, and on Thursday more workers are continuing to take a stand for a raise to $15 an hour and the right to organize without retaliation.

We work in one of the fastest growing industries in the nation, and our companies are making huge -– even record -– profits, but we don't see enough of that money. We barely earn enough to pay for basics like rent, food and transportation to and from work.