Beth Snyder, a Service Employees International Union steward and former minimum wage retail clerk from Sacramento, says service sector jobs are the only ones the economy is creating, so they should pay a living wage.
“Because our economy is in such shambles and is so stagnant, we really need to think about putting money in the pockets of these hard workers so that they can be contributing to their communities.”
The strikers are asking for a $15 per hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25. The state minimum wage will go up to $10.00 an hour in 2016.
The California Restaurant Association says higher wages would mean fewer opportunities for younger unskilled workers.
“Restaurants provide millions of Californians with their first job,” says Angie Pappas with the Restaurant Association. “One in three Americans get their first job in a restaurant.” (:07)
A recent UC Berkeley study says nearly two-thirds of fast food workers are adults not teenagers.