Some Austin fast food workers are joining a nationwide strike for higher wages. Employees from Wendy’s, Jack in the Box and Long John Silver’s gathered in protest this afternoon on Guadalupe Street near the UT campus.
Greg Lee works at Long John Silver’s. He makes $7.25 an hour.
“This ain’t something like we’re trying to get rich off of somebody,” Lee said. “This is something that we honestly work for. And I really think we’re not asking for much when you’ve got a multi-billion dollar corporation paying us pennies.”
Lee says with the money he’s making now, it’s hard to pay bills and he’s been unable to visit his grandson in New Orleans.
About half of the people at the rally were just supporters or advocates for the cause. "It's time for workers to manifest what they feel,” said Manuel Ramirez, a student at UT. “They are tired of these minimum wages and the government and these big corporations don't let the economy work for them.”
Fast food workers across the country are asking for $15 dollars an hour.
