Huge national chains profit from low-wage economy by leaving workers in poverty and shifting costs to the rest of us
TODAY at 10 am - Fast food workers & supporters will unveil new reports just out today by researchers at UC Berkeley and the National Employment Law Project which calculate the massive cost of poverty wages at major fast food chains: $96 million in our state, and $3.8 billion nationally from the 10 largest chains alone. The reports show how the giant fast-food chains shift costs to the rest of us by paying such low wages that 41% of fast food workers in our state need assistance from food stamps or another other anti-poverty program to fill the gap between what they’re paid, and what it takes to survive.
WHO: Fast food workers, joined by State Representative Zach Hudgins, and other supporters
WHAT: Unveil new reports which detail the extent to which the giant national fast food chains pad their profits by leaving workers in poverty and shifting the costs of those poverty wages to the rest of us.
WHEN: TODAY: Tuesday, October 15, 10:00 am
WHERE: Burger King, 3301 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA. (This is located in Rep. Hudgins’s district.)
The minimum wage of $9.19/hour is simply not enough to meet basic needs, so many fast food workers need public benefits to close the gap between what their jobs pay, and what they need to survive. The reports released today show that:
- Even though they serve food for a living, 26% of Washington State fast food workers need food stamps to ensure they have enough to eat.
- Fast food chains pay so little that more that 41% of fast food workers in our state need support from one of the major publicly-funded safety net programs to get by.
- The big national chains bank billions in profits, while leaving fast food workers in poverty and shifting huge costs to the rest of us — $96 million in our state, and $3.8 billion nationally from the 10 largest chains alone.
Sparked by this summer's fast food & coffee strikes, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle's economy from the middle out — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, SEIU Healthcare 775NW and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.
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