奇速英语

美国快餐业工人大范围罢工

Fast-food workers in 58 cities in the USA did not go to work on Thursday. They went on strike because they want more money. The workers these years get paid the lowest wage. This was set at $7.25 in 2009 and has not changed since then. Many workers say they cannot live on that. The price of everything has gone up but their wages have stayed the same for five years. The workers want $15 an hour, which is double their wage. Julio Wilson, at a pizza restaurant, told the BBC he earns $9 an hour. He said that wasn’t enough to support himself and his five-year-old daughter. He said: “I know I may lose my job by doing so, but it’s my right to fight for what I deserve.”

McDonald's and Burger King（汉堡王）both spoke about the strike. They said they did not make decisions about how much to pay workers in most of their restaurants. They said each restaurant is independent and the manager decides how much to pay the workers. McDonald’s profits were over $5.5 billion in 2011. They also said that an increase in wages would mean more expensive hamburgers. America’s National Restaurant Association (美国餐饮协会) said the wages were low because the staff are young and have little work experience. It said: “Only 5% of restaurant workers earn the lowest wage and they are mainly working part-time and half are teenagers.”