A group of protestors gathered outside of a McDonald's restaurant in Williamsville Friday, protesting low wages paid to their employees. The action was organized by the Coalition for Economic Justice. Workers are lobbying for a wage hike to $15 per hour, but they were also supporting a group of black workers who were fired in Virginia. Reverend Kirk Laubenstein describes questionable justifications given by the franchise owners for the firings.
"Pretty latent stuff. The store owners are saying things like 'we've got to get the ghetto out of the store,' and 'you just don't fir the profile,' meaning you're a person of color. In solidarity with them, we are pushing on McDonald's corporate to something about it. They have the ability to control what happens in their stores."
A lawsuit has been filed in Virginia by 10 former employees who feel that their terminations from McDonald's were discriminatory. The company is facing increased scrutiny over actions taken by its restaurant owners.
McDonald's has asserted that it does not have control over issues at individual locations. However, federal officials have determined that the company is a joint employer and is thereby responsible for such labor violations.
