Fast food workers in New York state are scheduled to get a pay increase to $15 an hour in 2021. Now, the push is on to include other low-wage workers nationwide.
At a rally outside a McDonalds restaurant at 453 William St. in Buffalo Tuesday morning, Coalition for Economic Justice Executive Director Kirk Laubenstein said full-time workers can't afford to pay their rent making the minimum wage.
"A business model like McDonalds, like other low-wage employers, that doesn't actually give people enough money to be able to pay rent and pay for their basic needs, is broken," Laubenstein said.
Advocates are also calling for union rights for low-wage workers. A rally was also held at Buffalo's City Hall Tuesday afternoon.
The protest, one year before election day, was one of 500 planned across the country Tuesday to draw attention to the issue.