Fast food workers in San Jose are planning to hold strike lines at several locations across the city on Wednesday, demanding government action on low pay, wage theft, violence, harassment, and unsafe working conditions. These actions have been organized by the labor advocacy group, Fight for $15 and a Union.
Rallies are scheduled to be held at various locations, including Carl’s Jr. at 1346 Saratoga Ave, San Jose City Hall, and KFC at 552 E. Santa Clara St. City Councilmembers Rosemary Kamei, Omar Torres, and Peter Ortiz, along with Bay Area labor leaders and local allies, are expected to join the striking workers.
According to the Fight for $15 group, San Jose’s fast-food workers are calling on local and state lawmakers to support their fight for industry-wide solutions to issues such as wage theft and unsafe working conditions. They are also challenging fast-food corporations for allegedly silencing workers’ complaints.
The striking workers are specifically calling for the passage of AB 1228, the Fast Food Corporate Franchisor Responsibility Act. This legislation would hold corporations like McDonald’s accountable when franchise stores violate labor laws at the workers’ expense.
In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 257, the FAST Recovery Act, into law, forming a statewide Fast Food Council to better represent fast food workers in government.
Based on Fight for $15 data, California’s fast-food workers, estimated to number more than half a million, are predominantly people of color (nearly 80%), over 60% are Latino, and two-thirds are women.