Article Summary: Fast-Food Workers Seeking $15 Wage Are Planning Civil Disobedience by Greenhouse - Essay Example

Many fast-food workers complain that they are working too hard and can hardly make ends meet. “We deserve a good life, too” claims Jasmine Almodovar, the protest participant. The organizers expect almost 100 cities to take part in the protest. They are also to engage in sit-ins in more than a dozen of cities. One more step is to have home-care workers join. It would definitely let workers and union leaders attract even more attention from the great masses of the population.

The White House has also been concerned about this issue for a long time. Even Mr. Obama mentioned the protest in his Labor Day speech in Milwaukee. He said he would certainly join the union if he had a service-sector job. At the same time, fast-food chains and many franchise operators refuse to meet the claims of the protesters, since so heavy expenses would certainly make their business unprofitable. However, they acknowledge the human right to non-violent protests. Supposedly, it could be possible to increase salaries on a gradual basis.

Though, the business model of many fast-food corporations might be based on minimum-survival profit. It means that the demands of their employees are unlikely to be satisfied. Nevertheless, the campaign may be considered fruitful. The protest persuaded many people that $15 is quite an adequate wage for many workers. Certain cities, such as San Francisco, are to adopt such a wage floor in the nearest future. Also, Ms. Henry, the president of the Service Employees International Union, said that this movement made people believe that the impossible may come true one day.