For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Fair Trade & Social Justice page.

Fast-food workers fighting for a $15 hourly wage and union rights took to the streets in 150 cities across the country Thursday. More than 400 workers and their supporters were arrested during the strikes as they engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience by blocking streets during rush hour. To discuss this growing labor movement, we are joined by two guests: Ashona Osborne, a fast-food worker at Wendy’s who was arrested Thursday during the fast-food worker strikes, and before that in May during protests at the McDonald’s shareholders’ meeting; and Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents two million workers in healthcare, public and property services and has been a major backer of the fast-food worker strikes.

TRANSCRIPT

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Fast-food workers fighting for a $15 hourly wage and union rights took to the streets in 150 cities across the country Thursday, from Las Vegas to Chicago and Detroit, to Little Rock, Arkansas, and here in New York City.

DIJON THORNTON: My name is Dijon Thornton. I work because I’m trying to like keep my house. I don’t want to like be homeless. And I just became the head of the household. And I work at a Wendy’s on 125th Street. I got a joint separation, and they didn’t give me any sick leave, and they still expect me to do the normal duties I was doing before my arm was messed up. It’s just a lot of little things that I don’t get paid to deal with.

AMY GOODMAN: More than 400 workers and their supporters were arrested during the strikes as they engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience by blocking streets during rush hour.

For more, we’re joined in Pittsburgh by Ashona Osborne, who’s a fast-food worker who previously worked for McDonald’s, now works for Wendy’s. She was arrested Thursday during the fast-food worker strikes.

Welcome to Democracy Now! You were involved also with the protests at the McDonald’s shareholder meeting. Can you talk, Ashona, about why you went out yesterday and got arrested?

ASHONA OSBORNE: Yes. Thank you for having me. And I went out yesterday basically to join my family. We are called the Fight for 15 and trying to get a union. And we are trying basically to fight this poverty that we are living in, trying to end disrespectful wages, and just have a better wage for our family.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And in terms of the sit-downs and the protests, why did you feel you had to resort to that, as well?

ASHONA OSBORNE: Basically, to let these corporations and these franchises know that this movement is not a game. We took a civil disobedience willingly. We volunteered that we were going to take a nonviolent civil disobedience and sit down, just to make the point to these CEOs and corporates that “We’re not playing. You need to hear what we’re saying. We are your workers. If it wasn’t for us, you wouldn’t have these companies.”

AMY GOODMAN: Do you mind talking about how much you make right now for Wendy’s?

ASHONA OSBORNE: Yes, I make $7.25 an hour.

AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what exactly you’re demanding.

ASHONA OSBORNE: I’m demanding $15 an hour for my pay.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what’s been the response of fellow workers to the idea that you can have such a huge increase if they band together?

ASHONA OSBORNE: Well, it goes with both hands. Some people are in agreement with us. Yesterday, we had a lot of people from the public just walk off jobs and walk off the street and join our strike line. And it also goes to people who are ignorant to the situation, doesn’t know the understanding and the meaning of our movement, that once we go up, everyone goes up. The economy wages are already going up, and we can’t afford to live on $7.25.