Most Fast Food Chains Are Business-As-Usual Today Despite A Worker Strike
Brian Snyder/Reuters Today, thousands of fast food workers went on strike for higher wages.
The strike has been touted by organizers as the industry's largest in history. The workers are seeking wages of $15 an hour.
But despite demonstrations in 58 cities, the strikes appeared to do little to rattle the industry today.
Judging by dozens of tweets and photos about the event, most protesters were outside. This left customers free to order inside.
The fast food industry employs 3.5 million people, making today's strikers a tiny percentage of the overall population.
The Associated Press also noted the challenges the strikers face in getting noticed:
"It's not clear if the strikes on Thursday will shut down any restaurants because organizers made their plans public earlier in a call for workers around the country to participate, which gave managers time to adjust their staffing levels. More broadly, it's not clear how many customers are aware of the movement, with turnout for past strikes relatively low in some cities."
Despite the relatively low impact of the strikes, a protesting worker interviewed by Business Insider said he wasn't deterred.
"It's something I'm doing for my coworkers and out of respect for myself," Nick Williams, a 28-year-old McDonald's worker from Indianapolis, said. "My voice will be heard no matter what."