Fast food employees are striking in unprecedented numbers and their campaign has attracted national media coverage. But now comes the real challenge: translating that momentum into an actual wage increase. The hundreds, possibly thousands of fast food workers on strike this week are demanding a base wage of $15 per hour, as well as the right to form a union. While union recognition can be won only workplace by workplace, there are multiple possible routes to a wage increase. It is unbelievable that any one can live with a family while being paid the minimum wage and many households barely exist on minimum wage and many employers are resistant to an increase in salaries. “I think what we’re seeing is a bit of experimentation across the country about how to get there,” said Dorian Warren, a professor of political science at Columbia University. Federal legislation has the potential to raise the wage for all low-wage workers in one fell swoop. There is currently legislation pending in both the House and Senate that would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. That is well below fast food workers’ asking price but is nonetheless significantly higher than the current federal minimum wage of $7.25. It’s even higher than the most generous state-level minimum wage, Washington state’s $9.19 per hour. But the legislation, known as the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, has little chance of passing a Republican-controlled House. As a result, members of the House Progressive Caucus are seeking other avenues for an increase, such as attaching a wage-hiking amendment to a more Republican-friendly bill.
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