Fast-Food Workers Claim Victory in a New York Labor Effort
The national decline in union power has led an increase in nonunion worker organizations with a mission to help low-wage employees. More than 200 of these organizations exist nationwide, and a New York City law passed last year is helping organizers gain traction using this model. According to the law, fast food workers who wish to contribute to a nonprofit, nonunion labor organization can insist that their employer deduct money from their paychecks if they get 500 or more employees to agree to contribute. The group Fast Food Justice announced on Wednesday that they have received 1,300 signatures of employees across New York who have agreed to pledge $13.50 a month to their cause. The organization will not bargain with employers, but rather push for things like higher minimum wages, affordable housing, immigration reform, public transit improvements, and better police-community relations. There has been some backlash against this type of organizing, however, and the legal arm of the National Restaurant Association is suing in federal court to overturn the law. Fast Food Justice and other organizers utilizing this law in New York are hoping to inspire similar efforts across the country.
See "Fast-Food Workers Claim Victory in a New York Labor Effort", Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, January 10, 2018