Thousands of fast-food workers in 150 American cities and another 80 cities in 32 countries hit the streets on May 15, walking off the job to demand a $15 per hour wage and the right to form a union without retaliation.

The demonstrations began early in the morning in Auckland, New Zealand, and spread from there.

In Zurich, demonstrators wore “sad hamburger” costumes, while in Manila they staged a flash mob at a McDonald’s during the morning rush hour. In New York City, the movement’s epicenter, thousands marched down Broadway.

The strikes were the latest — and largest — in a series of actions for fast-food workers’ rights that began in November 2012, when more than 200 workers walked off their jobs at dozens of restaurants across New York City.

Sabrina Storey, a part-time KFC employee in New York, said that she joined the most recent actions in part because her wages are so low that she must live in a homeless shelter.

“Right now, $15 would do me a whole lot better than $8, living-wise,” she said. “I wouldn’t have to worry about food or going to the city to get them to help me. I would just be able to do the necessary things I need to do for me as a woman and not have to depend on someone else.”

Mother Jones, May 15
MSNBC, May 15
USA Today, May 15