Full Menu Close Menu
UFT Resolutions

Resolution supporting the campaign by fast-food workers in New York City for higher wages and the right to unionize

UFT Resolutions

WHEREAS, several hundred workers from dozens of fast-food restaurants in New York City have in recent months staged two job actions on behalf of the estimated 50,000 fast-food workers in the city as their first steps in a fight for higher wages and the right to unionize without interference; and

WHEREAS, their campaign, called Fast Food Forward, is organized by New York Communities for Change and supported by the Service Employees International Union and other organizations; and

WHEREAS, fast-food workers are paid a median national wage of $8.80 an hour, which even at 40 hours per week amounts to $18,304 a year, which is $5,000 below the federal poverty line for a family of four; and

WHEREAS, fast-food workers often earn far less because they are given only part-time hours at their jobs, and receive few benefits; and

WHEREAS, in the past, when fast-food work was regarded primarily as entry-level work for high school students, the low pay might have been considered acceptable. But in today’s economy, most new jobs created in New York and nationally are in low-wage industries such as fast food, and an increasing number of fast-food worker are parents, high school dropouts, senior citizens and others who stay at these jobs for years – often without a raise; and

WHEREAS, the rise in low-wage service work, combined with the disappearance of higher-paying manufacturing jobs, is one reason for the growing income inequality in our city; and

WHEREAS, if fast-food workers win the $15 per hour wage and right to unionize that they are seeking, it could help tens of thousands of working people in our city to live with dignity and to support their families, which would benefit communities, many of the children in our schools and the city’s economy; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the United Federation of Teachers supports the campaign by New York City’s fast-food workers for decent wages and the right to unionize; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT will encourage its members to participate in any rallies, petition drives or other actions pursued by the campaign's organizers.