Low wage workers will rally in Philadelphia tomorrow

A sample budget of a McDonald’s worker as posted on the website of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United website.

During the national Day of Action, members of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United will be protesting at a restaurant in Philadelphia tomorrow afternoon, citing low wages and the lack of increases as the primary gripes.

Similar rallies will take place in cities all across the country at various low-wage restaurants.

Although Maria Myotte, communications director for ROC United, would not say which Philadelphia restaurant protesters will be at, she did say they are “targeting one of the largest members of the National Restaurant Association.”

“The National Restaurant Association dumps money into lobbying efforts to keep the federal tipped minimum wage at $2.13 per hour, resulting in the restaurant industry being the largest low-wage job provider in the US, resulting in servers experiencing three-times the poverty rate, and using food stamps at double the rate, of the rest of the US workforce,” she said in an email.

Protesters will be urging Congress to pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.

“Although it’s been a long four years since the full minimum wage has seen an increase, bringing fair and livable wages to the restaurant workforce is integral to lifting thousands of Americans out of poverty,” Myotte added.

The rally will be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow an a yet undisclosed location.

According to a news release, many of Wednesday’s rallies will target fast food and retail companies like McDonald’s and Walmart.