Stephen Baldwin holds his fist in the air outside a Subway restaurant during a strike in Seattle on Aug. 29, 2013.
Fast-food workers are gearing up for a massive protest next week that will span 150 U.S. cities and more than 30 countries. It’s expected to be the biggest fast-food workers’ protest ever organized.
Union representatives announced the May 15 protests at a news conference outside a McDonald’s in New York on Wednesday.
Protestors are calling for a $15 minimum hourly wage in the U.S. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, which adds up to about $15,000 a year assuming a 40-hour workweek.
McDonald’s caught wind of the planned protests last month and asked its global and regional security teams to monitor the situation, according to an internal email obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
The overseas protests will involve 33 countries on six continents and target McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, and Wendy’s.
Fast-food workers in the U.S. have been holding a number of demonstrations over the past year — including a series of strikes in the summer of 2013 — to fight for higher pay.
Here’s a list of some of the international demonstrations planned for May 15, according to Berlin Rosen, the public-relations firm representing the fast-food workers:
Africa
Morocco: Protests at McDonald’s in Casablanca and Rabat
Malawi: Protests at fast-food restaurants
Asia
Japan: 30 protests at McDonald’s in 30 different prefectures
Hong Kong: A protest inside and outside a major McDonald’s
Korea: A protest at a major McDonald’s in Seoul
India: Protests at fast-food restaurants in three cities
Philippines: Flash mobs inside five McDonald’s
Thailand: Protests at McDonald’s and KFC restaurants in Bangkok
Europe
Belgium: Lunchtime protest at a major McDonald’s in Brussels
United Kingdom: Protests at McDonald’s in 20 cities
Germany: Protests at Burger King
Ireland: Protests at McDonald’s in Cork, Belfast, and Dublin
Italy: A national strike at fast-food restaurants in Venice, Milan, and Rome, to be held immediately following the U.S. strikes
South America
Brazil: Protests at McDonald’s in five states
Argentina: Demonstration at McDonald’s in Buenos Aires
Central America/Caribbean
El Salvador: Protest at McDonald’s in San Salvador
Panama: Protest at McDonald’s in Panama City
Dominican Republic: Protest at McDonald’s in Santo Domingo
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-workers-plan-global-protest-2014-5
