Detroit-area fast food workers praise NY's Gov. Cuomo's $15 per hr. wage; wants support locally

By Wendell Bryant/Tell Us Detroit

DETROIT, MI (Tell Us Det) - On the heels of a recommendation that $15 should be the minimum wage for all workers in the state of New York, fast food and other low wage workers protested and rallied at a Detroit McDonald’s today, to call on local leaders to display similar leadership.

Gov. Cuomo’s announcement comes after a New York wage board recommended a $15 hourly wage for fast food workers, after the governor asked whether the fast food industry’s wages were too low.

Thursday, the New York Gov. will become the first governor to call for a $15 minimum wage across his entire state.

A wage hike would need to be passed by the state legislature, where the state senate is Republican-controlled. But if his proposal were to become reality, that would give New York the country’s highest state minimum wage. A $15 minimum wage is also under consideration in Oregon, and California voters may weigh in on that wage level next year.


Detroit area fast food workers along with home care workers hold a rally to call on officials to follow New York’s lead and increase wages to $15 an hour. The rally was held at McDonald’s, 1000 Mack Avenue at I-75 in Detroit. (Photo by HB Meeks/Tell Us Detroit)

Wednesday’s 11 a.m. rally at a Detroit McDonald’s was one of several events taking place across the country to highlight the need for a livable wage.

Rally leadership declare that too many workers are not making a livable wage to provide for their families. At Michigan’s current minimum wage of $8.15 an hour, a full-time job produces just over $16,000 a year; well below the national average of $24,250 for a family of four.