Research released today shows how low-wage, no-benefit fast-food jobs force workers rely on public assistance programs, leaving taxpayers with huge bill
Local elected officials, Washington fast-food workers, clergy and community leaders held a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 15 to unveil a new University of California, Berkeley study detailing the extent to which fast-food companies’ low wages and lack of benefits force District, Virginia and Maryland workers onto public assistance programs—and how much that costs taxpayers. “I’m an adult working 40 hours a week at McDonald’s. Every two weeks I bring home less than $380, that is poverty pay”, says McDonald’s employee Melissa Roseboro.
They also reacted to a companion report by the National Employment Law Project that breaks down the Berkeley data to show how much low-wage jobs cost the public at each of the 10 top fast food corporations.
The overwhelming majority of Americans enrolled in major public benefits programs work, but they don’t earn enough to stand on their own two feet without government assistance. The low-wage business model is especially pervasive in the fast-food industry and creates a hefty hidden cost for taxpayers. In August, fast-food workers in 60 cities across the country went on strike, calling for higher wages, so they don’t have to rely on public assistance programs to get by.
Following the action, Our DC participated in a dramatic action inside Wendy’s at 4250 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE: