A group of fast food workers gathered Friday urging San Diego to be the next city to adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage.
About 15 people gathered in front of a McDonald's restaurant on Tierrasanta Boulevard where they waved signs that read “From New York to LA to San Diego,” a reference to the “Fight for 15” movement in several large cities to increase minimum wages.
In a vote Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council moved a step closer to raising the city's minimum wage to $15 per hour. Seattle and San Francisco workers are already making $15. New York City and St. Louis are also considering increases.
San Diego's current $9.75 minimum wage is set to reach $11.50 by 2017, but protestors said that isn't enough to live on.
Kristin Aguirre, a Burger King employee, is living paycheck to paycheck right now and lives in her dad's house.
“I have four daughters, so it's hard to actually live off what I make. They're always wanting things: new shoes, clothes,” Aguirre said. “And it's just hard to buy all the things they want and need when I only make $9 an hour.”
After Friday’s rally, the group headed to Detroit where they'll join 1,300 other fast-food workers at a national convention to plan next steps for the "Fight for $15" movement.
