Protests are planned for at least two Utah McDonald's restaurants Thursday as part of a national campaign to raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 per hour.
A "Fight For Fifteen Flash Mob" will be held at the Salt Lake City McDonald's at 2100 S. 300 West at noon. A similar protest that is part of LowPayIsNotOK.org will be held at 12:30 p.m. at 1225 S. University Ave. in Provo.
Fast-food workers around the country are organizing similar one-day strikes against restaurants in a battle to raise the current minimum wage from $7.25 per hour.
According to a report by economists at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Illinois, 52 percent of fast-food workers rely on public assistance such as Medicaid and food stamps, costing taxpayers $7 billion annually. On average, the fast-food industry pays its workers $8.69 per hour, according to the report.