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National News Fast Food workers Prepare to Escalate wage Fight CHICAGO (AP) — Fast food workers say they’re prepared to escalate their campaign for higher wages and union representation, starting with a national con- vention in suburban Chicago where more than 1,000 workers will dis- cuss the future of the effort that has spread to dozens of cities in less than two years. About 1,300 workers are scheduled to attend sessions Friday and Saturday at an expo center in Villa Park, Illinois, where they’ll be asked to do “whatever it takes” to win $15-an-hour The union has been pro- viding financial and organizational support to the fast-food protests that began in late 2012 in New York City and have includ- ed daylong strikes and a protest outside this year’s McDonald’s Corp. share- holder meeting that resulted in more than 130 arrests. “We want to talk about building leadership, power and doing whatever it takes depending on what city they’re in and what the moment calls for,” said Fells, adding that the ramped-up actions will be ‘The ramped-up actions will be more high profile and could include everything from civil disobedience to intensified efforts to organize workers’ wages and a union, said Kendall Fells, organizing director of the national effort and a representative of the Service Employees International Union. “more high profile” and could include everything from civil disobedience to intensified efforts to organ- ize workers. “I personally think we need to get more workers involved and shut these businesses down until they listen to us,” perhaps even by occupying the restau- rants, said Cherri Delisline, a 27-year-old single mother from Charleston, South Carolina, who has worked at McDonald’s for 10 years and makes $7.35 an hour. Delisline said she and her four girls live with her mother, but the family still has difficulty paying utili- ties and the mortgage while providing for her children. She said she has not been to a doctor in two years and does not get paid if she stays home sick. “To have a livable wage, it’s going to need to be $15 an hour,” said Delisline. “We make the owners enough money that they have houses and cars and their kids are taken care of. Why don’t (they) make sure I can be able to do the same for my kids and my fami- ly?” The campaign comes as President Barack Obama and many other Democrats across the country have We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that work- ers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strength- ens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regard- less of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? AP PHOTO/M. SPENCER GREEN, FILE Convention of service employees leads to commitment to nonviolent disobedience In this May 22, 2014 file photo, protesters gather outside of the McDonald’s Corporation headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., during the annual shareholders meeting demonstrating for higher wages and the right to unionize. On Friday, July 25, 2014, in Chicago, organizers are holding the second national convention of fast-food workers. They’ll be discussing how to move forward with the protests and other actions calling for higher wages that have been taking place in cities around the country since late 2012. attempted to make a cam- paign issue out of their call to increase the federal and state minimum wages. The current federal mini- mum wage of $7.25 an hour translates to about $15,000 a year for someone working 40 hours a week, though many fast-food workers get far fewer hours. Obama and others have called for increasing it to $10.10. Fast food workers say even that’s not enough because most people work- ing in the industry now are adults with children, rather than teenagers earning pocket money. The restau- rant industry has argued that a $15 hourly wage could lead to business closings and job cuts, though the Seattle City Council recently voted to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, phased in over several years. A McDonald’s spokes- woman did not return a message seeking comment. The National Restaurant Association said Thursday that increasing wages to $15 will not solve income inequality and that the cam- paign was an attempt by unions to boost dwindling membership. “Instead of demonizing an industry that opens doors for workers of all ages, backgrounds and skill lev- els, the focus should be on finding better solutions to lift individuals out of pover- ty,” including policies that increase education and job training, said Scott DeFife, the association’s executive vice president of policy and government affairs. Turnout for the protests has varied, but they’ve struck a chord at a time when the gap between the country’s rich and poor has widened. Executive pay packages also are coming under greater scrutiny, including that of McDon- ald’s CEO Don Thompson, who was given a pay pack- Ella’s Kitchen formerly Soup & Soap SOUL age worth $9.5 million last year. Nevertheless, share- holders this year overwhelmingly voted in favor of McDonald’s execu- tive compensation practices. Nancy Salgado of Chica- go said she and her two children share a bedroom after being forced to move into an apartment with two other adults after her hours at McDonald’s were cut from 40 a week to about 24. “I don’t think $15 will make me rich. ... I just want an apartment for my family and be able to have my kids in their own room, to not have to wait for the washing machine or the bathtub, and I don’t want to be behind on bills if I take time off or get sick,” said Salgado, who earns minimum wage after 12 years with the company. “If we’ve got to stop working and shut down (restaurants) to get it, that’s what we’re going to do,” she said. explore your universe FOOD ...one taste will bring you back. BREAKFAST • LUNCH SPECIALS DINNER • SEAFOOD • DESSERT “Finally!! 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