McDonald’s is increasing hourly wages for some of its employees and is joining a number of fast food chains that are raising wages across the country Jobs remain vacant. But employees in Detroit and other cities across the country say they are still pushing a planned strike on Wednesday, May 19, suggesting the pay hikes will only affect a small portion of McDonald’s restaurants.

This week’s McDonald’s wage announcement follows a similar to Chipotle, and comes just days before the fast food giant’s annual general meeting on Tuesday. A workers strike is planned for the next day.

According to McDonald’s, the increases already begun will move the boarding area for 36,500 crew members to at least $ 11-17 per hour and the starting area for shift supervisors to at least $ 15-20 per hour on the restaurant location. ” But Fight for $ 15Organizers of the strike in 15 cities say the raise will only apply to employees in company-owned and operated stores, which account for just 5 percent of U.S. restaurants. The majority of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. stores are owned by franchisees who pay at their own restaurants.

McDonald’s worker Flato Alexander says he will demonstrate after his shift, which starts at 5 a.m. in Flint, where he’ll open the shop and work the grill by himself until 9 a.m. for breakfast.

As an 11-year-old McDonald’s employee, he tells Eater that he has received „nickel or dime or quarter” raises on a regular basis. He currently earns $ 11.05 an hour and does not receive any health or dental benefits, paid vacation, or overtime pay. „Isn’t that so amazing after all these years?” Says Alexander.

Alexander says he’s struggling to make ends meet. „If I had worked in a factory, it would have been a different story,” he says. „Here you stagnate in the same place.”

Fight for $ 15 gathered at a McDonald’s near Livernois and West McNichols in Northwest Detroit in Januaryand urged the Biden government to raise the minimum wage during his first 100 days in office. The group also has Shut down part of the outer drive on the west side and gathered 1,000 people for demonstrations in recent years. The restaurants remained open during the strikes. Fight for $ 15 says it has been organizing for minimum wage laws since its inception in 2012.

However, this year’s strike is a critical time many jobs in the catering industry remain vacant, and businesses are under greater pressure to raise wages. Chipotle said Monday, May 10, that workers’ wages will rise to an average of $ 15 an hour through the end of June. Darden restaurantsOlive Garden owner Bahama Breeze and a handful of other chains promised workers $ 12 an hour in March, including tip, through 2023.

Striking workers say there is a simple solution to the reported labor shortage in the industry: pay a minimum wage of $ 15 in every store. Fast food restaurant business is booming thanks to demand during the pandemic, which has worsened saleswhile neighborhood restaurants suffer. Striking workers also point out that they showed up during the pandemic and even helped the chain thrive despite sometimes dangerous conditions. McDonald’s made $ 4.7 billion in profits last year and almost paid off its shareholders Dividends of $ 4 billion. CEO Chris Kempczinski received total compensation of more than $ 10.8 million, according to the company.

„In 2012, 200 fast food workers in New York City quit their jobs to ask for $ 15 an hour per union – and nine years later our requirements haven’t changed,” said Doneshia Babbitt, a McDonald’s employee in St Louis in a statement.

“McDonald’s clearly understands that in order to hire and retain talented people, something has to change. They tried offering new hires a $ 500 signing bonus, and they even tried handing out McChicken sandwiches in exchange for an interview. Now they are increasing the pay for some of us and using fancy math tricks to gloss over the fact that they are short selling most of us. „

Metro Detroit employees will gather at McDonald’s at 23000 Van Dyke Ave in Warren on Wednesday lunchtime.

In a written statement, McDonald’s said, „It is the responsibility of federal and local governments to set minimum wages and we are open to dialogue so changes can meet the needs of the thousands of hardworking restaurant employees as the 2,000 independent owners / operators of McDonald’s.” run small businesses. „

In Michigan, the minimum wage is $ 9.65 an hour for workers without a tip, which is higher than the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25 but is not enough for workers on strike. According to some estimates $ 15 an hour in 2021 is no longer a living wage.

„Someone has to stand up for us,” says Alexander, the worker in Flint.