Single Mom Takes On McDonald’s in Wage Fight

She’s a mom on a mission. A single mother-of-two from the Los Angeles neighborhood of South Central recently went on strike against her employer McDonald’s. Maribel makes $9.35 per hour working as a server but that’s not enough to support her family (she shares a home with 10 other people including her children, grandmother, and niece). “I need fifteen to buy my babies diapers, their wipies, their clothes,” she explains. “Its hard with nine dollars per hour — you can’t do that. It’s really hard to pay rent.”

On December 4, Maribel, along with a large group seeking $15 per hour and union rights for fast food workers, picketed a McDonald’s location in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s really exciting going inside my own store,” she says before leading a group of chanting protesters inside. Maribel was not alone in her efforts — that day, fast food workers walked off the job in more then 150 cities across the country.

In September, the mayor of Los Angeles had promised a $13.25 minimum wage by 2017. Here’s hoping moms like Maribel get a little bit more!