Why This Fast Food Worker Is Protesting Her Wages
Jaquoya SmithA year and a half ago, fast food workers staged their first protest in New York City, demanding a $15-an-hour wage, and the right to unionize without fear of retaliation.
Since then, the demonstrations have spread across the country, encompassing 60 cities by the end of 2013. Thursday, the movement took yet another leap and spread overseas for the first time. Eighty cities abroad joined 150 in the United States to protest low wages for American workers and demand an increase in their wages to $15 an hour.
Jaquoya Smith, a 21-year-old Taco Bell minimum-wage worker from Raleigh, North Carolina, discussed her decision to join the growing movement to protest the minimum wage.
When did you start working at Taco Bell?
I started in 10 th grade in high school - and I've been working on and off there for four years.
What do you do there?
I'm a cashier, sometimes I might work the line (prepare the tacos), I do dishes, take out trash ... so, pretty much everything.
Why are you protesting your wages?
I'm protesting because I've been employed at Taco Bell for too long to still be making $7.25 [an hour]. I am a single parent, and I'm trying to go to school. That makes it very difficult on me to pay my bills, go to college and take care of my one-year old.
What kind of school do you attend?
I'm attending community college right now but plan to transfer to a four-year university.
When did you enroll in college?
I started in 2012, but I was making $7.25 [an hour] so things got hard and I had to drop out for a little bit. I'm just now going back.
How many hours do you normally work at Taco Bell?
I usually pull about 20 hours a week and then I got dropped to 5 to 10 hours. And now I've been off the schedule for three weeks now.
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