McDonald’s workers at Darien service plaza go on strike

DARIEN — McDonald’s workers at the Interstate 95 service plaza in Darien joined with Subway, Sbarro and Dunkin’ Donuts workers on strike to protest a lack of sick days, racial injustice and what they call wage theft in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

At 11 a.m. Tuesday, workers began a “socially distanced rally and caravan” at the plaza on I-95 North between exits 12 and 13.

Facebook Live video from the event showed workers and their families forming a gauntlet in the parking lot, chanting slogans in English and Spanish as horns honked.

“What do we want? Justice,” workers chanted, as well as, “We’ll never be defeated.”

Black Lives Matter signs were resting on cars, and there were also chants of “No justice, no peace, no racist police.”

“Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights,” a lyric by reggae artist Bob Marley, was sung at one point.

The striking workers are from Michell McDonald’s franchise, with workers from other McDonald’s franchises also joining the protest. The National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against Michell Enterprises, which operates the McDonald’s, for refusing to recall four franchise workers who were organizing for better working conditions. That case is going to hearing on Dec. 16.

Workers from Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Sbarro franchises also say they’ve had to come into work sick because their employers either haven’t offered paid sick leave or haven’t informed workers of their rights.

“We’re striking because we’re worried about the safety of our families and our customers. I’m worried that I could bring COVID home to my kid if my coworkers can’t afford to stay home when they get sick,” Andrea Hernandez, a McDonald’s worker at the Darien Service Plaza, said in a news release announcing the strike. “Not having paid sick leave has always made our lives harder at the McDonald’s franchise where I work. When I was pregnant, I had to work right up until the day before I gave birth because I didn’t get any paid sick leave or paid maternity leave.”

Fast food workers are also calling on Connecticut Service Plaza franchise owners to show their commitment to Black Lives Matter by ending wage theft against Black and Latinx workers and following Connecticut’s Standard Wage law, according to the release.

There are 900 employees at Connecticut’s 23 service plazas, the vast majority of whom are Black and Latinx. Of those, 264 workers at the

Michell McDonald’s chain already won nearly $1 million in back pay after an investigation by the Connecticut Department of Labor.

Similar protests erupted last week, when about a dozen union members rallied in front of Subway World Headquarters morning, chanting slogans and distributing leaflets to commuters.

The Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ claims workers in the Subway franchises in the I-95 service plazas do not receive the mandatory Connecticut Standard Wage. The Standard Wage is set by the Department of Labor and requires state contractors, such as service plaza vendors, to pay what the state calls a prevailing wage. It varies by job and locatio

n, but a typical fast food worker should earn an hourly rate about $3 above minimum wage, according to the state Department of

Labor website.

“In the middle of a pandemic, front line service plaza workers are putting their lives on the line every day to keep us safe and fed,” read a leaflet the protesters handed out to drivers. “They shouldn’t have to put up with wage theft.”

An email requesting comment from Subway was not returned on Thursday. A call to Project Services LLC, the company that operates the concessions at the state service plazas, diverted into a full voice mailbox and then disconnected.

Alberto Bernardez, one of the leaders of the small group outside Subway, said the wage practices showed a disrespect for the workers, who are mostly Black and Hispanic, he said.

“They’re entitled to the Standard Wage, but they aren’t receiving it,” Bernardez said.

Union spokesman Eliza Bates said the demonstration was an attempt to inform the public about what she called wage theft and racial injustice.

“Subway has said it supports Black Lives Matter, but the company is letting franchise owners steal wages from a majority Black and Latinx workforce during a pandemic that is disproportionately hurting workers of color,” she said.

Like Darien, the union has held similar demonstrations at highway service plazas in Milford.

“The workers on strike today are fighting for paid sick leave during a pandemic,” state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk said of Tuesday’s strike. “If I were a customer at one of the service stations, I would not want to contemplate an employee would have to choose between serving me while sick or losing a day’s pay. It’s a terrible choice and puts everyone at risk.”