Fast food workers were arrested during strike in the U.S.

Last Thursday a total of 44 people were arrested in protests of fast food restaurant workers in New York and Los Angeles, during a series of demonstrations and strikes to demand a pay rise and to join unions.

Spokeswoman of the New York Police Department (NYPD) said there were 19 arrests in Times Square in New York “for public disorder by obstructing vehicular traffic,” while another police spokesman added that in the afternoon there were “15 additional arrests” without specifying the place. Ten other people were arrested in Los Angeles (California, west), according to local police.

The workers are demanding a salary of $ 15 an hour, more than double the current minimum wage of $ 7.25 which is paid in many fast food chains. They also ask to be allowed to form unions and not getting reprisals for it.

The movement of workers in fast food restaurants began in New York in November 2012 and has spread outside the United States, but with less impact.