‘Protect us, pay us’: Charlotte McDonald’s strike small, but organizers plan to persist

Just one McDonald’s employee walked out as part of a one-day protest against sexual harassment and unfair pay in west Charlotte on Tuesday, but “less is more,” according to one organizer.

“You don’t need a big crowd to get your point across,” said Travis Archie, a health care worker in Charlotte and member of Fight for $15.

The lone McDonald’s worker, Eddie Gilbert, joined five health care workers on the sidewalk in front of the fast-food restaurant at 2518 Beatties Ford Road with red and white signs that read “#FightFor15” and “#StrikeFor15.” Gilbert declined to comment.

“Protect us, pay us,” the protesters said. “Ain’t no power like the power of the people because the power of the people don’t stop!”

The effort by NC Raise Up, North Carolina’s branch of the Fight for $15, was a part of a nationwide, 10-city strike, the Observer previously reported. Similar protests were expected in Durham and Marion.

NC Raise Up, based in Durham, advocates for an increase in the federal minimum wage.

“We’re here to show people that we’re here to stand together and this fight is not alone,” Archie told the Observer. “We’re not here to just look good, we’re here to stand with y’all in these times because all voices need to be heard.”

Health care worker Lydia Hughes said the cost of living in today’s society is “beyond belief.” To make sure workers are somewhat stable financially, she said employers should raise the hourly minimum wage to at least $15 as many did earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People were able to catch up on bills, go to the doctor and get dental work done,” Hughes said. “The pandemic showed that people can survive off of $15 an hour.”

In April, McDonald’s said all of its 39,000 corporate and franchised restaurants in 100 countries will be required to follow new standards to prevent harassment, discrimination, violence and retaliation. The company planned to create new policies, training and reporting systems. The new standards will be required beginning in January, the Observer reported Monday.

Archie, the father of two working-aged teen daughters, said he doesn’t want his children to face sexual harassment in the workplace and be under paid.

“As teenagers we all had that one job as a fast-food worker,” he said. “We have to stay protected in these workplaces.”

Staff writer Catherine Muccigrosso contributed to this story.