"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, it’s no fun to survive on low low low low pay." The mood was festive with holiday carols but the message serious as hundreds of striking workers rallied in front of the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum Thursday as part of a massive national strike by fast food workers that hit the streets of more than 150 cities across the country. "We deserve a living wage for the hard work we do" said Luis, a striking Air and Space McDonalds worker. "It's tough to keep a roof over our heads making $8.25 an hour" said co-worker Alex. Religious and political leaders – including Congresswomen Eleanor Holmes Norton (D, DC) and Jan Schakowsky (D. IL) – joined the call for President Obama to sign an Executive Order raising wages for federally contracted low-wage workers. "There is no American dream at the end of a minimum wage dollar" said Rev. Michael Livingston.
photo courtesy OurDC