Protesters seeking higher wages for fast food workers delivered some performance art on the streets of Miami Beach Thursday, just in time for Art Basel.
On Lincoln Road, a hip-hop battle pitted Ronald McDonald and the Burger King against a man rapping for the fast food worker.
"It's not our responsibility to pay for your rent, go and get a second job," rapped a man dressed as the Burger King mascot.
"If we hike up the pay, we can get the economy supersized. I think we should fight for 15, time to get unionized," rhymed a man who identified himself as David Perez, playing the role of a fast food worker.
Fast food workers, labor groups, and their supporters organized more than 100 demonstrations nationwide Thursday. At the rallies, they demanded higher wages, and the right to unionize without fear of losing their jobs.
"I am fed up with, you know, with $8.25, been with the company for 11 years now and I still can't make ends meet, I can't buy a par of shoes for my kids," said Nancy Salgado, who joined demonstrators in Chicago.
Protesters also pushed what they call the "fight for 15" which aims to more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Workers believe raising it to $15 would just catch them up to the rising cost of living in an economy where fast food service is no longer an in-between job.
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"The jobs that have been available have shifted, and now these are the jobs that are available most commonly. And most people that are going to be working in these jobs, we have to get them dignified pay," said Yanet Lombana of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Miami.
