On August 29, I was proud to stand with striking fast food workers at a Wendy’s in lower Manhattan and to declare my solidarity with thousands of their fellow workers at fast food chains across the country who staged walkouts to protest decades of exploitation and demand fair wages. Average hourly pay for fast food workers is the lowest of any occupation in the city, and even those who work full-time earn less than federal poverty guidelines. In fact, right now, our government is subsidizing highly-profitable fast food chains by providing cash assistance, food stamps, and public health insurance to their underpaid workers. Fair pay and rights in the workplace are moral imperatives. I will continue to work with New York Communities for Change and Fast Food Forward, who are leading the campaign here in New York City to ensure that fast food workers win the wages and rights they deserve.