Would you like a side of union with your $12 burger?

By Ryan Ekvall | Wisconsin Reporter

MADISON – A few dozen fast food workers, backed by national labor organizers, took to the streets of Madison on  Thursday calling for a wage hike that would likely cost the jobs of some of the thousands who, on this day, chose not to strike.

It was part of a national labor walk-out targeting the fast food industry where protesters called for a $15 an hour minimum wage, more than double the current $7.25 federal minimum wage, along with health care benefits and union representation.

If the protesters get their way, some would soon find their way to the unemployment line.

“We would definitely go out of business, no question about that,” said Edmund Halibi, owner of The Italian Houserestaurant in Janesville. “I don’t think any small mom and pop can sustain $15 an hour. We can’t even sustain $10 an hour.”

Pete Hanson, vice president of public affairs for theWisconsin Restaurant Association, echoed Halibi’s sentiments.

The alternative for most businesses, Hanson said, would be to “cut jobs, raise prices or both.”

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