NEW YORK, N.Y. – City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following today on the walkout by fast-food workers:

“If we are serious about rebuilding our City’s middle class, we need to help the working poor climb out of poverty. The fast-food workers who are striking today, and all working poor who are toiling at or close to the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, need a raise – now. With the City’s high cost of living, the effective minimum wage here is less than $4, the lowest in the country. Last year, I proposed raising the City’s minimum wage to $11.50 an hour – $11.50 is the hourly wage that would lift a worker out of poverty. This is simple justice and what New York needs – now.”Press Release