My protest paid off: Fast-food workers speak out

• Name: Robert Wilson Jr.
• Employer: McDonald's, Chicago

Robert Wilson spent eight years showing new employees the ropes and training others to get better positions at McDonald's. But he was never able to move up the ranks himself.

That was until he and other workers rallied on Black Friday outside of the location where he worked in Chicago's Navy Pier.

His managers saw Wilson protesting. The very next day, they told him that the position he had been gunning for was finally open.

"They told me I was promoted and increased my pay to $8.60 an hour from $8.35," he said. "I see a difference. I do feel better about things."

Wilson said he joined the movement because he felt he wasn't getting the respect that he deserved. His wages also weren't enough enough to pay for simple things like a medical bill when he contracted pneumonia last year and had to shell out $200 for a prescription.

"My job wasn't giving me what I needed to fulfill my basic needs," he said.

McDonald's (MCD) and his store manager did not respond to requests for comment.

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