A group calling itself the “Truth About Fast Food Forward” has released a video purporting to show the Service Employees International Union paying people to attend the Thursday fast food protests in New York City.
The protest was organized by Fight for 15, an affiliate of the SEIU, demanding higher wages and better working conditions at fast food restaurants. Organizers have been accused of paying for similar protests in the past.
“SEIU played a big role in these events,” Shirley Aldebol, SEIU 32BJ vice president, said in the video. “In fact, I would say SEIU was the leader in putting this event together.”
“We pulled a couple hundred workers out on strike this morning. Had sit-in at a couple McDonald’s,” she also noted. “We basically have been the leader coordinating this effort.”
The video also showed several protestors admitting they were not fast food workers but SEIU members or supporters. The video showed what appeared to be SEIU affiliates giving out checks in an apparent effort to pay people to show up to this event.
“I’m not a fast food worker,” one of the protestors said. “No, someone called me and told me it was going to be here today so I came on down.”
Glenn Spencer, the vice President of the Workforce Freedom Initiative, complained about the protests in a conference call for reporters earlier this week.
“Very few workers actually participate in them,” Spencer stated. “It’s not about workers rights but about union organizing.”
The Workforce Freedom Initiative is an affiliate for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“During the Labor Day protest they brought in unrelated workers,” Spencer added, “to create the illusion of numbers.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation could not reach Fight for 15 or the SEIU for further comment.
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