NEW YORK -- Workers at McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's
restaurants across New York walked out Monday in a one-day
strike to demand better pay and the right to unionize, calling
for minimum wage to more than double from $7.25 to $15 an hour
and the end to what activists called "abusive labor practices."
"It's noisy, it's really hot, fast, they rush you. Sometimes you
don't even get breaks. All for $7.25? It's crazy," said Nathalia
Sepulveda, who works at a McDonald's opposite Yankee Stadium in
the Bronx, where one protest took place.    "The workers'
actions will lift up all of New York City," he said. "If they
have more money in their pockets, they'll spend it right here,
helping to boost the entire economy."  Doubling the minimum wage
would have a "significant effect on the private sector's ability
to create jobs, especially those typically filled by first-time
workers and teens," said Scott DeFife of the National Restaurant
Association. McDonald's had directed requests for comment to the
trade group.