Protesters calling for wage increase enter Houston McDonald's

Fast food workers and supporters protest outside the McDonald's at Kirby and 59 as part of the Fight For 15 national campaign on Dec. 5, 2013. ( Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle ) Fast food workers and supporters protest outside the McDonald's at Kirby and 59 as part of the Fight For 15 national campaign on Dec. 5, 2013. ( Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Protesters calling for wage increase enter Houston McDonald's 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Groups of people gathered in multiple locations around Houston Thursday to demand higher wages for fast-food workers.

Around 90 people protested at lunchtime outside McDonald's at Kirby and U.S. 59 as part of the Fight for 15 campaign being staged in cities around the country.

At one point the group entered the restaurant in a line, holding hands together. A representative of the group said they presented McDonald's managers with a poster-sized letter explaining the reason for the protest and signed by 27 Houston community organizations.

Earlier Thursday, about 45 protesters huddled together near dawn outside a Burger King in the 4200 block of Richmond.

"They're calling for a living wage," said Tyson Sowell.

Sowell said the group, known as Fight for 15 Houston, is part of a nationwide effort to increase the hourly wage to $15 for fast-food workers. The average fast-food employee, Sowell added, earns about $7.25 per hour. Most, he said, live below the national poverty level.

The Rev. David Israel Madison, pastor of the Greater Ward AME Church in northwest Houston, said the protest is about more than fast food jobs, they're concerned for all low paying jobs.

"The wages that many of the employees are making still leaves them on food stamps, leaves them in poverty, while corporations are recording record profits," Madison said outside McDonald's Thursday afternoon.

"The taxpayer is basically subsidizing the rest of these people's income. We believe raising their wages not only helps the individual but actually helps us as a complete society," Madison said.