Nationwide, 19 fast-food workers were arrested in New York City, 42 in Detroit, 11 in Little Rock and 10 in Las Vegas were arrested by midday. As the lunchtime rush began, workers were staging sit-ins outside McDonald's restaurants in Miami, Rockford, Ill., Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Flint, Hartford, Richmond, Va., and Charleston.



The effort is supported by the Service Employees International Union. Workers on strike are receiving $50 a day from the union's "strike fund." Workers in the movement don't pay dues to SEIU or their local committees but are asked to attend meetings and participate in events.



McDonald's said in a statement Thursday that restaurants were open for business as usual, although some locations at the center of protests appeared to be shut down temporarily. And as it has said in response to similar protests, McDonald's reiterated that wages are set by its more than 3,000 U.S. franchisees, which combined own and operate 90 percent of its U.S. locations.



Before the arrests on 87th Street, about 150 fast food workers, health care workers, organizers and community members shouted, pumped their fists and chanted "we are the union, the mighty, mighty union," outside of a McDonald's.



The restaurant shut down for about an hour, as the protest intensified.



"We will not go quietly into the night," protester Douglas Hunter said during a press conference.



Hunter said he's made $9.25 per hour as a maintenance worker at a McDonald's on Chicago Avenue and 51st street for four and a half years.



Cicero was bracing for the influx of protesters Thursday morning, warning motorists to avoid using Cicero Avenue between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.



"From social media and other information, Cicero officials believe the protesters will be disruptive and cause Cicero Avenue to be blocked, in order to gain media attention for their goals," a Cicero press release said.



In May, about 100 protesters were arrested for trespassing outside McDonald's company's Oak Brook headquarters. Since then, the "Fight for $15" campaign has continued to raise awareness of its goals of unionizing fast food workers and raising their wages to $15 an hour.



The latest push comes after hundreds of fast-food workers gathered in Illinois for a two-day convention in late July. Days after the convention, the National Labor Relations Board dealt a blow to McDonald's, saying that the company shares responsibility for working conditions with its franchisees.



McDonald's has said that its franchisees are independent owner-operators who set their own policies. The restaurant leader has also said that it respects employees' right to choose whether they want to unionize and that it offers "competitive pay based on the local marketplace and job level."



In a speech on Monday, President Barack Obama lent his support to workers in the two-year-old movement at a time when they say they are facing increased pressure from employers. Dozens of complaints have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board alleging retaliation, including reduced hours, against those who have participated in strikes.



"All across the country right now, there's a national movement going on made up of fast food workers organizing to lift wages so they can provide for their families with pride and dignity," Obama said in Milwaukee. "There is no denying a simple truth: America deserves a raise. Folks are doing very well on Wall Street, they're doing very well in the corporate board rooms -- give America a raise."



Johnny Walls, 25, said President Obama's speech made him hopeful that he would help workers like himself "get the raise we need."