Ignacio

Ignacio Valencia is a Fight for $15 leader that works for a McDonald’s in San Jose. He has worked in fast food for the past 15 years. During the pandemic Ignacio faced job loss as well as hours lost. Luckily for him, the manager for the McDonald’s he works at has been responsive to complaints, but he recalls in the past working at another McDonald’s where workers were mistreated constantly. Ignacio feels that this former experience of his is truer for most fast food workers in California now. 

“I used to have 2 jobs, now I have 1. I used to work for this Italian restaurant, but since people don’t come in, I no longer work as a dishwasher.”

“When I worked for the Facundo’s…one time I worked 11 or 12 hours total and got out late for this. Got out around 1 or 2 AM. The manager then told me, ‘I’m going to put in 8 hours even though you worked 12, and the other 4 I’m going to add that to another day instead.” 

“Bosses don’t want workers to know that they have a right to quarantine pay so they hide this.”

“Sometimes though managers are too strict and try to get you scared so you stay quiet.”

Photographer Credit: Brooke Anderson Photography