Popeyes has made millions of dollars due to free advertising for their new chicken sandwich. However, many people may not be aware that their employees are not making a livable wage. Social justice organization Color of Change is demanding a chance.
A recent press release from Color of Change stated, “Employees report being forced to stand until their legs go numb for 10-hour shifts, work over 60-hour weeks, forgo state mandated breaks, and stand on the front line of customer harassment – all while making less than $10 an hour in some states.”
The statement continued, “The success of the company wouldn’t be possible without Popeyes’ employees who make the food, tend the registers, and in some cases, face social media humiliation in response to the popularity of the sandwiches. That’s why we’re asking Popeyes to pay its employees a living wage.”
The statement also says Popeyes “happily used parts of Black culture and language through culturally appropriated branding and marketing, sparking a social media sensation that doubled it’s projected quarter sales this year. All while treating its Black fast food employees poorly while they stand on the front-line of labor exploitation due to corporate manipulation of supply and demand.”
If you are outraged by how Popeyes is treating their employees while profiting off Black people, please click here to sign the petition to demand the chicken franchise pay their employees a livable wage.
On Aug. 12, Popeyes posted a tweet letting the world know that their new chicken sandwich was available nationwide. Black Twitter was among the first to share thoughts on the new menu item, which some called the best sandwich they ever had. That would seem to suggest that the more melanated segment of Twitter was among those users who helped give Popeyes $24 million in free advertising.
This Popeyes mayhem was reminiscent of what happened in 2015 when a man posted a viral video praising Patti Labelle‘s sweet potato pies. Just in time for Thanksgiving, James Wright helped to introduce the world to Labelle’s pastries as he taste-tested one on YouTube in a video that has been viewed millions of times. Following the video, Walmart, which had been carrying the pies, quickly sold out of them while the pies received countless amounts of mentions on social media and news platforms.
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