Hundreds of fast-food workers walked out of McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's restaurants across New York on Monday to take part in a strike to demand better pay and other aspects.

The workers are demanding the right to unionize and asking for the minimum wage to be increased from $7.25 to $15 an hour. They also said the companies should abolish, what they described as "abusive labor practices." Workers gathered outside stores and chanted to express their demands.

Activists said that the protest involved hundreds of workers at locations throughout New York and similar strikes are being organised across the country this week. The protests are being organised by the national Fast Food Forward campaign, that was launched to address the issue of stagnating wages and the spread of low-wage jobs, according to campaign director Jonathan Westin.

Westin said, "The workers' actions will lift up all of New York City. If they have more money in their pockets, they'll spend it right here, helping to boost the entire economy."

Scott DeFife of the National Restaurant Association responded by saying that the demand for doubling the minimum wage would affect the private sector's ability to create jobs, including those being offered to first time works and teens in the country.