( CNN ) In this Holy Week , let us be reminded of what the word of God says about fair and living wages . Isaiah 58.6 tells us : . This is the kind of fast day I 'm after : . to break the chains of injustice , . get rid of exploitation in the workplace , . free the oppressed , . cancel debts . The McDonald 's announcement that the company is going to raise wages for 90,000 of its employees is a significant victory for fast-food cooks and cashiers and those of us who support them . By standing up together , fast-food workers are making it less acceptable for profitable companies like McDonald 's to pay wages so low that its workers are boxed into poverty . But this action , which would raise starting wages at 1,500 McDonald's-owned restaurants to at least $ 1 an hour more than the minimum wage set by local law , falls short in three important ways . First , it leaves out the vast majority of McDonald 's workers . The announcement only affects 10 % of the McDonald 's restaurants in the United States , ignoring the employees who work at franchised McDonald 's restaurants . That means hundreds of thousands of workers serving Big Macs and fries wo n't see a dollar more in their paychecks . McDonald 's claims that it has no responsibility for those franchises , but its workers , and the National Labor Relations Board , disagree . Secondly , this raise is n't nearly enough . One dollar above the minimum wage is n't enough to make paying for groceries , rent and transportation much easier , especially coming from a company that makes nearly $ 5 billion a year in profits . It 's not enough for clothing or health care . It 's not enough , as people of my faith say , for those cooks and cashiers to afford their daily bread . Thirdly , the raise does nothing to help workers have a voice in determining their workplace conditions . McDonald 's and other companies need to stop trying to prevent their workers from speaking out together in a union . They should respect workers ' right to collectively demand sensible schedules and such basics as adequate first aid kits , and not being compelled to work off the clock . We are at a turning point in American history . We are at a Third Reconstruction . We are at the moment when forces come together to push this country forward toward the goal of a better life for all : sustainable wages , affordable health care , quality education , and , respect for workers ' right to stick together in unions so they can be heard . We are wining this fight , and the McDonald 's announcement is proof that the momentum is on our side . When all McDonald 's workers have more money in their pockets , they will inject money back into their neighborhoods , boosting the entire economy . Instead of houses in foreclosure and hungry children , we would have a rising wage floor and thriving communities that support more jobs . Today , thousands of McDonald 's workers live below the federal poverty line . Many get help from government programs , especially food stamps , to make it week to week . Whether we like it or not , our tax dollars help McDonald 's keep wages artificially low . This is n't just an economic issue . It 's a moral issue . I 've talked to workers at McDonald 's restaurants who say they have to skip meals because they do n't have enough money . The Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. once said , `` What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you ca n't afford to buy a hamburger ? '' It 's time for McDonald 's to make sure all the people who serve its burgers are paid enough to afford to eat them for dinner . But we are n't going to wait for divine intervention . We 're going to keep organizing and keep fighting until the workers at McDonald 's , and every other fast-food restaurant , get what makes sense for their families and our communities : a $ 15 per hour wage and a path to form a union without interference or retaliation . McDonald 's took a small step forward by raising wages for a small minority of the people who run their stores . It 's time for the corporation to find a way to raise wages for everyone working in its restaurants so they can pay their bills , put some money back into their community , and expand prosperity and opportunity across our land .
William Barber : McDonald 's will raise minimum wage $ 1 for 10 % of workers . This is a step in right direction but falls short in three ways . He says it leaves out 90 % of workers , is not enough to lift workers from poverty , company prevents workers from speaking out in a union .