Civil disobedience, arrests planned in fast-food protests for $15 an hour, unionization

McDonald's, Wendy's and other fast-food restaurants are expected to be targeted with acts of civil disobedience that could lead to arrests Thursday as labor organizers escalate their campaign to unionize the industry's workers.

Kendall Fells, an organizing director for Fast Food Forward, said workers in a couple of dozen cities were trained to peacefully engage in civil disobedience ahead of this week's planned protests.

Fells declined to specify what is in store for the protests in around 150 U.S. cities. But workers recently cited sit-ins as an example of tactics they could use to intensify their push.

The "Fight for $15" campaign is being backed by the Service Employees International Union.

The National Restaurant Association called the protests attempts by labor groups "to boost their dwindling membership."