Just days after the young workers at Israel’s Burger Ranch fast-food chain organized themselves, the Labor Union for Youth in the Histadrut (Federation of Labor in Israel), announced last week that within less than a day they had succeeded in signing up enough workers at McDonald’s to set up a workers’ union there as well.

Owned by a local businessman, McDonald’s employs thousands of youth and is the largest and most profitable fast-food chain in Israel, with 160 restaurants.  While profits are high the young employees are hired at minimum wage.

Representatives of the McDonald’s employees reports they are now facing opposition by management and obstacles to their organizing efforts. The Histadrut reports that complaints from McDonald’s employees concerning violations of the youth labor laws have accumulated in their offices over recent years: unpaid sick leave, unpaid training, and organized travel haven’t been reimbursed as required by law. Last year 7,396 young workers joined the union.