WASHINGTON (AP) — The recent spate of fast-food worker strikes is another sign of the need to raise the minimum wage for all workers, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"It's important to hear that voice," he said of workers demanding higher pay in protests that have grown in size steadily. The latest protests were Thursday in cities including New York, Chicago and Detroit.

Perez's comments came in a wide-ranging interview, his first since taking the helm of the agency a little over a month ago following a contentious confirmation process.

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