Organizers Are Preparing for the Largest Fight for $15 Event Ever
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Low-wage workers across America will take to the streets on Thursday as part of an ongoing effort to raise the minimum wage. After California, New York, and Pennsylvania announced plans to increase the minimum wage in their states, workers hope to continue the momentum by taking part in strikes and demonstrations in major cities throughout the U.S.
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Tens of thousands of workers from multiple industries — including fast food, child care, and higher education employees — are expected to turn out for events organized by the advocacy group Fight for $15. The protesters will be targeting McDonald's and other large corporations that critics blame for keeping wages low in order to maintain high profits. Fight for $15 says this will be the largest national event in the organization's history.
"You’re seeing a level of militancy, in terms of strikes, that we haven’t seen in some time," Christian Sweeney, the deputy director of organizing for the AFL-CIO, told The Washington Post. "Things are starting to pick up, and I think as people have higher expectations for the economy and for their employers, we’ll see increased strike activity."
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Besides state efforts the call to raise the minimum wage is playing out on the national presidential stage. Both Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have voiced support for a $15 federal minimum wage, and that conversation has been largely informed by grassroots efforts to spark conversations about a living wage, as ATTN: previously reported.
