Fast food workers' plead to increase the minimum wage to $15/hr has escalated into a 300-city wide hike, the largest nationwide strike across the country. As reported in USA Today, fast food workers will walk out at 6am on Tuesday in the hopes to sway influence the $15/hr wage and sway the 2016 presidential election.
Mic reports that the Fight for $15, an organization of fast food workers who united together to protest low wages, is planning its biggest nationwide strike to urge better wages and demand big food corporations like McDonald's to acknowledge employees' right to organize.
Latifah Trezvant, a McDonald's employee from Kansas City, Missouri stated in an interview with Attn, "Workers need a raise now. McDonald's and other large corporations need to step up and pay more. Politicians need to use their power. We can't wait. We've got one message for anyone running for office in 2016, whether it's for dogcatcher or president: Come get out vote."
USA Today further reports that the strike is expected to be attended by tens of thousands of workers and supporters will begin around dawn at restaurants like McDonald's outlets in downtown Brooklyn, the Bucktown neighbourhood of Chicago and Long Beach California.
The fast food workers and other low-wage workers will then gather at local city halls come late afternoon, kicking off a campaign to encourage their colleagues to vote next November for local, state and national candidates who support the $15/hr pay floor.
More so, labour groups and other low-paid workers will simultaneously really in about 700 other cities. The day-long strike will culminate with a protest by several thousand workers at the Republican presidential debate that will be held in Milwaukee.
Kendall Fells, the organizing director of Fight for $15, a group also founded by the Service Employees International Union said, "We're putting politicians ono notice that we're going to hold them accountable.
Among the candidates who back the $15 minimum wage are Democratic Presidential candidates Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Meanwhile, most Republican contenders oppose to the raising of the minimum wage.
The group aims to mobilize many of the 64 million Americans who earn less than $15 an hour though neighbourhood drives to register and vote. Do you think the $15/hr minimum wage will be approved with this largest worker strike? Would you believe the politicians who claim to support this cause? Let us know by leaving your comments below.
