People were striking in 190 cities demanding $15 an hour and the right to form a union. It's not just fast-food workers striking. Home care workers, convenience store cashiers, discount store clerks, airport cleaners and ramp workers and baggage handlers and skycaps and wheelchair attendants, Walmart associates, and federally-contracted service workers were all calling for $15 an hour.
Good Jobs Nation is leading the effort to get the President to require federal contractors to pay $15 and allow unions.
"Good Jobs Nation is an organization of low-wage workers employed by government contractors who are joining together to call on the President to use Executive Orders to give them a living wage of $15 an hour, good benefits and a voice on the job. The Good Jobs Nation campaign is supported by a coalition of national faith and advocacy organizations, including Demos, Interfaith Worker Justice, and Change to Win."
Here are a few sample cities -- click for a pic:
- Washington DC with Senator Bernie Sanders, Rep. Keith Ellison, others.
- Chicago
- More Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Hartford
- Knoxville
- Detroit
- Highland Park (near Detroit)
- New York
- Pittsburgh
- Boston
- St. Louis
- Little Rock
- Charleston
- Tampa
- Cleveland
- New Orleans
- Bellevue
- San Diego
- Where is DTLA?
- Los Angeles
- Houston
- Cleveland
On Twitter check out #15andaunion and #strikefastfood
Please visit LOWPAYISNOTOK.ORG. @LowPayIsNotOk has a list of fast food campaign accounts to follow on Twitter
Good Jobs Nation has published this letter to the President from Edilcia,
Dear Mr. President:
My name is Edilcia and I’ve served food to government officials for 3 years.
I’m a victim of wage theft. Even though I worked 10 hours a day 7 days a week, I never received a dime in overtime pay. I am owed over $30,000 in back wages and damages.
I am not the only one who is being cheated by government contractors. Last year, I joined with other workers to file a wage theft complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor. Together, we are owed over $4 million dollars in back pay and damages.
Thank you for signing the Fair Pay & Safe Workplaces Executive Order to make sure federal contractors follow labor laws.
But the truth is that even if contractors actually paid us the legal minimum wage plus overtime, we would still be earning poverty wages.
That’s why women like me need more than the minimum – we need federal contractors to pay us living wages and benefits and allow us to collectively bargain!
Thank you,
Edilcia Banegas
See also the ever-inspiring Isaiah Poole, Fight For $15: Strikes Planned Thursday For Higher Wages
