Poverty jobs hold us back

IN ONE of the largest actions yet by low-wage workers, the Fight for 15 movement brought thousands of people onto the streets in more than 200 cities across the U.S. on April 15.

Taking place on Tax Day, the day of action drew attention to rampant income inequality in America as well as the struggle of workers to win a living wage. While corporations benefit from massive tax breaks, low-income workers who are struggling just to get by are saying enough is enough and demanding a minimum wage of $15 an hour.

In recent months, the fast-food and retail workers who started the Fight for 15 movement have been joined by other workers, including adjunct teachers and grad employees at universities and colleges. Plus, in a number cities, the April 15 rallies and actions made an explicit connection between the fight for economic justice and the fight against racism and police brutality.

In New York City, thousands turned out on April 15 for a rally, including a large contingent from the health care union 1199/SEIU Healthcare Workers East. Other significant contingents included construction and building trade workers and community organizations.

The morning began at 6 a.m. with a protest in front of a Brooklyn McDonald's. Invoking the Black Lives Matter movement, protesters wore sweatshirts that read, "I can't breathe, fight for $15."

"We're trying to accomplish a lot," Wendy's employee Stacy White told the New York Daily News. "We're fighting for fairness. I'm a fast-food worker myself. You can't get by on $8.75. You can't provide for your families. You can't get to work on that."

Later in the day, workers staged a "die-in" for four minutes and 15 seconds--symbolic of the Fight for 15--in front of a different McDonald's.

The main event of the day was a rally that began at 4 p.m. at Columbus Circle, followed by a march to Times Square.

Speakers at the rally included Solomon, a worker in the city's Work Experience Program (WEP), which Community Voices Heard (CVH) calls "a mandated unpaid work program for welfare recipients." CVH has been organizing WEP workers. Speaking about the importance of connections between various movements, Solomon stated:

Fifteen dollars is the minimum. I also agree with Black Lives Matter. Black workers matter because we are the highest group of unemployed workers in this city and probably the country...I'm so glad for Occupy Wall Street that put it in plain writing that we are the 99 Percent, and they are the 1 Percent. Most of us didn't realize it we thought we were in the same boat, and it was can't we all get along, but they brought it home, and I appreciate them for that.

In Chicago, multiple actions took place throughout the day, bringing out more than 1,000 fast-food workers, union members, adjunct faculty, home care workers and their supporters.

One of the most surprising: A group of 50 drivers and guards from Brinks Security, out of an estimated workforce of 80, decided to walk off the job after reaching out to Fight for 15 organizers just days earlier.

"We put our lives on the line and have a very dangerous job working 45 to 60 hours in a week," Alex Alvarez, a Brinks driver, told Progress Illinois. "This isn't just a McDonald's problem, this isn't just a Brink's problem. It isn't even a Chicago problem--it's a problem nationwide. We need to be heard today."

In the morning, a rally was held outside of a South Side McDonald's, where protesters held signs reading, "I'm a fast-food worker and I'm on strike" and "Poverty jobs hold Chicago back."

"I scrap and scrape and stress all day, every day," Douglas Hunter, a 53-year-old maintenance worker at McDonald's, told Progress Illinois. "When I look around my community, I don't see a whole lot of domestic tranquility. We see a lot of crime and violence in our neighborhoods as a direct result of these starvation wages. If we were paid better wages, that would bring more money into the community. More young people would go to jobs like McDonald's instead of standing on a street corner. This is all they have to resort to in order to feed their families."

Later in the day, hundreds turned out for a rally at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where students delivered a petition to the chancellor's office demanding a $15-per-hour minimum wage for campus workers, including students with campus jobs.

Later, protesters marched to a McDonald's near the Chicago Board of Trade--a symbol of the city's wealth and inequality. The crowd included members of the Black Youth Project 100. Maxx Boykin, an organizer with the group, pointed out that the fight for racial and economic justice are intertwined, telling Progress Illinois, "Black people historically have only been able to get fair wages, unions, and access to good jobs through direct action, strikes and protest."

Recently, the Chicago Teachers Union announced that one of its demands in upcoming contract negotiations with the city will be a requirement that all CTU members and Chicago Public Schools employees and subcontractors be paid at least $15 an hour.

In the Bay Area, the East Bay Organizing Committee (the local fast-food organizing affiliate) shut down six McDonald's restaurants in Oakland in the morning, before rallying with fast-food workers from Sacramento and San Jose for a mass march at University of California (UC) Berkeley later in the day. Over 1,000 people attended the rally and march.

The crowd consisted of members of unions and community organizations, including SEIU, the United Farmworkers, United Healthcare Workers West, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, the Sierra Club, the East Bay Organizing Committee, International Socialist Organization, Industrial Workers of the World and Socialist Alternative. The rally included left wing hip-hop star Bambu and, as in other cities, speakers from the Black Lives Matter movement.

The event began with an afternoon rally UC Berkeley to draw the connection with adjunct faculty, who are also fighting poverty wages. The crowd then marched to a McDonald's on Shattuck and University, where there was another rally with more speakers and performances. Since the McDonald's had closed early to avoid the crowd, protesters took over the intersection.

In Seattle, the April 15 actions focused on several groups of workers: home care workers, fast-food and retail workers and adjunct professors. Rallies and marches took place all day, starting in downtown Seattle and ending at Seattle University and Capitol Hill.

UFCW joined the marches with their demand for $15 per hour at Macy's. Though Macy's must pay its Seattle workers at least $11 per hour under a new law, it refuses to extend that to workers outside Seattle and refuses to grant $15 overall.

Home care workers represented by SEIU are negotiating a contract with the state. Workers are demanding wage increases and a secure pension. The state Senate is holding off on funding SEIU's contract for home care workers and is also holding up funding of the state workers' contracts, including contracts at the University of Washington, while still giving more tax breaks to business.

Thousands of workers at Seattle's largest employer, the University of Washington still get paid less than $15 per hour. Finally, the adjunct professors at Seattle University (SU), a Jesuit school, are supporting SEIU as their bargaining agent. SU management refuses to recognize the union or even count the votes of the professors.

Several unions and community groups sponsored the day's events, including SEIU, the Teamsters, UFCW, Boeing engineers, 15 Now, Working Washington and the Fight for 15. UFCW and other unions rallied downtown and marched to Capitol Hill to join the home care workers of SEIU Local 775. SEIU had bused in home care workers from around the state.

The combined march of 800 people descended on SU and occupied the foyer of the business school, chanting in support of the adjunct professors: "Count the votes!" One of the most popular signs was " $15 is just the beginning! Inequality stops with us!"

After the occupation at SU, the march moved on to the intersection of 12th and Madison and Union, one of the busiest in the city. The demonstration blocked the intersection for nearly an hour.

Clearly, people in Seattle are ready for more activity in support of low-wage workers. Even with plans for a phased-in $15 law in Seattle, much more needs to be done.

In Pittsburgh, a Fight for 15 rally drew some 1,500 participants, including fast-food workers and contingents from SEIU and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. Other unions in support included the United Steelworkers and the Amalgamated Transit Union. Activist groups, including Working Women Rising and Fight Back Pittsburgh, as well as faith organizations, student groups and other community organizations attended.

Organizers made explicit connections between the Fight for 15 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Student organizer Bempoma Pieterson, originally from Ghana, made this connection as she led the chant "Hands up, don't shoot" after a speech where she talked about low wages disproportionately affecting women of color.

Other chants included, "Hold your burgers, hold your fries--we want wages super-sized," and "If we don't get it, shut it down."

There were also chants with a more local flavor such as "U-P-M-C, you are not a charity," a reference to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the biggest health care provider in the region. Low-wage workers at UPMC have recently been locked in a battle with management over their right to unionize.

The rally started at Schenley Plaza on the University of Pittsburgh's campus. The crowd marched three blocks to end up in front of a McDonald's that was forced to close because of the rally.

In Atlanta, over 600 people turned out for a rally and march on April 15 organized by Atlanta Jobs for Justice in partnership with Rise Up ATL, a racial justice organization.

Micha Benson, an Atlanta seminary student was passing by and stopped to join the protest. He was inspired that people were fighting for a living wage, saying, "In America we imagine ourselves being able to rise into the position of a CEO. We think we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, but we don't see that everyone's bootstraps are being dragged down by the system we have."

Protesters gathered near the library on Clark Atlanta University's campus. Workers from Alabama and South Carolina, as well as Black Lives Matters protesters from South Carolina, turned out in support.

The march took protesters up Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard through Ashview Heights to a McDonald's, where people stormed the restaurant and expressed their desire for a raise. One worker in the McDonald's walked off the job to join the protest. Protesters then marched to the local Walmart in Vine City, where the police blocked the doors and arrested at least one person.

The rally and march were the biggest showing for a living wage to date in Atlanta. Airport workers, fast-food workers, home care workers and more were represented. A few politicians came out in support, including Sen. Vincent Fort, who has supported the "Moral Mondays" movement in the state.

In Portland, Oregon, an air of optimism and solidarity blew through the crowd of 350 trade unionists and social activists as they set off on a tour of workplaces to demand a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

The very vocal demonstration first stopped at the Pittock Office Block, where union janitors have been replaced by non-union contractors. Marchers entered the building and their chants echoed throughout. Helium-filled balloons were left floating to let company owners know who had called.

With the energy of the protest high, the crowd took to the street and marched on to City Hall. Recently, the city has said it would give a $15 minimum wage to full-time city and contract workers, but 2,000 city parks and recreation workers have been left out of this because they are classed as part-time seasonal workers. Sarah Kowaleski, one of those workers, explained how she can't make ends meet and has relied on food stamps.

From City Hall, the vibrant march went to Portland State University (PSU) where students who have to work spoke out against not only low pay in jobs at the university, but also increased tuition rates.

The march finished with other low-wage workers speaking out, like home care worker Diana, who spoke about the enormous duties and responsibilities she has for just $11 an hour, with no benefits.

Christine Palmer, an associate teacher at PSU's Child Development Center, told how she earns just $13.82 an hour after 18 years on the job. She stated, "I am a professional in a vital field. Unfortunately, early childhood educators are some of the lowest paid, albeit hard-working and talented individuals out there. A living wage for early childhood educators is not radical, it is sensible."

In Olympia, Wash., more than 60 people rallied April 15 to demand a $15 an hour minimum wage. The rally started outside an Olive Garden restaurant where several of the marchers work. One of them, Liz Atkins-Pattenson, said that a higher minimum wage would reduce income inequality, strengthen the local economy and help low-wage workers take care of themselves and their families.

The demonstrators then marched through the Capital Mall, which adjoins the Olive Garden. Nicole Alexander, who works at a nearby McDonald's, pointed out that a higher minimum wage would help her to pay for basic necessities and to pay off existing fines. "I'm living paycheck to paycheck," she said.

Following the march through the mall, demonstrators boarded a bus rented by Working Washington, which took them to the state capitol campus. There, they rallied on the steps of the Temple of Justice and then held a rally inside the rotunda of the Capitol. From there, demonstrators got back on the bus for a further demonstration in Seattle.