#FightFor15: Join us on April 15!
By Marie Campbell
Labor rights, anti-poverty, anti-racism, women’s empowerment – all of these come together in the Fight for $15.
Fight For $15 is fast food cashiers and cooks, retail employees, child care workers, adjunct professors, home care providers, and airport workers who have come together from all over the country – and the world – to fight for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation. These workers work for corporations that generate tremendous profits, but don’t pay employees enough to cover basic needs like food, health care, rent, and transportation. Most of the workers are adults, many of them have families to support, and far too many of them are forced to rely on public assistance to scrape by. Low-wage jobs like these are the fastest growing jobs in the nation and they need to pay more so that workers can make ends meet. These billion-dollar companies can afford to pay their employees better. In November 2012, just 200 workers started organizing in New York City. In 2013, the movement got bigger and stronger with thousands of fast food workers striking in over 150 cities. In 2014, the movement went global with actions in 33 countries and 6 continents. And in 2015, workers are getting close to winning.
APRIL 15
On April 15, fast food cooks and cashiers will be striking across the country – and thousands and thousands of people will be rallying alongside them. In just two years, the Fight for $15 has grown from a few dozen striking fast food workers in New York City to a historic international movement. Thousands of people working in a ton of new industries have joined the fight – from home care workers to gas station attendants, to adjunct professors, Wal-Mart workers to airport employees.
On April 15, Belle H. Bennett House fellows and I are standing with low-wage workers for $15 and union rights because we believe that everyone deserves to flourish. We believe that everyone – everyone – deserves a livable wage. It’s time for McDonald’s and other poverty-pay companies across the country to guarantee good pay – a livable wage – for every hard-working employee. Are you with us? Join us. Enough is enough.
Sign up now to stand with us at these historic rallies on April 15: April15.org.
A MESSAGE FROM THE MOVEMENT
As low wage workers we know what it’s like to struggle to get by.
Because our pay is too low, we struggle to pay our bills and put food on the table. McDonald’s answer? Go on food stamps.
It’s not right. That’s why we strike.
And it’s working. We’ve taken the fight to more than 190 cities in 33 countries and 6 continents. Seattle and San Francisco already passed laws raising wages to $15 an hour – and cities from New York to LA are pushing for higher wages too. There’s work to do before every worker gets $15 an hour and a union – but together, we will win.
Marie Campbell is currently Assistant Director of Education, Programs, & Connections at Scarritt Bennett Center. Marie coordinates the Belle H. Bennett House, a 10-month fellowship program for young women discerning vocation at the intersection of radical social justice and spirituality. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School and a B.A. in Sociology from Belmont University. Marie is passionate about environmental justice, cultural organizing, and intersectional feminism. Contact Marie at [email protected].
