‘We are not gonna stop fighting,’ say strikers for $15

Latest

The following are excerpts from an article by Jake Johnson, published in Common Dreams on February 16, 2021, prior to Congress removing the $15 minimum wage bill from the stimulus bill; plus information from press releases.

Worker in Durham North Carolina demanding 15 minimum wage
Workers in Durham, North Carolina strike to demand a $15 minimum wage in February — and they aren’t going to stop fighting.
Photo: NC Raise Up / Twitter

Fast food workers and other low-paid frontline employees walked off the job in more than a dozen cities across the U.S. to demand at least $15 an hour, collective bargaining rights, and better conditions from their ultra-profitable employers—and to throw their support behind the ongoing congressional effort to raise the federal minimum wage after more than a decade of inaction.

“We’re on strike to remind our employers that we are the company,” Eric Winston, a Cracker Barrel employee, said at a rally outside a McDonald’s in Durham, NC. “Us, the workers, we are the engine that runs your businesses. So protect us, respect our voices, and pay us enough, now.”

Denise, a home care worker from Kissimmee, Florida, said during a local action that the $9 an hour she currently makes is not enough income to provide for her family and demanded that Congress take action. “That’s why I’m speaking out today to demand $15 an hour,” said Denise. “We are asking members of Congress to support home care and pass a $15 minimum wage.”

Democrats need to overrule the Senate parliamentarian and pass the bill, said Rev. Dr. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign. “We are seeing a robbing of the rights of the poor . . . a clear violation of the . . . Constitution . . . it’s catering to the corporate bloc in this country. It’s stomping on the hopes and dreams of [those] who kept this economy alive in a pandemic . . .   And no parliamentary issue [was] brought up when  . . . 84% of the first COVID bill went to banks or corporations . . .” (Democracy, Now!)

The American people need to join this fight — it will impact everyone’s future.

+ Articles by this author

Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
@johnsonjakep •jake@commondreams.org

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Pushing People into a Really Bad System Will End Really Badly

President Trump's executive order fuses drug use and homelessness, ignoring that homelessness can cause or exacerbate substance use because people use drugs to cope with pain. Forced institutional settings rather than housing will not help the ill or unhoused.

Chicago Resistance Speaks: ‘Until All Are Free, None Are Free’

An uprising is growing as the government tries to impose a dictatorship. Chicago resistance leaders recently offered their thoughts in public remarks made at demonstrations and press conferences.

Los Angeles Continues to Rebuild and Resist

Angelinos, suffering from the profit over people economy, continue to rebuild after the fires and to protest immigration raids, while also experiencing joy in such difficult times.

Chicago Teachers Union Says: Trump, Stay Out of Our City

Chicago Teachers Union rejects any unlawful federal occupation of their city, while welcoming federal leadership that fully funds public education, restores SNAP, and expands Medicaid to healthcare for all.

Journalist Says Why ‘I Can No Longer Work With Reuters’

A photojournalist says why it is impossible for her to maintain a relationship with Reuters "given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza."

More from the People's Tribune