New York, November 11 (RHC)-- Millions of low-wage fast-food workers and their supporters in the U.S. have joined together at a nationwide "Fight for 15" protest and strike to call for a $15 minimum wage and union rights.
The Fight for 15 campaign, a three-year-old nationwide labor movement seeking wage hikes at low-paying fast-food restaurants, launched a one-day strike in 270 cities across the United States on Tuesday. Tuesday's is considered to be the largest demonstration the group has organized to date, according to the organizers.
In Los Angeles County, the protesters assembled in front of a McDonald's to head for the Los Angeles City Hall in their march. The L.A. City Council and L.A. County Board of Supervisors have already approved a law that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020. Workers in L.A. are marching to show solidarity with workers in other cities that do not have the minimum wage, as well as to call for a union.
Also in New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a raise in the wage to a minimum of $15. "I believe that if you work hard and work full time, you should not be condemned to live in poverty," Cuomo in the statement, adding that "families nationwide continue to be left behind by an insufficient minimum wage. And it's time that changed."
Fast-food strikers also got a boost to their campaign, when Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton personally tweeted out her support ahead of a national day of protests. "Your advocacy is changing our country for the better," Clinton told protesters.
Clinton had previously voiced her support for the campaign, if not specifically for a nationwide wage floor of $15. Unlike her leading primary contender, Senator Bernie Sanders, the former secretary of state said $15 wouldn't necessarily be appropriate for areas with lower costs of living, instead advocating for a Democratic proposal of $12 now in Congress.