On April 15th Low-wage workers in NYC and more than 200 cities across the country and more world wide held the biggest-yet day of action in their Fight for $15 campaign . What started with fast food workers in NYC on November 2012 has spread to home care and child care workers, retail, adjunct professors, and more, with ever-growing numbers of participants. and scattered reports of stores closed by the strike, at least temporarily. This organizing comes against a backdrop of stagnating wages, chronic unemployment. and underemployment. As many as half of workers in some low-wage industries are receiving some form of public assistance. Workers tell stories of struggling to pay rent and arrange child care, and even face sleep inequality. And the organizing is having an effect.Walmart and McDonald's and other major chains recently announced wage increases are due to pressure from workers and in an effort to shut down further organizing. But workers participation on the April 15th actions proves that they are continuing to organize in increasing numbners and arenas of struggle..
Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg
please notify us if you plan to broadcast this program - knash@igc.org