Iowa Fast-Food Workers Seeking $15 Wage to Strike Ahead of Republican Debate

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Bloomberg

By Emily Greenhouse

On the day of the final Republican debate before the pivotal Iowa caucus, fast-food workers will be staging their first-ever strike in the state, demanding a $15-per-hour minimum wage and union rights.

“Forty-eight percent of workers in Iowa are paid less than $15 an hour,” Kendall Fells, national organizing director of the Fight for $15 movement, told Bloomberg. “That’s one of the highest shares in any of the country, so it’s an ideal place to be organizing.”

The one-day strike, which seeks to gain media attention by being held the same day as the Republican debate, aims to win a $15 minimum wage and the right to form a union without retaliation for fast-food and other low-wage workers across the country, Fells said.

The bulk of the Republican candidates consider the group’s demand for a wage that more than doubles the federal minimum wage—currently $7.25 an hour—as too radical. But in recent years, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other cities have voted to adopt a $15 minimum wage.

FULL story at link.


Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Getty Images

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-28/iowa-fast-food-workers-seeking-15-wage-to-strike-ahead-of-republican-debate

[karynnj]

1. Strange that they focus this on the Republicans - none of whom are for this

This is an issue that essentially splits on the party line -- although there are differences. Sanders and other Democrats - as politically different as Gov Cuomo to Nancy Pelosi have supported raising minimum wages to $15. Others, including Hillary Clinton are supportive of the movement, but calls for raising the minimum wage to $12. Given that the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 and that Cuomo shifted from saying $10.50 was a good compromise just weeks before backing $15, this really is - like climate change - an issue where the differences between parties far exceeds the difference between Democrats. Sanders has a stronger long term commitment to this than HRC. (Clinton supporters note: you can't both demonize Senator Sanders as a socialist then say she has had the same decades long commitment to things like this.)

[Kip Humphrey]

2. Actually, with inflation, year 2012 $15/hour should be $16/hour in 2016.

just sayin'.

[bread_and_roses]

6. Yes. And here in NY we're supposed to be excited about $15 in 2021

I am so disgusted. We're all supposed to cheer on King Cuomo's paltry proposition like he was the second coming. How I detest "Liberals" - or it's really liberal organizations - including my own beloved House of Labor. Always willing to settle for a few more crumbs.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

10. +1 n/t

[Jefferson23]

3. Fantastic. n/t

[mpcamb]

4. Good, rub their Republican noses in it.

See if they can go on ignoring people's plight.

[bread_and_roses]

5. THIS is where it's at - in the streets

When fast food workers first walked out on strike in NYC - just a bit over three years ago, I think - "everyone" called them loony. $15 an hour???????????????? For "burger flippers" ????????????????????????? Crazy!

When we had our first local rally in support - April 2013 - here in my backwater upstate NY town, passing cars were either gawking at us like we were from Mars or yelling at this that we were nuts.

Well, we kept rallying in support. And every time we went out, more and more cars were beeping at us, more and more people were showing support. And believe me, I like in an economic and activist near-dead zone.

Occupy and Fight for $15 have done more to raise awareness of the utter unfairness of the current system than the establishment Dems have done for 40 years. And they did it with "outrageous" demands. In the streets.

That is what it takes. Otherwise, we get a few crumbs from the overflowing plates of the 1% and their establishment enablers and apologists in both Parties.

[libdem4life]

7. Now if they could only get the WalMart (corporate welfare) employees to join them...

Bernie called that Corporate Welfare Hustle out in his campaign...by name.

[jwirr]

8. And Bernie should join them. That would be great.

[Skeeter Barnes]

9. Hillary doesn't think they should make $15/hr either. Too much, she says. Make do with $12 or less.

Too bad the inevitable Dem nominee would rather stand with the pukes on this issue than with the workers. $250k per hour is fine for her and Bill. $600k per year is fine for Chelsea. $15 per hour is too much for you and me.