SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Fighting for $15, and Winning
Dec 06, 2014
Number of cities where fast food and other low-wage workers went on strike this week to demand a $15 minimum hourly wage and the right to form a union: 190
Year in which the Fight for 15 movement began as a strategy to address growing income inequality: 2012
Year in which fast food strikers were joined by home health aides and other service workers including airport baggage handlers and dollar store employees: 2014
Since the strikes began, number of cities that have passed ordinances raising the local minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour: 18
Number of other cities that are considering raising their minimum wage: 5
Hourly wage to which Washington, D.C. will raise its minimum wage by 2016: $11.50
Minimum hourly wage Louisville is considering: $10
Level to which President Obama raised the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors earlier this year: $10.10
The 1968 minimum wage, in today's dollars: $10.95
Percent of fast food workers that receive some form of public assistance: 52
Hourly wage now earned by three-time striker Steven Wilkerson, an Iraq War vet who works at a combination Dunkin' Donuts, Quizno's and Godfather's Pizza in a Hess gas station in Tampa, and who credits his recent promotion and expected raise to his involvement in the protests: $8.50
The average hourly pay for restaurant workers in 2013: $8.74
Year in which San Francisco raised its minimum wage to $10.74: 2003
Minimum hourly wage the city has since voted to phase in: $15
According to a recent study of San Francisco's minimum wage law, percentage points by which private sector employment there outpaced other Bay Area counties that didn't enact a higher local wage in the eight years after the law was passed: 10
According to a 2010 study of almost 300 neighboring U.S. counties with different minimum wage rates, drop in employment that results from enacting a higher minimum wage: 0
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
© 2023 Institute for Southern Studies
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Number of cities where fast food and other low-wage workers went on strike this week to demand a $15 minimum hourly wage and the right to form a union: 190
Year in which the Fight for 15 movement began as a strategy to address growing income inequality: 2012
Year in which fast food strikers were joined by home health aides and other service workers including airport baggage handlers and dollar store employees: 2014
Since the strikes began, number of cities that have passed ordinances raising the local minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour: 18
Number of other cities that are considering raising their minimum wage: 5
Hourly wage to which Washington, D.C. will raise its minimum wage by 2016: $11.50
Minimum hourly wage Louisville is considering: $10
Level to which President Obama raised the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors earlier this year: $10.10
The 1968 minimum wage, in today's dollars: $10.95
Percent of fast food workers that receive some form of public assistance: 52
Hourly wage now earned by three-time striker Steven Wilkerson, an Iraq War vet who works at a combination Dunkin' Donuts, Quizno's and Godfather's Pizza in a Hess gas station in Tampa, and who credits his recent promotion and expected raise to his involvement in the protests: $8.50
The average hourly pay for restaurant workers in 2013: $8.74
Year in which San Francisco raised its minimum wage to $10.74: 2003
Minimum hourly wage the city has since voted to phase in: $15
According to a recent study of San Francisco's minimum wage law, percentage points by which private sector employment there outpaced other Bay Area counties that didn't enact a higher local wage in the eight years after the law was passed: 10
According to a 2010 study of almost 300 neighboring U.S. counties with different minimum wage rates, drop in employment that results from enacting a higher minimum wage: 0
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Number of cities where fast food and other low-wage workers went on strike this week to demand a $15 minimum hourly wage and the right to form a union: 190
Year in which the Fight for 15 movement began as a strategy to address growing income inequality: 2012
Year in which fast food strikers were joined by home health aides and other service workers including airport baggage handlers and dollar store employees: 2014
Since the strikes began, number of cities that have passed ordinances raising the local minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour: 18
Number of other cities that are considering raising their minimum wage: 5
Hourly wage to which Washington, D.C. will raise its minimum wage by 2016: $11.50
Minimum hourly wage Louisville is considering: $10
Level to which President Obama raised the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors earlier this year: $10.10
The 1968 minimum wage, in today's dollars: $10.95
Percent of fast food workers that receive some form of public assistance: 52
Hourly wage now earned by three-time striker Steven Wilkerson, an Iraq War vet who works at a combination Dunkin' Donuts, Quizno's and Godfather's Pizza in a Hess gas station in Tampa, and who credits his recent promotion and expected raise to his involvement in the protests: $8.50
The average hourly pay for restaurant workers in 2013: $8.74
Year in which San Francisco raised its minimum wage to $10.74: 2003
Minimum hourly wage the city has since voted to phase in: $15
According to a recent study of San Francisco's minimum wage law, percentage points by which private sector employment there outpaced other Bay Area counties that didn't enact a higher local wage in the eight years after the law was passed: 10
According to a 2010 study of almost 300 neighboring U.S. counties with different minimum wage rates, drop in employment that results from enacting a higher minimum wage: 0
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy