"Five years ago, when 200 New York City fast-food workers first walked off the job for $15 an hour and union rights, nobody gave us a shot. Since then, we've spread this movement to every corner of the country and beyond fast-food," wrote Steven Suffridge, an organizer with Fight for $15. (Photo: SEIU Local 99/Flickr/cc)
'Our Momentum Is Unstoppable': Workers Celebrate as Target Announces $15 Minimum Wage
"Never underestimate the power of organizing."
In what is being described as a huge victory for the tens of thousands of workers across the country who have for years organized, rallied, and gone on strike for higher wages, Target on Monday announced that it plans to raise the company-wide minimum hourly wage to $11 by next month and $15 by 2020.
"We won't stop until everyone, everywhere, wins $15 an hour and union rights."
--Steven Suffridge, Fight for $15
"Five years ago, when 200 New York City fast-food workers first walked off the job for $15 an hour and union rights, nobody gave us a shot. Since then, we've spread this movement to every corner of the country and beyond fast-food. We did what they said we couldn't: we won. We won in the states, in the cities, with the big politicians and with the big corporations," Steven Suffridge, a Minneapolis McDonald's Worker and Fight for $15 organizer, wrote in an email reacting to the news. "And today, we won $15 an hour for all Target employees."
In celebration, Fight for $15 and other groups began circulating a graphic that echoes Suffridge's message: "When we fight, we win!"
Immediately upon seeing the news of the Target wage boost--which will affect over 320,000 workers throughout the U.S--activists and lawmakers immediately began raising the question: if Target can pay its workers a decent wage, why can't Walmart, McDonald's, and other profitable low-wage corporate giants?
"C'mon McDonalds, Walmart, and everybody else," wrote Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who recently celebrated Minneapolis lawmakers for overwhelmingly voting to raise the city minimum wage to $15 by 2024. "Pay your workers right!"
As Common Dreams has reported, wages have remained largely stagnant for decades even as CEO pay and corporate profits have continued to soar. According to a recent analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, the compensation of top American CEOs has grown by 937 percent since 1978; typical worker pay rose by only 11.2 percent over that same time period.
With little indication that the Republican-dominated Congress--much less President Donald Trump--has any intention of acting to boost the federal minimum wage, workers have taken it upon themselves to organize and fight back against entrenched inequities and for a livable wage.
Since the Fight for $15 movement kicked off in 2012, many major cities--including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Pittsburgh--have committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Democratic members of Congress, too, have begun signing on--the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum to $15 an hour, currently boasts 165 co-sponsors.
Even with these tremendous victories, there's still a long way to go, organizers acknowledge. Target, for instance, remains viciously anti-union, a fact that presents major questions about the company's professed commitment to the well-being of its workers.
But Suffridge concluded that if workers are able to keep up the pressure on corporations and politicians, the momentum sparked by sustained action across the country "is unstoppable."
"If Target can pay $15/hour, billionaire corporations like McDonald's can do the same," Suffridge concluded. "We won't stop until everyone, everywhere, wins $15 an hour and union rights."
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. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
In what is being described as a huge victory for the tens of thousands of workers across the country who have for years organized, rallied, and gone on strike for higher wages, Target on Monday announced that it plans to raise the company-wide minimum hourly wage to $11 by next month and $15 by 2020.
"We won't stop until everyone, everywhere, wins $15 an hour and union rights."
--Steven Suffridge, Fight for $15
"Five years ago, when 200 New York City fast-food workers first walked off the job for $15 an hour and union rights, nobody gave us a shot. Since then, we've spread this movement to every corner of the country and beyond fast-food. We did what they said we couldn't: we won. We won in the states, in the cities, with the big politicians and with the big corporations," Steven Suffridge, a Minneapolis McDonald's Worker and Fight for $15 organizer, wrote in an email reacting to the news. "And today, we won $15 an hour for all Target employees."
In celebration, Fight for $15 and other groups began circulating a graphic that echoes Suffridge's message: "When we fight, we win!"
Immediately upon seeing the news of the Target wage boost--which will affect over 320,000 workers throughout the U.S--activists and lawmakers immediately began raising the question: if Target can pay its workers a decent wage, why can't Walmart, McDonald's, and other profitable low-wage corporate giants?
"C'mon McDonalds, Walmart, and everybody else," wrote Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who recently celebrated Minneapolis lawmakers for overwhelmingly voting to raise the city minimum wage to $15 by 2024. "Pay your workers right!"
As Common Dreams has reported, wages have remained largely stagnant for decades even as CEO pay and corporate profits have continued to soar. According to a recent analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, the compensation of top American CEOs has grown by 937 percent since 1978; typical worker pay rose by only 11.2 percent over that same time period.
With little indication that the Republican-dominated Congress--much less President Donald Trump--has any intention of acting to boost the federal minimum wage, workers have taken it upon themselves to organize and fight back against entrenched inequities and for a livable wage.
Since the Fight for $15 movement kicked off in 2012, many major cities--including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Pittsburgh--have committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Democratic members of Congress, too, have begun signing on--the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum to $15 an hour, currently boasts 165 co-sponsors.
Even with these tremendous victories, there's still a long way to go, organizers acknowledge. Target, for instance, remains viciously anti-union, a fact that presents major questions about the company's professed commitment to the well-being of its workers.
But Suffridge concluded that if workers are able to keep up the pressure on corporations and politicians, the momentum sparked by sustained action across the country "is unstoppable."
"If Target can pay $15/hour, billionaire corporations like McDonald's can do the same," Suffridge concluded. "We won't stop until everyone, everywhere, wins $15 an hour and union rights."
In what is being described as a huge victory for the tens of thousands of workers across the country who have for years organized, rallied, and gone on strike for higher wages, Target on Monday announced that it plans to raise the company-wide minimum hourly wage to $11 by next month and $15 by 2020.
"We won't stop until everyone, everywhere, wins $15 an hour and union rights."
--Steven Suffridge, Fight for $15
"Five years ago, when 200 New York City fast-food workers first walked off the job for $15 an hour and union rights, nobody gave us a shot. Since then, we've spread this movement to every corner of the country and beyond fast-food. We did what they said we couldn't: we won. We won in the states, in the cities, with the big politicians and with the big corporations," Steven Suffridge, a Minneapolis McDonald's Worker and Fight for $15 organizer, wrote in an email reacting to the news. "And today, we won $15 an hour for all Target employees."
In celebration, Fight for $15 and other groups began circulating a graphic that echoes Suffridge's message: "When we fight, we win!"
Immediately upon seeing the news of the Target wage boost--which will affect over 320,000 workers throughout the U.S--activists and lawmakers immediately began raising the question: if Target can pay its workers a decent wage, why can't Walmart, McDonald's, and other profitable low-wage corporate giants?
"C'mon McDonalds, Walmart, and everybody else," wrote Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who recently celebrated Minneapolis lawmakers for overwhelmingly voting to raise the city minimum wage to $15 by 2024. "Pay your workers right!"
As Common Dreams has reported, wages have remained largely stagnant for decades even as CEO pay and corporate profits have continued to soar. According to a recent analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, the compensation of top American CEOs has grown by 937 percent since 1978; typical worker pay rose by only 11.2 percent over that same time period.
With little indication that the Republican-dominated Congress--much less President Donald Trump--has any intention of acting to boost the federal minimum wage, workers have taken it upon themselves to organize and fight back against entrenched inequities and for a livable wage.
Since the Fight for $15 movement kicked off in 2012, many major cities--including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Pittsburgh--have committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Democratic members of Congress, too, have begun signing on--the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum to $15 an hour, currently boasts 165 co-sponsors.
Even with these tremendous victories, there's still a long way to go, organizers acknowledge. Target, for instance, remains viciously anti-union, a fact that presents major questions about the company's professed commitment to the well-being of its workers.
But Suffridge concluded that if workers are able to keep up the pressure on corporations and politicians, the momentum sparked by sustained action across the country "is unstoppable."
"If Target can pay $15/hour, billionaire corporations like McDonald's can do the same," Suffridge concluded. "We won't stop until everyone, everywhere, wins $15 an hour and union rights."