NEWSFLASH: Thousands of Workers Join First Nationwide Strike Since the Election

Thousands of workers in 340 cities nationwide participated in Fight for 15‘s twelfth one-day strike on Tuesday—the first since the presidential election. Though Tuesday’s strikes remained overwhelmingly peaceful, they were still met with resistance.  At least two dozen protesters were arrested in Lower Manhattan alone.

Fight For 15 begin in 2012, when a coalition of a few hundred New York City fast food workers went on strike to fight for a $15 minimum wage. Since then it’s grown into an international movement, gaining involvement from airport workers, child-care teachers, adjunct professors, and more. Employees of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were also among those who participated in the one-day strike. Hundreds of O’Hare workers walked off of the job at noon in protest, explaining that they chose not to strike on the day before Thanksgiving because they would like public support.

“We’re not going anywhere regardless of who resides in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” Terrence Wise, a Fight For 15 organizer and fast food worker, told The Guardian. “With the new administration taking office, we’re going to double our pressure, we’re going to take bigger and bolder action.” Donald Trump has been inconsistent as to where he stands on raising the minimum wage, but he stated numerous times on the campaign trail that he believes minimum wage workers are overpaid.

“It’s not just about $15 and a union,” SEIU member Rayshawn Pitts told InsideSources, “it’s about giving a living wage to everybody.”

About

Katy is an intern with Ms. Magazine, and a PR and Sociology senior at a private liberal arts university in Kentucky. She is the social media coordinator for the web series, Life Noggin, and the founding member of her campus' College Democrats chapter. When Katy isn't busy, you can find her crying over how much she loves dogs.