Fast Food Workers Nationwide Strike for $15 Minimum Wage
Fast food workers across the United States walked off their jobs to strike and demonstrate for an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Fusion reports that protests took place in 190 cities and were organized under the banner of Fight for $15. The movement, which has been growing for two years, got a shot in the arm in early 2014 when the municipality hosting the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport successfully voted to increase the minimum wage to $15.
Images and videos of the protests circulated widely on social media.
Fast food workers protest on the steps of city hall @atvn #minimumwage pic.twitter.com/gviFOfprzw
— Faith Miller (@FaithmillerATVN) December 4, 2014
VIDEO: Fast-food workers protest low wages in #RVA. https://t.co/Oz7R1uE13a pic.twitter.com/z4HQfL5pgO — Times-Dispatch (@RTDNEWS) December 4, 2014
UPDATED with video from fast-food worker protest this morning at McDonald's in downtown LR: https://t.co/jR41qWpqMV pic.twitter.com/8fOEC3SmTO
— Gavin Lesnick (@glesnick) December 4, 2014
Some protests also expressed solidarity with protesters upset about the failure of the American justice system to indict police officers guilty of wrong doing.
Protest at 34th and Nicollet: fast food workers want $15 min wage, also demonstration on NY grand jury decision. pic.twitter.com/NtcFRklFZI — Erin Golden (@golden_erin) December 4, 2014
The sign that reads "I can't breathe," alludes to the last words of Eric Garner, who was choked to death by a police officer on camera. Despite the video evidence, the officer who killed Garner was not indicted on any charges, even manslaughter, although New York State law says that one need only have caused a death "recklessly" to be brought up on the charge.
