This is the full 3-10-2014 episode of the Labor Express Radio program.
In the Fall of 2012, a new effort to organize low wage workers burst onto the scene. Called the Fight for 15 here in Chicago and by other names in other parts of the country, the campaign's goal was to force retail and foodservice companies to pay a minimum wage of $15 an hour. In Chicago, the Fight for 15 is an effort of the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago which has backing from SEIU, the Service Employees International Union, but is something of a hybrid between a union and a workers center. It is a bold experiment to organize geographically rather than store by store and looks to make changes even when they do not have a majority of workers at an individual store organized. The Fight for 15 has yet to win a $15 dollar an hour wage for the workers it has organized, but workers involved with the Fight for 15 say they have already seen benefits like wage increases and improved working conditions at their stores.
The Fight for 15 has been one of the most publicly visible campaigns of low wage workers ever in this country. It has maintained that visibility with nearly constant rallies, actions and even one day strikes. That pace of activity only seems to be picking up as of late. In just the past two weeks, the Fight for 15 held two rallies at different McDonald’s restaurants in Chicago. The first on February 26th highlighted McDonald’s practice of offering only part-time hours to many of its workers. The other rally last Saturday highlighted women workers in particular, in celebration of International Women’s Day which is celebrated annual on March 8th. That rally addressed the difficulties facing working single mom’s supporting families on fast food worker wages and the verbal abuse that is all to common at these workplaces. Today I will bring you audio from both of those rallies.
Labor Express Radio is Chicago's only English language labor news and current affairs radio program. News for working people, by working people. Labor Express Radio airs every Monday morning at 10:00 AM on Chicago's Sound Alliance, WLUW, 88.7 FM. For more information, see our website at: www.laborexpress.org or our Facebook page... facebook.laborexpress.org
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