Fight for 15: ‘We’re not backing down’

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2 SOCIALIST ACTION DECEMBER 2016 Fight For 15 National Organizing Director Kendall Fells, while help­ ing arrested protesters get out of jail in New York, stated, “We have a tone change. The change is, ‘We’re not going to back down’ and ‘We’re not going to be bullied.’” He was surrounded by signs and t-shirts that gave the same message. The signs made clear that the escala­ tion of the Fight For 15 movement, vividly expressed on Nov. 29 with walk-outs and rallies in hundreds of U.S. cities, was also a fight against xenophobia, racism, and sexism.

While many union members around the country have expressed dread of Washington’s policies over the next four years, these workers are showing the way for­ ward. They are building on their wins with great determination and grit. But of course, these actions were planned to take place regardless of who was elected president. They never were di­ verted or changed their focus through­ out the entire election period.

This was the fourth anniversary of the movement for a $15 minimum wage, which started with 200 strikers in New York City. This year, workers walked off their jobs, marched, rallied, sat in, and got arrested in 340 cities and at 20 air­ ports, declaring that they won’t back down no matter who is in the White House or the State House.

Once again, new groups of workers joined in the national actions. This is the first time that Uber Drivers joined effectiveness of mass action. based on the trade unions. designed, and laid out entirely by volunteer labor. Name City State Phone E-mail the Fight for 15, and it is the beginning of gig workers protesting side by side with traditional labor. These workers who are in temporary positions and of­ ten do contract work for short periods of time are often overlooked by tradi­ tional unions, but they are finding that they are welcome in the growing move­ ment of low-paid workers.

Adam Shahim, an Uber driver in Pittsburg, Calif., said that even though he worked 40 hours a week he could not make enough to pay his bills. In a statement released by Uber protest organizers, Shahim said, “I would like a fair days pay for my hard work, so I joined with fast food, airport, homecare, child-care, higher education work­ ers who are leading the way.” He also explained that although it was difficult Editor: Michael Schreiber Canada Editor: Barry Weisleder Subscribe now!

Address Zip (Above) Hundreds of SEIU 32BJ members, in raincoats, sit in at New York’s La Guardia Airport, Nov. 29. to know how many Uber drivers were striking, the bosses will know when they look to see how many drivers did not open their app on Nov. 29. This is the beginning for those who are looking for ways to organize and act collectively in the new gig economy.

There was also a more traditional action at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where workers went on strike to protest wages and union rights. The shuttle drivers and house­ keeping staff protested being prevented from joining SEIU-Health Care Pennsyl­ vania, which is the largest health-care workers union in the state and repre­ with the Fourth International.

• Boston: socialistactionboston@gmail. com • Buffalo, NY: [email protected] • Chicago: P.O. Box 578428 Chicago, IL 60657, [email protected] • Connecticut: (860) 478-5300 • Duluth, Minn.: [email protected]. www.thenorthernworker.blogspot.com • Kansas City: [email protected] (816) 221-3638 • LOUISVILLE, KY: [email protected], (502) 451-2193 • Madison, Wis.:

[email protected] • Minneapolis/St. Paul: (612) 802-1482, [email protected] • New York City: (212) 781-5157 • Philadelphia: [email protected] sents 45,000 workers.

In cities where the movement for 15 has been strong over these last four years, the size of the strikes and rallies continue to increase. Reports from So­ cialist Action correspondents in Kansas City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Hart­ ford, Chicago, the Twin Cities and else­ where show that an energized and ex­ panded movement continues to grow. In Minneapolis, 21 people were arrest­ ed, including some who were arrested while they were being interviewed by the press. Los Angeles seems to be the only city where a fully militarized police force was used to arrest people participating in a peaceful sit in.

The struggle for a $15 minimum wage has brought $61.5 billion in raises to low-wage workers, according to a re­ port just released by the National Em­ ployment Law Project. The study esti­ mated that this means increased wages for 19 million workers. More than $40 billion came to the workers in Cali­ fornia, New York, Seattle and SeaTac, Wash., and Washington, D.C. These are all places that adopted a $15 minimum wage either by ballot measure or gov­ ernmental action.

As a result of the movement for a $15, Democrats in some states have moved to make small raises to the minimum wage. But many activists have called these raises, “Too low and too slow.” Now activists have redoubled their de­ mands, pointing out that anything less than $15 is still a poverty wage. This is happening in Connecticut and in Mas­ sachusetts.

In Massachusetts, a month before the minimum wage is moving to $11, a statewide coalition is pushing again for $15. Previously, they dropped their (continued on page 3, in “Standing Rock and white supremacy”)

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