Rally for $15 min. wage for healthcare workers

Coinciding with the protests, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto and NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats, hiked the minimum hourly wage to US$15 for city and state government workers, respectively. The governor’s office says the increase will cost approximately $20.6 million, including the anticipated effect of fringe benefits. He pushed through a measure in July that would raise the mininum wage for fast-food workers in NY City to $15 by 2018 and statewide by 2021. Demonstrations took place in Boston, NY City, Philadelphia and other cities with workers from McDonald’s, Burger King and other quick-service restaurants, as well as home care, child care, farm, FedEx and nursing home minimum-wage employees.

What started three years ago as a walkout by restaurant employees in NY City has now grown into a national movement, extending beyond fast food workers. The change will be implemented gradually over the next six years. “You should be very proud of what accomplished and now we have to finish the – $15 bucks and a union”. Moreover, the proposal is also hugely supported and heavily promoted by the state’s major labor unions, with ads by the health care workers union SEIU, reports WXXI News.

Teachers, janitorial staff, home care workers joined fast food employees in their march, their pride driving them down the sidewalk.

“Better wages mean a stronger economy in NY, sustainable jobs, growing families and prospering communities”. Workers in L.A. are marching to show solidarity with workers in other cities that do not have the minimum wage, as well as to call for a union. On January 1, the minimum wage in Berkeley will be $11, $12.55 in Oakland, $12.25 in San Francisco and $10.30 in San Jose.

The idea of raising the minimum wage has been a hot topic for the upcoming USA presidential election candidates, and each seems to have their own opinions.

“We need a living wage”, said fast food worker Jorel Ware.

NY Senate’s Republican declined to endorse the $15 minimum wage, saying the issue will be discussed in detail by his conference and predicting “some kind of compromise”.