Workers in the fast-food, home-care, and airline industries are involved in demonstrations and engaging in walkouts all over the United States on Thursday in a call for a heightened minimum wage of $15, among other labor demands.
Organizers of the “Fight for 15” campaign, which began in November 2012 and then spread to hundreds of cities and “33 countries on 6 continents,” expect Thursday’s actions to take place in 190 cities at fast-food chain restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s, as well as major airports like John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Major unions are also participating in the push to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour. The last boost to the minimum wage occurred in 2009 for most jobs; tipped workers, who make $2.13 per hour, have not seen a raise since 1991.