"On Strike in Milwaukee." (Photo: Light Brigading/flickr/cc)
Dec 06, 2014
Number of cities where fast food and other low-wage workers went on strike this week to demand a $15 minimum hourly wage and the right to form a union: 190
Year in which the Fight for 15 movement began as a strategy to address growing income inequality: 2012
Year in which fast food strikers were joined by home health aides and other service workers including airport baggage handlers and dollar store employees: 2014
Since the strikes began, number of cities that have passed ordinances raising the local minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour: 18
Number of other cities that are considering raising their minimum wage: 5
Hourly wage to which Washington, D.C. will raise its minimum wage by 2016: $11.50
Minimum hourly wage Louisville is considering: $10
Level to which President Obama raised the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors earlier this year: $10.10
The 1968 minimum wage, in today's dollars: $10.95
Percent of fast food workers that receive some form of public assistance: 52
Hourly wage now earned by three-time striker Steven Wilkerson, an Iraq War vet who works at a combination Dunkin' Donuts, Quizno's and Godfather's Pizza in a Hess gas station in Tampa, and who credits his recent promotion and expected raise to his involvement in the protests: $8.50
The average hourly pay for restaurant workers in 2013: $8.74
Year in which San Francisco raised its minimum wage to $10.74: 2003
Minimum hourly wage the city has since voted to phase in: $15
According to a recent study of San Francisco's minimum wage law, percentage points by which private sector employment there outpaced other Bay Area counties that didn't enact a higher local wage in the eight years after the law was passed: 10
According to a 2010 study of almost 300 neighboring U.S. counties with different minimum wage rates, drop in employment that results from enacting a higher minimum wage: 0
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
© 2023 Institute for Southern Studies
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Number of cities where fast food and other low-wage workers went on strike this week to demand a $15 minimum hourly wage and the right to form a union: 190
Year in which the Fight for 15 movement began as a strategy to address growing income inequality: 2012
Year in which fast food strikers were joined by home health aides and other service workers including airport baggage handlers and dollar store employees: 2014
Since the strikes began, number of cities that have passed ordinances raising the local minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour: 18
Number of other cities that are considering raising their minimum wage: 5
Hourly wage to which Washington, D.C. will raise its minimum wage by 2016: $11.50
Minimum hourly wage Louisville is considering: $10
Level to which President Obama raised the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors earlier this year: $10.10
The 1968 minimum wage, in today's dollars: $10.95
Percent of fast food workers that receive some form of public assistance: 52
Hourly wage now earned by three-time striker Steven Wilkerson, an Iraq War vet who works at a combination Dunkin' Donuts, Quizno's and Godfather's Pizza in a Hess gas station in Tampa, and who credits his recent promotion and expected raise to his involvement in the protests: $8.50
The average hourly pay for restaurant workers in 2013: $8.74
Year in which San Francisco raised its minimum wage to $10.74: 2003
Minimum hourly wage the city has since voted to phase in: $15
According to a recent study of San Francisco's minimum wage law, percentage points by which private sector employment there outpaced other Bay Area counties that didn't enact a higher local wage in the eight years after the law was passed: 10
According to a 2010 study of almost 300 neighboring U.S. counties with different minimum wage rates, drop in employment that results from enacting a higher minimum wage: 0
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Number of cities where fast food and other low-wage workers went on strike this week to demand a $15 minimum hourly wage and the right to form a union: 190
Year in which the Fight for 15 movement began as a strategy to address growing income inequality: 2012
Year in which fast food strikers were joined by home health aides and other service workers including airport baggage handlers and dollar store employees: 2014
Since the strikes began, number of cities that have passed ordinances raising the local minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour: 18
Number of other cities that are considering raising their minimum wage: 5
Hourly wage to which Washington, D.C. will raise its minimum wage by 2016: $11.50
Minimum hourly wage Louisville is considering: $10
Level to which President Obama raised the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors earlier this year: $10.10
The 1968 minimum wage, in today's dollars: $10.95
Percent of fast food workers that receive some form of public assistance: 52
Hourly wage now earned by three-time striker Steven Wilkerson, an Iraq War vet who works at a combination Dunkin' Donuts, Quizno's and Godfather's Pizza in a Hess gas station in Tampa, and who credits his recent promotion and expected raise to his involvement in the protests: $8.50
The average hourly pay for restaurant workers in 2013: $8.74
Year in which San Francisco raised its minimum wage to $10.74: 2003
Minimum hourly wage the city has since voted to phase in: $15
According to a recent study of San Francisco's minimum wage law, percentage points by which private sector employment there outpaced other Bay Area counties that didn't enact a higher local wage in the eight years after the law was passed: 10
According to a 2010 study of almost 300 neighboring U.S. counties with different minimum wage rates, drop in employment that results from enacting a higher minimum wage: 0
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.