Fighting for $15

Bill Chandler, (from left), Cajania Brown, Kenyata McInnis, and other fast-food workers stand on the steps of City Hall in Jackson Tuesday as they rally for an increase in minimum wage. Photo by Shanderia K. Posey

Jackson fast-food workers protest in national movement

By Shanderia K. Posey

Editor

Bill Chandler, (from left), Cajania Brown, Kenyata McInnis, and other fast-food workers stand on the steps of City Hall in Jackson Tuesday as they rally for an increase in minimum wage. Photo by Shanderia K. Posey
Bill Chandler, (from left), Cajania Brown, Kenyata McInnis, and other fast-food workers stand on the steps of City Hall in Jackson Tuesday as they rally for an increase in minimum wage. Photo by Shanderia K. Posey

Fast-food workers in Jackson and across the nation protested Tuesday for a pay increase of $15 an hour and for the right to form a union without retaliation.

In more than 270 U.S. cities, rallies were held for the movement called Fight for $15. In addition to seeking pay raises and union creation, the movement focuses on the power of voting

Locally, the protests began a little after 8 a.m. as workers and community supporters picketed in front of the McDonald’s at the corner of Bailey Avenue and W. Woodrow Wilson Avenue. By noon, the group rallied in front of City Hall in Jackson.

Several fast-food workers, politicians, and union representatives spoke throughout the rally explaining why wage increases are needed in the fast-food industry and with other low-wage jobs.

“It’s not enough,” said Cajania Brown, who works at Popeye’s on Hwy. 80 in Jackson. We are getting paid $7.25 (per hour).We get our stamps cut for working with them. We’re not able to make ends meet at home. We can’t pay light bills.”

Kenyata McInnis expressed similar financial hardships.

“I’m fighting for $15 and the union,” McInnis said. “I work at Burger King. It’s hard trying to take care of a family and provide and also send my kids on field trips. Times become very hard to pay bills.”

Michael Fowler, one of the leaders of the local fast-food organizing committee, works at McDonald’s on Northside Drive. He pays rent, gas bill, light bill, and has two kids. “It’s hard for me to live off working at McDonald’s at $7.35 an hour.”

To those who may suggest that fast-food workers simply get another job, that solution isn’t always doable, according to Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance and union organizer since the 1960s.

Chandler said that full-time jobs in the fast-food industry don’t pay enough or offer benefits at 40 hours, and the changing part-time schedules often make it difficult for workers to get second jobs.

Chandler also noted other statistics among fast-food workers: Sixty-seven percent of workers are older than 20 and 52% receive so little pay that they still need government benefits such as Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

Kathy Sykes, who was recently elected state Representative for District 70, lent her voice to the Fight for $15 movement.

“We need a living wage now,” Sykes said. “Workers – especially female workers – a lot of their income is going to pay for childcare. If you are just making minimum wage it’s very hard to pay for those services.”

Sykes also talked about how injury at work can lead to termination for fast-food workers if the employers don’t want to pay for workers compensation. She said workers also have to worry about getting reliable and affordable transportation or using public transit.

Another issue Sykes highlighted was how fast-food workers can’t afford healthcare because though they may qualify for Medicaid based on their wages, Medicaid hasn’t been expanded in Mississippi.

The main strategy workers have to get their demands met is to form a union. At the rally, union representatives and supporters from the Service Employees Union, United Auto Workers, Mississippi Alliance of State Employees, and city workers were present to show their support for the cause.

“What time is it? Union time,” said Rep. Jim Evans, who is also president of the Mississippi Immigrants Alliance. “The reason we fight for union jobs is to get a contract – which is rules to work by. The reason why we fight for a voice at work (is) to improve the quality of our lives, to get respect on the job and to get a wage that you can live with and a retirement that you don’t have to die because of. A contract is what it’s all about cause otherwise the boss is free to treat you anyway he wants to.”

Several cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Wash., Washington, D.C., and the state of New York have passed legislation increasing the minimum wage for workers.  The successful efforts in those locations offer hope to fast-food workers in Mississippi.

Brooks Sunkett, vice president of public works for Communication Workers of America, referenced the success of organizing in Washington D.C. even though initial efforts failed. A bill to increase the minimum in that area was at first rejected by the mayor, Sunkett said. But later people organized and a minimum wage bill was passed.

Workers in D.C. will receive $11.50 per hour next year, which is an increase from the current $10.50 per hour pay. An initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour will likely be on the ballot in 2016. “And that’s what it’s gonna take here,” Sunkett said.

“Stand up. Fight back. There is something wrong; 15 years into the 21st century, workers don’t make enough to support their families. We know what we need. Are we ready to stand and fight for it?” Sunkett said.

Chants heard throughout the rally such as “We work, we sweat. Put $15 on our check” and “Can’t survive on $7.25,” expressed that the workers do plan to stand and fight.

Going forward, Chandler said the local fast-food workers committee and supporters will work on creating legislation such as a workers compensation bill, a bad boss bill, and a $15 minimum wage bill. Sykes plans to co-sponsor the legislation.

Chandler realizes legislation may not get very far in the Mississippi State Legislature, but it will be a start. “It’s not gonna change by politicians, it’s gonna change by workers organizing,” he said.

“The power of the people cannot be stopped,” said Jaribu Hill, director of the Mississippi Workers Center and a human rights attorney. “What we have to do is go back and study the history of resistance in Mississippi.”

Chandler said the Fight for $15 movement’s biggest opponent is the corporations employing the workers. “If you look at the amount of money that corporate CEOs make, it’s appalling. We have a problem with greed.”

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