Nader, Protesters Seek Minimum Wage Increase
The group, which targeted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO headquarters Tuesday, wants to see the minimum wage raised from its current $7.25 an hour to $10.50.
A group of about 10 activists, including Ralph Nader, took to the streets of downtown Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon to advocate for the raising of the minimum wage from its current $7.25 an hour to $10.50, which is what workers were making in 1968 adjusting for inflation. Equipped with a megaphone, the demonstrators targeted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and then AFL-CIO headquarters. They criticized Chamber President Tom Donohue for what they said is his hourly pay of $1,200 and asked AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka why he has done so little to push President Obama and Congress to hike the minimum wage but has given money to the Democratic Party, which, the activists say, has betrayed the working class.
The event, which marked the birthday of labor organizer and former president of the United Mine Workers of America John L. Lewis, was an attempt to remind labor leaders of the issues that matter. Thirty million Americans are making less today, activists shouted to pedestrians and employees entering and exiting the Chamber and AFL-CIO, than they did 45 years ago. Had the minimum wage kept pace with inflation, the poorest Americans would be making $10.56 an hour now, they told passers-by. In comparison, CEO pay has increased some 900 percent, the demonstrators pointed out.
As employees passed the protest, many refused to take a copy of former AFL-CIO President John Sweeney’s book “America Needs a Raise” that group members were giving away.
Corporate Crime Reporter:
Holding signs that read: “End Wage Slavery,” “Big Bosses Stomp on 30 Million Workers,” and “$10.50 Minimum Wage, Catch up with 1968!,” the protesters made the case that the Chamber should drop its opposition to — and the AFL should turbocharge its campaign to pass — a $10.50 an hour minimum wage — up from the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
…“Washington is not representing anybody but Wall Street and Walmart and McDonalds,” Nader said. “It’s time for Richard Trumka to step up, stop giving lip service, and put his muscle behind a $10.50 minimum wage.”
“We are an advanced Third World county. Unless organized labor steps up, and organizes more, and gets out of their offices, and stops making speeches, and really roll up their muscles and put it behind the millions of workers who can’t even earn what they earned in 1968, inflation adjusted, they ought to let others take their place.”
— Posted by Thomas Hedges
Your support matters…Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Labor
At a moment when interest in the possibilities of unions begins to take shape, it's vital to look back on the history of the Congress of Industrial Organizations.
Labor
"Workers stood up to Hollywood executives and held their ground to reach this agreement," said the president of the AFL-CIO. "ANYTHING is possible when we organize."
Bernie Sanders aims to empower the working class, and corporate elites will stop at nothing to prevent him from winning the nomination.
She hands the president a major win on the same day Democrats announce impeachment charges against him.
Student debt is out of control, voter suppression is rampant, and millions are living in poverty. What will it take for us to fight back?
The "Meet the Press" moderator has the ability to educate and inform the American public. If only his corporate bosses would let him.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.