Fight for $15 protests outside first presidential debate

Today, we’re taking the Fight for $15’s message to the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Thousands of workers will march on Hofstra University — the site of the debate — where we’ll make sure that the candidates get it: if they want our vote, they had better come get it by standing up for $15 and union rights!

“When I first went on strike nearly four years ago in New York, everyone thought we were crazy. Fifteen dollars an hour was never going to happen,” said Alvin Major, a Kentucky Fried Chicken worker from New York City. “But we kept walking off the job and raising our voices in the streets, and politicians finally responded to us.”

At the same time as the protest in New York, Fight for $15 workers will be protesting in Charlotte, NC — to call out the senseless murder of Keith Lamont Scott and the epidemic of police violence against Black lives.

Together, we’re making it known that we – the 64 million who make less than $15 an hour – demand justice from the presidential candidates and ALL political leaders.

The Fight for $15 won the battle for a $15 per hour minimum wage in New York, California, and in major cities across the country — but we have more work to do. The real conversation in this election needs to be about how US workers can provide for their families and build a better future for themselves and our country. We NEED candidates to know they’ll only get our vote if they support $15 and union rights.

Fast-food workers will be joined at the protest by home care workers, child care workers, airport workers, and folks from all backgrounds who care about economic, racial and social justice. This movement keeps growing, and we won’t stop fighting until we have $15 and union rights across the country.

“This election, the 64 million workers paid under $15 an hour are bringing together their friends, families, coworkers, church members,” said Alberto Grant Jr., a terminal cleaner at JFK Airport, “because whether you’re an airport cleaner, a home care worker, or a fast-food cook, low wages affect everyone.”

The message for politicians across the nation is crystal clear: COME GET OUR VOTE!