Low-wage strike comes to Chicago, Detroit, Flint, Mich.

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxzYO20fBTZx3aUT6bjWX5ZQN4Ba8O8MSmg6sbrjrsbpmzuxO2a7E3O7kemorpC3jNbtiRaieGCds1loKGgIQ-dVw-clD438ZVByuUqueisK7phlE-DQHlVqGtf4JKmk23uuSivD4Hqde/s1600/7-31lowwagerally4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="They are holding signs and demanding better wages and treatment by the company." border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxzYO20fBTZx3aUT6bjWX5ZQN4Ba8O8MSmg6sbrjrsbpmzuxO2a7E3O7kemorpC3jNbtiRaieGCds1loKGgIQ-dVw-clD438ZVByuUqueisK7phlE-DQHlVqGtf4JKmk23uuSivD4Hqde/s400/7-31lowwagerally4.jpg" title="This photo shows Whole Food workers in Chicago protesting." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workers in Chicago picket Whole Foods market over pay, poor treatment.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hundreds of workers joined the nationwide low-wage strike today, walking off retail and fast-food restaurant jobs in Chicago, Detroit and Flint, Mich. to protest low wages and abuse. It marked the third day of short strikes in cities across the country, part of a nationwide movement to raise wages and end retaliation for organizing a union. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Detroit and Flint, the low-wage strike forced restaurant closings. Large rallies were held in Chicago outside of Whole Foods, McDonald’s and Checkers, while some fast-food workers took their message to the community. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Workers in other industries have joined the revolt. Teamster paramedics and EMTs in El Centro, Calif., are in the fourth day of a strike to fight low wages paid by Gold Cross Ambulance. Teamsters are even now protesting pharmaceutical distributor McKesson’s retaliations against workers at a Lakeland, Fla., warehouse. They are engaging in a rally and shareholder action at McKesson’s annual meeting in San Francisco. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A wave of labor unrest has hit low-wage employers since last fall, when fast-food workers first went on strike in New York City. Since then, a series of short, sudden one-day strikes captured the news media’s attention and elicited sympathy from a broader public. Revelations of extravagant CEO pay have helped galvanize the movement, as worker productivity rose and wages fell since the end of the 2008 recession. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today in the Windy City, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23fightfor15&src=hash" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fight for Fifteen reported more than 200 employees picketed</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in front of a Whole Foods market at midday to bring attention to poverty wages and the company’s poor treatment of them. Strikers demanded higher pay and an end to Whole Foods’ arbitrary point system used to punish workers.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Circling in front of the supermarket entrance, </span><a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/samwiseoccupies?utm_campaign=ustre-am&utm_source=10881934&utm_medium=social" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">video of the event</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> showed energetic employees making clear they are not going to stand for mistreatment anymore. Among the chants heard were:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Hey workers, I’ve got a story. Let’s tell the whole world this is union territory!” as well as “When workers are under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”</span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo55A-VwkojpdTXjrd16133pk1aD-yUEge0vXckWsSGEGMt7dkV3kl5_XSybwzGflH9v_CtYfalEBDsf61hOKi3gALSnqFMyoLXmEAhJDO02cCeqVB3yZCjYsVVG_G7HiftmOetbf7EX1a/s1600/7-31lowwagerally3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="They are demanding better pay and treatment." border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo55A-VwkojpdTXjrd16133pk1aD-yUEge0vXckWsSGEGMt7dkV3kl5_XSybwzGflH9v_CtYfalEBDsf61hOKi3gALSnqFMyoLXmEAhJDO02cCeqVB3yZCjYsVVG_G7HiftmOetbf7EX1a/s320/7-31lowwagerally3.jpg" title="Workers in Detroit are holding signs outside a fast-food restaurant." width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detroit workers demand fair pay at fast-food restaurant.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Earlier in the day, fast-food workers in Chicago, Detroit and Flint made their voices heard both inside and outside restaurants such as McDonald’s and Checkers. McDonald’s employees at different outlets<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/StandUpChicago/status/362554202087624704/photo/1" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">used the same line to criticize</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> the hamburger giant:<o:p></o:p></span><br /><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hold your burgers, hold your fries, make our wages super-sized.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Workers also took the low-wage strike into the community. Workers at a McDonald’s in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, for instance, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/StandUpChicago/status/362554202087624704/photo/1" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">began handing out leaflets in the surrounding area</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to raise awareness about their plight. Detroit organizers, meanwhile, used Twitter to </span><a href="http://lowpayisnotok.org/onstrike/?utm_campaign=LowPay&utm_medium=partner&utm_source=NoRetaliation-DET" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">call on the public to sign online petitions</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to show their solidarity with fast-food workers in their push for a living wage.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In all, </span><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/31/fast_food_strikes_build_in_michigan_chicago/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">employees from 80 restaurant chains in Detroit and Flint</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> walked off the job. Organizers in Chicago said workers from </span><a href="http://www.chicagogrid.com/news/food-retail-workers-strike-mcdonalds-sears/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">26 fast-food and retail chains</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> were expected to strike as well. They join the low-wage strike started this week by workers in New York City, St. Louis and Kansas City who <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are fighting for higher wages and the right to form a union without retaliation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can help out by signing the petition <a href="http://lowpayisnotok.org/noretaliation/?utm_campaign=LowPay&utm_medium=FBPage&utm_source=NoRetaliation">here</a> and giving a “Like” to the “Low Pay Is Not OK” Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LowPayIsNotOk?ref=br_tf">here</a>.</span></div>

Low-wage strike comes to Chicago, Detroit, Flint, Mich.

Workers in Chicago picket Whole Foods market over pay, poor treatment. Hundreds of workers joined the nationwide low-wage strike today, walk...

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