Low-wage workers in Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle join struggle

<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/AVvXsEj0HgWckZIIcdv74LGnrILLRYH1-8-HR4On89Hz_dzSysw9wmWGszFLMf-4swl4D8NixtVfGKRAmoJj6hMBN_Mkh2BPUqqJn0aL4zjHgz_hVy8BhyphenhyphenaozE62xmhBUSj54dkqtXgzL1owHEVA/s1600/8-1lowwagestrike5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="She tells them she supports their decision to walk out." border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HgWckZIIcdv74LGnrILLRYH1-8-HR4On89Hz_dzSysw9wmWGszFLMf-4swl4D8NixtVfGKRAmoJj6hMBN_Mkh2BPUqqJn0aL4zjHgz_hVy8BhyphenhyphenaozE62xmhBUSj54dkqtXgzL1owHEVA/s400/8-1lowwagestrike5.jpg" title="A McDonald's manager in Milwaukee speaks to crowd protesting pay at restaurant." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McDonald's manager in Milwaukee sides with workers, walks out.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hundreds of low-wage workers walked off the job in Chicago, Milwaukee and Seattle this morning during the fourth day of a nationwide drive to raise their wages. The movement spread beyond the seven cities targeted by organizers when employees in the Pacific Northwest joined in with short strikes of their own.<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;">Low-wage workers are demanding an end to retaliation for organizing a union. In all three cities, they went from one business to another to protest poverty wages and workplace abuse. It was expected to be a daylong affair, with final rallies taking place in Chicago, Milwaukee and Seattle in the early evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Workers in other industries have joined the revolt, which began last fall when low-wage retail and fast-food workers walked off the job in New York. Sudden short strikes have been used to elicit public support for low-wage workers at warehouse companies, government contractors and the waste industry. Today, Teamster paramedics and EMTs in El Centro, Calif., are in the fifth day of a strike to fight low wages paid by Gold Cross Ambulance. Teamsters yesterday protested pharmaceutical distributor McKesson’s retaliation against workers at a Lakeland, Fla., warehouse.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Chicago, </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;">Samwiseoccupies</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reported about 200 people were marching from store to store raising awareness about the dire state of their wages. By mid-morning, workers had already visited Wendy’s, </span><a href="http://telly.com/11K39L3" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Subway</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, Sally’s Beauty Supply and Sears and were expected to visit many more sites. <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;">Striking employees chanted in English and Spanish:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Workers can’t survive on $8.25” and “On strike! Shut it down! Chicago is a union town!”</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, a McDonald’s manager joined her workers in walking out. , She said they deserved higher pay and it was time to stand up for it, according to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/WiscJobsNow" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wisconsin Jobs Now’s Twitter feed</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Protesters later moved out to a Burger King in the city, where all workers walked off the job.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/70torinoman"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Viva la causa!</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">reported there was a great turn out for the Milwaukee protests: </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Too many striking workers, too few seats on the buses. What a great problem!<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><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/AVvXsEg7qeTXhsxcF9WWLUvT-M98iwdFzK33y8VBvYw7MTEevJCIHp9LCDmWdR60u-sRNjn1rteSl6lKAOkpu2gn-UwW1S81zKXw1JvSZAXSeUxP8TJYH_rQ2pCHzZ-Sk5DmWi-nz3z5rsc0o5T6/s1600/8-1lowwagestrike6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qeTXhsxcF9WWLUvT-M98iwdFzK33y8VBvYw7MTEevJCIHp9LCDmWdR60u-sRNjn1rteSl6lKAOkpu2gn-UwW1S81zKXw1JvSZAXSeUxP8TJYH_rQ2pCHzZ-Sk5DmWi-nz3z5rsc0o5T6/s320/8-1lowwagestrike6.jpg" title="Seattle protesters hold up sign saying local Starbucks is engaging in wage theft." width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seattle workers aren't getting full pay from local Starbucks.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And in Seattle, where low-wage workers weren’t expected to strike, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/workingwa" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">protesters held a teach-in at a local Starbucks</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> about wage theft. They also showed up at a Burger King restaurant to protest low wages.<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;">The Teamsters Facebook page is filled with comments supporting the low-wage workers:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jim Lutz: Gotta give em Credit for taking 1st step -a hard one when you only make 8 bucks an hour</span></blockquote></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dale Felder: These workers are shining examples of bravery, fortitude, and determination. Because of their wonderful actions changes will appear. There is hope for the future of the 99%ers!</span></blockquote></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rodney Justice: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If anyone would take the time to see just how much a McDonald's make per month they would see just how right the workers are.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Andy Newhausen: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the way it said allow workers to unionize, I believe they should just do it and to bad for the company. Big companies have reaped huge profits at the laborers expense for two long, pay them a fair wage or close your doors !<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> You can show your support for low-wage workers by adding your name to <a href="http://www.lowpayisnotok.org/" rel="nofollow">their petition here</a>.</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;">The petition says:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I support workers who are on strike for a living wage and better working conditions. No job in this country should pay so little that employees can’t make ends meet.</span></span></blockquote></div>

Low-wage workers in Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle join struggle

McDonald's manager in Milwaukee sides with workers, walks out. Hundreds of low-wage workers walked off the job in Chicago, Milwaukee and...

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