As thousands of low-wage workers joined the activist group Fight for $15 in a nationwide walkout on Tuesday to protest the country’s current minimum wage, they found a likely ally in Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Sanders, whose campaign stresses leveling the economic playing field for all Americans, addressed protestors in Washington, D.C. “What you are doing and what workers across the United States are doing, you are having a profound impact, ” he told them as reported by MSNBC. Sanders noted that San Francisco and other cities have raised their minimum wage to $15 as a result of the group’s efforts, adding, “Now we have to finish the job.”
Proud to join striking workers today fighting for dignity and a living wage. #FightFor15 pic.twitter.com/WIsjCAaNmg
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 10, 2015
Fight for $15 is made up of fast food workers who want a $15-an-hour minimum wage and the right to unionize. They were joined by low-wage workers in various industries Tuesday, along with other supporters, including Sanders, in a strike spanning 270 cities. USA Today reports that it was the largest rally the group had staged in its three-year existence.
The federal minimum wage currently stands at $7.25 an hour.