Dive Brief:
- Thousands of workers will walk-off their jobs in protest on Thursday, the Service Employees International Union announced. The protest is considered part of the continued Fight for $15 minimum wage movement.
- The protests will target McDonald's. However, many of the workers represented will also come from "home care or at schools, hospitals and airports," The Hill reports.
- Commerce and business groups question the legitimacy of the protests, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, noting that some branches of the SEIU settled contracts far below the $15 mark and that few, "if any" workers ever actually walk out.
Dive Insight:
Glenn Spencer, vice president of the Chamber’s Workforce Freedom Initiative, told The Hill that local SEIU chapters have negotiated wages at around $9.10 per hour in some areas.
Either way, the protests come at a high-point in the Fight for $15 movement. California recently passed a minimum wage law that will increase that state's minimum wage bit by bit until 2022, where the full $15 will go into effect. Experts are split on how this will affect the state's economy, with some worried that such a move will unfairly impact lower-income cities such as Bakersfield and Fresno.
In other areas, cities are taking on the issue and passing minimum wage laws. However, some states have pushed back, passing laws that prevent municipalities from passing minimum wage requirements.
