The “Fight for $15” has shifted.
This change means broader support.
Less than a year ago, the $15 and a union demand, centered on fast food employees, drew few to the rallies who were not professional organizers or career activists.
The picture looked entirely different at State House Square during lunchtime on Thursday. An employee from Papa John’s in Bloomfield spoke to how he had to do hospital shopping when he had tonsillitis last year.
The message of the movement has expanded to include demands for full time employment — not just the right to organize or make a living wage. Activists lobbied on behalf of retail employees as well, holding signs calling out Walmart for what protestors say are retaliatory practices.
Outside of fast food establishments in Downtown, the group chanted “How do you spell poverty? Dunkin, Subway, Burger King.”
As this movement has featured low wage workers walking out to protest, those who participated are expected to be accompanied by activists on Friday as they return to their jobs.
Today’s rally and brief march were peaceful and within the bounds of the law, with an undeniable surge of energy from other issues.
Last night, protestors in New York blocked the West Side Highway, Lincoln Tunnel, and other roadways, and gathered in areas like Grand Central Terminal to respond to the Staten Island grand jury’s decision to not indict Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who was videotaped putting Eric Garner in a chokehold. This non-indictment follows that of former Ferguson, Missouri officer Darren Wilson.
In Hartford, the call for respect extended beyond that in an employer-employee relationship. AJ Johnson called for activists to show “unity” and make a circle. After a moment of prayer, hands were unclasped and raised up into the air as Johnson led chants of “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “Black Lives Matter.”
