Union Free Radio

Union Free Radio, Ep. 15: The Hidden Origins Of The Fight For $15 Movement & Its Impact


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Although many people are aware of the "Fight for $15" campaign, most probably do not know that it was never intended to be about merely raising the minimum wage.

The genesis of the entire campaign was designed in 2009 by the SEIU---or Service Employees International Union---as a way to unionize millions of the nation's fast-food workers.
In fact, the actual $15 per hour figure was arbitrarily picked---almost as an afterthought---only two months before the first astroturf protest in 2012.
In this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List explains the history of the SEIU's Fight for $15 campaign, as well as its aftermath and how it is affecting the economy following the 2020 crash.
Articles and resources cited in this episode:

  • LaborPains.org | Report Gives Union Members Insight Into 20 Years of Labor Finances
  • Fast Food Restaurants in the US - Employment Statistics | IBISWorld
  • SEIU's New Burger Queen? Internal Documents Expose Plan to Unionize Fast-Food Industry
  • SEIU Fast Food Organizing Plan - 2009 | PDF
  • Opinion: Fast-food worker strikes aren’t what they appear to be - MarketWatch
  • Why $15 Minimum Wage is a Bad Idea | American Enterprise Institute
  • Media Advisory: Who’s Behind the Curtain of the Fast Food “Strikes”? - Employment Policies Institute
  • $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Is Norm Due to Market Forces, Not Mandates - Bloomberg
  • Why the US has a record 10.9 million job openings | Quartz
  • Why America has 8.4 million unemployed when there are 10 million job openings | The Washington Post
  • $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Is Norm Due to Market Forces, Not Mandates - Bloomberg
  • Wage Push Inflation | Investopedia
  • ‘Build Back Better’ agenda will ensure strong, stable recovery in coming years | Economic Policy Institute
  • Savings surge during the pandemic - Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
  • Fast-food wages climbed 10% in la
  • ...more
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