As part of a national day of action, some airport and fast-food workers staged a one-day strike and rally in Philadelphia to demand a $15 an hour minimum wage. Thirteen were arrested, organizers said.
They protested alongside employees in other low-wage industries Tuesday, in an action organized by the Service Employee International Union in North Philadelphia.
Among those who also took part were taxi drivers, teachers, caregivers, higher education workers and Uber drivers, many who joined the airport and fast-food workers in the daylong strike.
According to 32BJ SEIU, 13 “workers and faith leaders engaged in civil disobedience”during a march at rush hour outside the Thomas Paine Plaza McDonald’s across from City Hall were arrested. More than 300 similar demonstrations were to take place around the country Tuesday, aimed at disrupting commutes and traffic, with organizers anticipating more than 1,000 arrests nationwide by the end of the day. The wave of strikes, walkouts and protests marked the fourth year that the workers have rallied for a $15 an hour minimum wage.
Additional reporting by Sam Newhouse
Philadelphia home care workers, fast food workers, & other underpaid workers are standing up for $15! We won’t back down! #Fightfor15 pic.twitter.com/6VxhHixjUL
— UHWP (@pahcworkers) November 29, 2016
