Fight For $15 Supporters Come Out in Oakland

Workers in over 200 cities came out today for “Fight For $15”, to demand livable wages. The majority of low wageworkers are adults trying to make ends meet. It’s no longer a “transitioning teen” job into the workforce. In addition, women hold the majority of low earning jobs. The demographic the wages hurt in Oakland were apparent, families.

Over 1,000 demonstrators gathered at Frank Ogawa Plaza to be seen and heard. Some presenters reminded attendees that 365 days from today is when we’ll be hitting the poles. Signatures were being collected in support of the initiative to raise the federal minimum wage to $15. Union workers from SEIU came out in numbers as their organization launched the campaign 3 years ago. A California statewide measure may qualify to be on the November ballot allowing all Californians to voice their opinion through their vote.

The fight for a livable wage goes hand in hand with the gentrification of neighborhoods. Many spoke out about the lack of affordable housing and the detrimental affects on residents being pushed out of neighborhoods where they have lived for years. Many families have been forced to move completely out of the Bay Area in search of reasonable housing prices. When rents get raised so do the prices of items in the establishments around them including groceries.

Speakers also mentioned the Black Lives Matters protestors who are now known as ‘Black Friday 14’. Last year on November 28th, the West Oakland Bart Station was shutdown by protestors speaking out against the string of injustices that had occurred and continue to occur, in which officers kill unarmed black civilians. They’ve been attending court since, fighting criminal charges that many see as unjust due to the nature of the events. BART authority had been seeking fines up to $70,000 for loss business but has since dropped that request.