Filmed and posted Sept 2013: Former The Laura Flanders Show staff member, journalist and co-host of the Dissent podcast Belabored, Sarah Jaffe, joins The Laura Flanders Show to discuss the exciting movements taking place within labor.
Last week fast food workers around the nation staged a one-day strike. In cities like Indianapolis, New York, Tampa, Chicago, and Detroit, workers demanded $15/hr, up from their minimum-wage, $7.25/hr that barely, if at all, covers living expenses. 1,000 restaurants and stores in 58 cities were affected by workers striking; a record high for employees at low-wage jobs, like Wal-Mart and fast-food franchises, who began protesting their minimum-wage salaries late last year. Considering the gloomy state of labor, these strikes offer a glimmer of hope in an industry where, traditionally, workers had little bargaining power and feared recrimination.
