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

<h3><strong>Many people today may not know that the Fight for $15 campaign wasn't really about raising the minimum wage to $15. It was about unionizing the fast-food industry. Here's the back story:</strong></h3><!--more--> 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. <br> 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. <br> <center>[AdSense-A]</center> 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. <br> 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. <br> Articles and resources cited in this episode: <br> <ul> <li><A href='https://laborpains.org/2021/01/27/report-gives-union-members-insight-into-20-years-of-labor-finances/'>LaborPains.org | Report Gives Union Members Insight Into 20 Years of Labor Finances</A></li> <li><A href='https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/employment/fast-food-restaurants-united-states/#:~:text=There%20are%204%2C593%2C559%20people%20employed,the%20US%20as%20of%202021.'>Fast Food Restaurants in the US - Employment Statistics | IBISWorld</A></li> <li><A href='http://laborunionreport.blogspot.com/2010/05/seius-new-burger-queen-internal.html'>SEIU's New Burger Queen? Internal Documents Expose Plan to Unionize Fast-Food Industry</A></li> <li><A href='https://www.scribd.com/doc/260724997/SEIU-Fast-Food-Organizing-Plan-2009'>SEIU Fast Food Organizing Plan - 2009 | PDF </A></li> <li><A href='https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fast-food-worker-strikes-arent-what-they-appear-to-be-2014-09-04?page=2'>Opinion: Fast-food worker strikes aren’t what they appear to be - MarketWatch</A></li> <li><A