Yesterday March 22, several hundred people shut down a McDonalds at Laramie and North Ave on Chicago's Far West Side and then marched on and through a Food 4 Less store located further east. It was a major Fight for $15 action.
Fight for $15 is the national movement of low wage workers who are fighting for a minimum wage of $15 an hour and union recognition. Chicago's far West Side is a predominantly African American and Latino working class area and the numerous horn honks demonstrated the popularity of the action as far as local residents were concerned.
Rally at the McDonalds-BP facility
The Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago which heads up the Fight for $15 movement locally was joined by members of Action Now, Our Walmart, UFCW Local 881 and a large group from an AFL-CIO youth conference who arrived in rented buses. We shut down the McDonalds by flooding the area in front of the store. There is a BP gas station facility attached and that was shut down as well. Protesting two evil corporations at the same time made for a great Saturday morning.
In front of the BP gas pumps
The group then marched east on North Ave to a large shopping center where a Food 4 Less grocery is located. Owned by the Kroger Company, Food 4 Less is a chain with several stores in the Chicago area. UFCW Local 881 is organizing workers in the Chicagoland Food 4 Less stores. West Coast Food 4 Less workers are already organized by UFCW and signed a union contract in late 2014.
Marching east on North Ave through Chicago's far West Side
Eventually people flooded the area in front of the store and then marched into and through the Food 4 Less led by young people holding a Fight for $15 banner. The manager called the cops and we exited through the checkout lines.
Marching through the Food 4 Less store
Tara Stamps, a teacher and the Chicago Teachers union-backed candidate for alderwoman of the 37th Ward gave a great speech in front of Food for Less and helped lead the march into the store. Selene Martinez of WOCC also gave an impassioned speech and directed the march once we were inside.
Chicago teacher and aldermanic candidate Tara Stamps
Chicago fast food worker and WOCC member Selene Martinez
The Fight for $15 movement is organizing for a national action on April 15. Hopefully the Chicago April 15 action planned by WOCC will be larger and even more militant than yesterday's. Stay tuned.
Ready for April 15
More photos from Saturday's Chicago action are at the following link along with ones from an International Women's Day Fight for $15 action on March 8. All are available free for non-commercial use. https://www.flickr.com/...
All photos by Bob "BobboSphere" Simpson
