Fight for 15, which is funded by the Service Employees International Union, has long been backed by Sanders who is extremely outspoken on issues involving income inequality.
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) November 10, 2015
— reported.ly (@reportedly) November 10, 2015
“What you are doing and workers all over the United States are doing, you are having a profound impact,” Sanders told the crowd. “People are raising the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. And you know who started it? You did. You started the movement.”
The Vermont senator even took things one step further, adding:
“Now we’ve got to finish the job, fifteen bucks and a union.”
Many of those in attendance were service workers who work on the Capitol grounds.
Recently, President Barack Obama signed an executive order raising their minimum pay to $10.10 per hour, however, that amount still is not enough to afford living in the expensive DC area.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 10, 2015
“They should know that if you are serving them, they have got to start serving you,” Sanders told the cheering crowd at the rally. “Workers who work for the United States government deserve the right to raise their children in security. They deserve the right to earn enough to live in a decent apartment or a decent house. They deserve the right to bargain collectively.”
Following his speech, protesters entered the Dirksen Senate Building, which houses the office to many senators, and held a sit-in in the cafeteria.
