Fight for 15 movement starts discussion on minimum wage

By Gabriella CiuffetelliSpecial to the Chronicle Fight for 15 activists spoke to Hofstra University students on Wednesday, Oct. 28 about the conditions and realities that fast food workers in America face every day. Yancy Rivera, a panelist, McDonald’s worker and Fight for 15 activist, spoke about her experience working 13 years for a company that pays minimum wage, allows minimal time to finish a task and does not provide sick time. Rivera spoke about these conditions and the labor-backed fight against them during the panel. Fight for 15 is a national movement that Professor Kasmir, the panel’s moderator, described as “a campaign among fast food workers for a $15-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers … and [its] implications also for the minimum wage for everybody.” The panel was held as a part of Hofstra’s Center for Civic Engagement’s 13th annual Day of Dialogue – a full day dedicated to discussing current events and the issues faced by the nation – and featured speakers Greg Reynoso, who translated for Rivera and serves as the New York state director for the Fight for 15 campaign, another McDonald’s worker Ana Torres and Organizer for the Long Island Progressive Coalition Olivia Santoro. In addition to advocating for an increased minimum wage, the campaign demands the right to form a union, which would allow fast food workers to collectively bargain with their employers for benefits such as paid sick days, paid vacation and substantial raises. “In the store [where] I work, we don’t even have sick days … sometimes we are sick, and we have to go to work, just because we cannot afford to lose one day of work,” Torres said, who also used Reynoso as her interpreter. While the campaign started in November 2012 in New York City with only 200 workers, Reynoso said the movement has expanded rapidly and currently represents “200 cities and thousands [of] workers in the U.S and over … 23 different countries.” Students at Hofstra have also taken notice of the movement. Danielle Moskowitz, a junior journalism major said, “I definitely agree with the movement, especially with raising [the minimum wage] in New York City since living in the city is so expensive.” In the three years since the first protest was held, the Fight for 15 campaign has had some considerable victories. In New York, legislation establishing a $15 minimum wage was officially passed in June, and both Reynoso and Kasmir attributed the movement to its success. “I agree that the minimum wage should be raised because there are people with families who need the extra dollars per hour … Those people work hard for their money and conditions in those places aren’t the greatest,” said Kathryn Ricciardi, junior Journalism student. However, there is still opposition to the movement, and in a question-and-answer session, Reynoso highlighted some of the most common criticisms the campaign has faced, such as the claim that the corporations do not have enough money to pay all of their workers a higher wage. He then spoke directly to this criticism, saying, “McDonald’s made ... more than 100 million in profit last year, which should show that they really have more than enough money to pay to the workers.” Another argument he combatted is the claim that fast food jobs are only for young people. However, according to Reynoso, “over 60 percent of fast wood workers were all adults with kids and families to support” and increasing the minimum wage is the only way they can provide for themselves and their children. Lexi D’Attile, a junior psychology major said, “It’s really nice to see that you can make a difference when you put your mind to something, and I think this movement shows how effective working together can really be.”