Vol. 79/No. 15      April 27, 2015

Militant

Boston rally April 14 was first of hundreds of actions across country and worldwide.

“Today’s march kicks off a national wave of protests against wage and income inequality,” she said.

The national actions on April 15 began taking place across the country as the Militant goes to press. The Boston action was held April 14 because April 15 is a state holiday and the anniversary of the 2013 terror bombing at the Boston Marathon. Next week’s Militant will have coverage from many of the protests.

“Thank you for your support,” Francisco, who did not want his last name used, told the crowd. He is one of six workers at U.S. Kleaning Systems Inc., who are in a fight with their boss, a subcontractor at AMC Loews. They are paid less than minimum wage with no premium for overtime. After they organized protests at the theater, the boss paid them only half of what they were owed.

“With the protest today we hope they will pay us the rest,” he told the Militant. The six are owed $24,000.

The downtown march made stops at Northeastern University, where teaching assistants are fighting for higher pay, and at an office building at 31 St. James Street, where union cleaners were replaced with a nonunion contractor.

When the protesters stopped at a McDonald’s along the route, they found the door locked with a sign saying the restaurant was closed for “emergency maintenance.”

Participants included members of SEIU, New England Council of Carpenters, Massachusetts Nurses Association, Boston Teachers Union, United Food and Commercial Workers, Laborers’ International Union, National Association of Letter Carriers, Ironworkers and United Steelworkers-organized taxi drivers. Mass. Action Against Police Brutality members handed out flyers for a Saturday protest.

Several hundred people joined the first of what will be many New York actions April 15, a 6 a.m. march in downtown Brooklyn. The protest was organized by Laborers’ Local 79 and involved other members of the building trades, fast-food, Walmart and home health care workers, community organizations and a high school drill team marching band. Protesters chanted in English and Spanish as one worker after another took the mike to speak out.
 
 
Related articles:
Oil workers strike for safety continues at five refineries
Mexican farmworkers win 15% raise, will keep fighting
On the Picket Line
 
 
 
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