Fast-food workers 'Fight for 15' during Phoenix Labor Day protest

BrieAnna J. Frank
The Republic | azcentral.com
A group of people holds up signs at the group's initial gathering at University Park, near 10th Avenue and Van Buren Street, on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, during Labor Day.

Dozens of fast-food workers spent their Labor Day morning protesting low wages in downtown Phoenix as part of the nationwide "Fight for 15" campaign, which seeks to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

The group of about 60 people gathered near 10th Avenue and Van Buren Street and marched to the McDonald's restaurant at 7th Avenue and Van Buren Street. 

Protesters chanted and cheered for their cause, igniting the interest of bystanders and several cars who honked as they passed by.

The march was peaceful.

Two Phoenix police officers were stationed at the McDonald's, turning them away from the restaurant's property. The group opted instead to hold their brief program on the sidewalk next to the busy intersection, with the officers keeping watch.

Even though the focus was on wages, the Living United for Change in Arizona Co-Director, Tomas Robles, said the movement was about more than money.

"We started this movement to have rights and dignities for all workers and that looks like more than a minimum wage increase," Robles said. "It looks like having the ability to take time off to take care (for) your sick child. It looks like the ability to have some type of upward mobility in your job."

MORE:My Turn: Minimum wage fight isn't just about higher pay

It wasn't just fast-food workers' rights being fought for at the Labor Day gathering, Robles said they're fighting for all historically underrepresented groups.

"In this current political climate, we need more and more people to stand together and fight for each other," Robles said. "Whether it's workers' rights, whether it's DACA and deferred action, whether it's women's rights, or anything else really."

Politics was a big focus for Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, who spoke to the group in front of the restaurant.

"Unless we are united, people like Donald Trump and folks like Joe Arpaio and corporations like McDonald's will continue to use Latino workers, and not give us the decency we deserve," Gallardo said.

Gallardo spent much of his five-minute speech addressing the movement's solidarity with recipients of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — known as DACA or young migrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children — which is currently in limbo as President Trump decides its fate.

MORE:10 things to know about 800K DACA recipients, 'dreamers' and Trump

The legislation defers deportation and provides work permits for people who arrived in the United States without legal documentation as children.

Gallardo said that an end to DACA would mean more than a $1 billion loss in productivity in Arizona, further adding to the economic issues that he said are brought on by a low minimum wage.

"We stand up today in one united voice to send a message to McDonald's and Donald Trump, and anyone else who wants to disrespect and hold down the Latino community — we're not going to stand for it," Gallardo said.

Kathy Ortega, a McDonald's worker in Tucson, drove two hours to join the protest on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, during Labor Day.

Among the protesters was Kathy Ortega, a McDonald's worker in Tucson who drove two hours to join the group Monday.

Ortega said she used to make $8.25 an hour before the minimum wage increased to $10 in January, but that it's still hard to get by because her hours have been cut back as a result.

"I got 10, 10 is great, but 15 would be a whole lot better," Ortega said, adding that the "Fight for 15" workers need a union to ensure that managers don't cut back hours due to a higher minimum wage. 

Ortega said increasing her wages by $1.75 an hour allowed her to move out of her daughter's house and get a one-bedroom place that she shares with three other family members.

She said that a $15 minimum wage would allow her to get a bigger house and send her children to college.

"I know I would be a whole lot happier," Ortega said. 

Nora Whipple, a fast-food worker in Phoenix, holds up an "America Needs Unions" sign during the gathering near 10th Avenue and Van Buren Street on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, during Labor Day.

Nora Whipple, a fast-food worker in Phoenix, agreed with Ortega's sentiment and added that a $15 minimum wage would be "life-changing."

"I would love to be able to adopt a child that's been abandoned, but right now I can't do that because of how much I make," Whipple said.

Whipple said she sees the Labor Day rally as a "means to educate the public about the democratic process" and that the gathering shows the tenacity of minimum-wage workers throughout the state. 

"It's...a rally to show that we are struggling but that we are not afraid to overcome that struggle," Whipple said. 

READ MORE:

As Trump weighs fate of DACA, 'dreamer' vows: 'We’re not going down without a fight'

My Turn: How minimum wage and union laws hurt those they intend to help

Phoenix-area small businesses optimistic despite minimum-wage hikes

Arizona Supreme Court rejects minimum-wage challenge

Flagstaff City Council approves slowdown of minimum-wage increase