Chicago / The “Fight for 15” campaign (at least $15 per hour )

Workers at 30 fast-food restaurants and retail stores in downtown Chicago plan to stage a walkout Wednesday in hopes of pressuring their bosses to pay them more money.

The action is part of the “Fight for 15” campaign, organized by the Service Employees International Union along with nonprofit groups, which seeks wages of at least $15 per hour for low-skilled workers working downtown. Many of those workers make the state’s minimum wage of $8.25 per hour, or only slightly more, organizers said.

Organizers hope to tap into the frustration among workers who feel trapped in low-income jobs. Recently, fast-food restaurant workers in New York and Wal-Mart discount store employees in Dallas, Los Angeles and other cities staged similar actions.

Starting at 5 a.m. Wednesday, workers are scheduled to march with signs outside stores along Michigan Avenue and State Street, said Katelyn Johnson, executive director of Action Now Institute, a nonprofit organization that is driving the event.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor

via Low-income workers plan labor action at 30 downtown Chicago restaurants and retail stores – chicagotribune.com.