On
Wed., Apr. 15,
thousands of workers, many of them members of the
union SEIU1199, will gather at
West 64th Street
(between Broadway and Central Park West) in
Manhattan at
4:00 p.m. to demand a $15 an hour minimum wage and a
union for all low wage workers.
The demonstration is part of a nationwide mobilization
in New York, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Maryland, and Washington, DC to demand $15 an hour and
to fight out-of-control inequality in the U.S.. As the
health-car industry grows and shifts to outpatient
settings, employers are trying to drag workers into a
race to the bottom. Although the U.S. economy is
growing, all the profits are going to the top 1%.
To understand more about the $15 an
hour campaign,
Haïti Liberté spoke to Stephania Henry, a Haitian
home care worker who is represented by 1199. Stephania
was born in Port-au-Prince and grew up in Delmas before
moving to the U.S. five years ago.
Stephania,
please tell us about where you work and what you do?
I’m a home care worker for the past
four years. I work in the Bronx for Cooperative
Homecare, but I live in Harlem. My commute is about 35
minutes. The woman I take care of, I have to do
everything for her. She can do nothing for herself. It
is hard work. I wake up at 5:30 a.m and have to be at
work at 7 a.m. I often work for 12 hours a day or 50
hours a week.
When I first started, I made $8 an
hour. We home care workers want to help people, and that
is rewarding, but the money we make is important too. We
have to be able to survive, to pay our rent. That is
what we’re trying to do on April 15: win a living wage
for our members, for all workers.
How did you
become involved in the movement for a $15 an hour
minimum wage?
I first heard about the movement
from co-workers. I met my 1199 organizer about two weeks
after I started to work. She talked to me about 1199,
how it is fighting for workers. As workers, we have to
stand up for ourselves. Now I’m a delegate. We don’t
just need $15 an hour. We deserve it. Our work is not
easy.
Furthermore, the price of
everything is going up. Subway fare is now $2.75. Rents
and food prices are rising.
What do you say
to employers who say that they cannot afford a higher
minimum wage and that it will lead to an economic
downturn?
I don’t believe that. The more
workers are paid, the more we will spend, and the better
the economy will be. Paying us $15 an hour is a minor
expense anyway. It will make us more effective, more
motivated. We are no longer in the time of slavery. We
will not be slaves.
Why a $15 an
hour minimum? What about President Obama’s proposal of a
$10.10 minimum wage?
$10.10 an hour instead of $15?
That’s laughable. Rent, food, clothes, lights: you can’t
afford those on $10.10. For example, I don’t yet have a
family, but I can’t afford a one bedroom apartment. Can
you imagine that? Now think of a worker with kids,
supporting a family. I get up at 5:30 a.m. and get home
at 8 p.m., and I can’t afford a one bedroom. I can’t
afford a lot of things. No, $10.10 is not serious.
How widespread
is the $15 minimum wage movement in the United States?
This movement is mobilizing
low-income workers in many sectors and in many states. I
see the involvement of workers from McDonald’s, Wendy’s,
department stores, and of course homecare workers. We
have to stand up for ourselves, because no one else will
do it.
Yesterday, I was at an H&M department store. A guy
working there told me: “On April 15, you have to be at
the rally.” He
was telling
me! I was surprised at first. He said that he was
trying to motivate everyone he could to come out to the
demonstration. Then I realized that we’re all in the
same boat. And together we are a major force. This
movement for a living wage is sweeping across the U.S.,
and it’s about time. |