WASHINGTON — Tyrika Meade started working at the sunglass stand in Union Station six weeks ago. She said she earns $8.25 an hour on an irregular schedule.

“I like the job but the pay is just not right,” Meade, 19, said in an interview.

So she joined an estimated 150 workers striking Tuesday to protest low wages at workplaces that are funded by federal contracts. She said an organizer had approached her recently while she was working. “They said in order to get higher pay we need people to actually protest against the fact that we are getting paid minimum wage,” she said.

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By John Hrabe

Goodwill Industries is the worst charity in America. Yes, the same Goodwill that you just gave all of your old clothing to. Yes, the same Goodwill where you bargain-hunt on the weekends. Yes, the same Goodwill that Beyoncé is encouraging her fans to support with “donation drives at her North American concerts.”

In a recent investigation for Watchdog.org, I reported that a majority of Goodwill entities in the United States pay people with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, while these same Goodwills simultaneously spend tens of millions of dollars per year on executive compensation and travel-related expenses.

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The nationwide flood of labor uprisings in the fast food industry hit Milwaukee, Wis., on Wednesday morning when workers at several major fast food and retail chains commenced a day-long strike.

As in other cities where similar strikes have occurred, Milwaukee-based employees at companies such as McDonald’s and TJ Maxx are demanding a minimum wage of $15 an hour and the right to form a union. Organizers estimate that by the end of the day, between 150 and 200 workers may have joined the work stoppage.

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By David Macaray

For decades there has been an outcry from conservative lobbyists (e.g., U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, etc.) and their Republican minions, demanding repeal of the minimum wage, arguing that it impedes growth, contributes to unemployment, and results in hundreds of small businesses–the backbone of the U.S. economy–going belly-up each year. While that claim makes for good propaganda, the numbers don’t support it.

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As Mother’s Day approached, Charlene Fletcher, mother of two, found herself occupied with the needs of other families, attending to the crush of shoppers last week at the Walmart in Duarte, Calif., where she works.

On Mother’s Day itself, she would be in the store, making sure shoppers had one last chance to pick up a heart pendant or a personalized mug for mom. For the past four years, Fletcher has had to work every Mother’s Day, along with every New Year’s Eve, and nearly every weekend.

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