Above image: Protester Shantel Walker, 31, of Brooklyn, NBCNews.com
The following statement on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s executive order bolstering New York City’s living wage law was written by Shantel Walker, a Papa John’s worker who makes $8.50 an hour and is a member of Fast Food Forward in New York City.
“Nearly two years ago, 200 fast-food workers in New York City walked off our jobs, calling for $15 and union rights. Our demand may have sounded crazy at the time, but more and more, $15 is becoming a reality for workers across the country. As we’ve gone on strike again and again and a movement that started here in New York has spread to 150 cities, $15 suddenly doesn’t seem so impossible. From Seattle to Los Angeles to San Francisco, and now, New York, cities are raising wages so we don’t have to rely on public assistance to support our families.
“While he works with Gov. Cuomo to raise wages for all New Yorkers, Mayor de Blasio’s move today to put workers at city-subsidized projects on a path to $15 is a sign that we are winning. It’s a step in the right direction and helps push us forward in our Fight for $15 for workers across the entire country.”