Hundreds of African-American and Hispanic union workers came out to protest with Bernie Sanders on a very rainy Tuesday morning, demanding a higher minimum wage.
Many of them said that Sanders’ call to justice was more authentic than Hillary Clinton’s and that while the Democratic front-runner gave their issue lip service, her socialist primary challenger was much more a “man of the people.”
“Brothers and sisters, thank you all for coming out and standing up for justice, standing up for dignity,” Sanders said to a crowd of Capitol Hill minimum wage workers who were on strike demanding a $15 minimum wage. “Workers who work for the United States government deserve the right to raise their children in security. They deserve the right to earn enough to live in a decent apartment or a decent house. They deserve the right to bargain collectively.”
“Now there are a number of senators that are served by people right here. And they should know that if you are serving them they have got to start serving you!” the Vermont senator exclaimed.
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Although Sanders has placed unions and labor rights at the center of his campaign since its inception in May, he has failed to pick up as nearly many major union endorsements as Clinton. The Sanders campaign has also struggled to gain traction among minority voters, especially African-Americans, even though Sanders has a history of civil rights activism. But there was pro-Sanders sentiment on display from both groups Tuesday.
“He believes in the people, people need help,” Senate cafeteria worker Harold Foster said. “Bernie is about the people, and he really believes that we have rights.”
Union workers in the U.S. Capitol and Senate cafeterias have bargained for higher wages for many years with little success. One Senate cafeteria worker, Roman Hardy, said he was striking because in two years he has only received a $.05 raise, and he believes Sanders could change that.
He said, “I like Sanders because he’s supporting our campaign and he’s avidly supporting our campaign. He’s not just beating around the bush saying, ‘Oh yeah I’ll address it’. He is actually helping us. We’re fighting for $15 but Hillary is selling for $12. So while Hillary talks, Bernie is actually fighting for us.”
Sanders has repeatedly expressed his support for the $15 minimum wage on the campaign trail, as has underdog candidate Martin O’Malley, whereas Clinton only supports a $12 minimum wage. Sanders claimed that if the minimum wage had kept pace with productivity, it would be more than $16 an hour today.
After his speech, the 74-year-old Sanders posed for photos with workers in the pouring rain, often leaving his umbrella behind to maneuver through the crowds. Workers chanted and held signs with pictures of President Obama reading “We need more than the minimum” and “Hiring: A President to do the Job. $15 minimum wage.”
“What I also want to say, is what you are doing, and workers all over the United States are doing, you are having a profound impact,” Sanders said to loud cheers. “You see people in Los Angeles, people in San Francisco, they are raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. And you know who started that, you did! So you should be very proud!”
