Bernie Sanders will march in protest with U.S. federal contract workers on Tuesday on the Senate grounds, just before the fourth GOP debate, to support of their fight for a higher minimum wage.
Many of the workers marching on the Capitol Tuesday morning are employees of the U.S. Capitol and Senate food services who say “they earn so little that they sleep on the streets, use food stamps and even moonlight at strip clubs to make ends meet.”
“U.S. Government shouldn’t be America’s leading low-wage job creator,” said Sanders, the Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate who has championed the Fight for $15 nationally. “The federal government should lead by example and make sure taxpayer-subsidized federal contractors like Compass Group pay a living wage of $15 and allow workers to organize without retaliation.”
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Although both Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley have pushed for an increased minimum wage, the socialist senator is the only presidential candidate who has expressed support for a $15 minimum wage.
During the protest, workers will draw a contrast between the policies of the GOP and the Democratic primary candidates. While numerous Democratic senators, such as Sanders, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer, support higher wages for U.S. Capitol and Senate workers, no Republican senators or presidential candidates have expressed similar support.
Following the 10:30 a.m. rally and press conference on Capitol Hill, members of the contract workers union will engage in civil disobedience.
