Massive Nationwide Fast Food Protests 9-5-14

Hands Up, Don't Shoot! I'm a Service Worker

BY VALARIE LONG, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, SEIU

After fast food workers in 150 cities across the country went on strike yesterday and engaged in acts of civil disobedience inspired by the civil rights movement, it became apparent once again that civil rights, human rights, and union rights are all part of the same 

struggle for justice.

The Reverend Michael Walrond Jr. wrote in the New York Daily News on Wednesday that in New York City there are 50,000 fast food workers--90 percent of whom are people of color.

It's not just fast food and not just New York. From the poorest communities to the very richest, it's people of color who work in service occupations of all types. No problem with that, of course, except that a service job in today's America generally means low wages, no benefits, no ability to provide for your family, and no possibility for advancement.

Service workers are behind even before they start. And it's hurting our consumer-driven economy because these people can't even afford the basics.

Silicon Valley is a perfect example. A report last week released by Working Partnerships USA titled "Tech's Diversity Problem, More Than Meets the Eye," shows that despite what the media tells us, people of color do work in Silicon Valley--as service workers. Some 41 percent of security officers, 72 percent of janitors, and 76 percent of groundskeepers are African-American or Latino.

Their wages? $13.82 for groundskeepers, $11.39 for janitors, $14.17 for security officers. 

Try living on that in Silicon Valley, one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.

And try living on that knowing that you're one of the workers who provided the top Silicon Valley tech companies with a record $103.7 billion in profits in 2013.

And try living on that knowing that neither you nor your children are likely to move in to a better paying job because depending on the company those positions--as software developers--have only between three and 13 percent Latino or African-American workers.

As Apple CEO Tim Cook said of the company's diversity data, "As CEO, I'm not satisfied with the numbers on this page...We know we can do better."

Amen to that. But as the report concludes, "If tech companies are serious about building a pipeline from K-12 schools for a more diverse tech workforce, it starts with paying their parents a living wage."

After the report was released, community supporters of Silicon Valley's security officers 

engaged in civil disobedience at an Apple store in San Francisco.

And last month, in the wake of the murder of Michael Brown, fast food workers were on the frontline of protests in Ferguson, Missouri. Not only were they outraged by the slaughter of a young man, they were also seeking a better future for young African-Americans too often ensnared by death, prison, or low-wage work.

From fast food to Ferguson to Silicon Valley and beyond, civil 

rights, human rights, and union rights are all part of the same 

struggle for justice. 

Everyone should enjoy equal protection under the law. And everyone who works--no matter what our color--should be paid enough to afford basic needs like groceries, housing, and transportation.