Note

The “Fight for 15”: Can the Organizing Model that Helped Pass Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Legislation Fill the Gap Left by the Decline in Unions?

Author: Mary Hannah (Washington University School of Law)

Abstract

This Note examines whether the organizational methods successfully employed by the “Fight for 15” fast-food worker movement in Seattle is the answer to protecting these workers generally. Hannah addresses the historic inability for fast-food franchisees to unionize under the NLRA and advocates for new organizational methods and advocacy. Hannah argues that low-income workers need to expand the use of worker centers and workers’ councils in order to effectively protect the rights of fast-food workers.

Keywords: Fight for 15, NLRA, minimum wage, fast-food worker, unions, low- income workers, National Labor Relations Act, National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, poverty

How to Cite: Hannah, M. (2016) “The “Fight for 15”: Can the Organizing Model that Helped Pass Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Legislation Fill the Gap Left by the Decline in Unions?”, Washington University Journal of Law and Policy. 51(1).