CEO DATELINE - Protesters target restaurant association fly-in

April 16, 2015 |
Walt Williams

Activists seek higher minimum wage for employees

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Restaurant workers and their organized labor allies held a series of protests across the nation Wednesday to advocate for a higher minimum wage, something that several associations actively oppose.

In Washington, D.C., protestors attempted to disrupt a National Restaurant Association fly-in by blocking traffic near Capitol Hill to stop association members from meeting with lawmakers. An association spokeswoman said the activists had more success angering commuters by blocking traffic than disrupting its schedule.

Also that day, activists launched a ballot campaign to raise D.C.'s minimum wage from $9.50 to $15 an hour.

The protests in D.C. and elsewhere are part of a larger push to raise the minimum wage across the country. One of the main organizers of the protests, the Service Employees International Union, hailed the demonstrations as "the largest mobilization of underpaid working people in modern American history."

Some cities have already acted. Seattle recently implemented an ordinance that will gradually raise its minimum wage to $15. The International Franchise Association sued the city last year because the ordinance treats independently operated franchises as large businesses, requiring them to raise their wages faster than small businesses.

Responding to Wednesday's protests, IFA said the campaign for a higher minimum wage was nothing more than "a multi-million dollar public relations campaign designed to mislead the public and policymakers."

"Recently disclosed financial reports unequivocally prove these protests are nothing more than union-funded public relations stunts, serving as the backbone of one of the most egregious examples of government overreach in American history," IFA CEO Steve Caldeira said.