Thousands of workers across the nation planned to walk away from their jobs Monday in protest of systemic racism and economic inequality.
Labor unions and social justice organizations planned the nationwide walkout, which they've called the "Strike for Black Lives." Some demands include justice for Black communities, allowing all workers to unionize, expanding health care to include paid sick leave and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Over 150 workers gathered outside the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan, calling on the president and the Senate to adopt the House-approved HEROES Act. The bill would provide hazard pay to those working amid the pandemic and extended unemployment benefits to people who have been laid off.
In Boston, hundreds of health care workers and other essential employees joined some Democratic Senate candidates outside the city's statehouse holding signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and "Unions for all."
And on the West Coast, organizers say roughly 1,500 janitors also walked off their jobs in San Francisco and planned a march on City Hall. McDonald's and other fast food restaurant workers in Los Angeles also joined the strike.
Members of the Service Employees International Union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the American Federation of Teachers and the Fight for $15 group have also joined the movement.
The strike comes amid widespread calls for systemic reform sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May.
For Newsy, I'm Gage Jackson.
Additional reporting by Aaron Morrison of the Associated Press.
