It is unfortunate that this post popped up in a newsfeed prior to the event. To forestall inaccurate and exploitative narratives regarding this event, a few things need to be clarified.
First, Hillary Clinton endorsed this effort long ago. Her role in this movement has always been clear.
Hillary Clinton Supports Minimum Wage Hike
Clinton urges the creators of the "Fight for 15" movement to continue their work
Raising the minimum wage and strengthening overtime rules. Hillary believes we are long overdue in raising the minimum wage. She has supported raising the federal minimum wage to $12, and believes that we should go further than the federal minimum through state and local efforts, and workers organizing and bargaining for higher wages, such as the Fight for 15 and recent efforts in Los Angeles and New York to raise their minimum wage to $15. She also supports the Obama administration’s expansion of overtime rules to millions more workers.
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Paid family and medical leave
It’s time to guarantee paid family and medical leave in America.
Hillary will:
“For many workers, staying home to take care of a sick child or an aging parent means losing a paycheck—or worse, even losing a job. That is an impossible choice we shouldn’t ask anyone to make—and yet American workers are forced to make it every day.”
- Guarantee up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.
- Ensure at least a two-thirds wage replacement rate for workers.
- Pay for paid leave by making the wealthiest pay their fair share—not raising taxes on working families.
Hillary, NOVEMBER 9, 2015
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Second, to cast this victory as one for which any candidate or official might "take credit" is crass exploitation. This is a victory for American workers and families. This was a grassroots effort, not the brainchild of any candidate for office. Bernie Sanders arrived in New York last week. Hillary has been here since 1999 and New Yorkers know her as a former senator who worked hard for their interests.
It is admirable that both candidates campaigning under the Democratic Party umbrella share support for initiatives that affect the common good, but no single candidate can claim ownership of an issue. It is wrongheaded and divisive. Solutions differ, but the problems they seek to address are the same.
Today was a victory for New Yorkers, and Hillary celebrated, rightfully, with the people she supported who worked toward this. Any other narrative is self-serving nonsense, and Senator Sanders does need to take better control over how his surrogates and supporters represent his candidacy. The ship is not tight. If this is how he runs a campaign, how would he run the White House?
