Federal contract workers formed picket lines outside government buildings on Tuesday as all eyes turn to Washington for the Pope’s arrival.
The advocacy group Good Jobs Nation called for low-wage staff at federal buildings to walk off the job to “welcome [Pope] Francis and his message for the working poor.”
Good Jobs Nation says it represents the workers that cook, clean and provide other services for companies under contract with the federal government. The group’s website says these contract workers are paid so poorly that they are “unable to afford basic needs such as food, clothing, and rent.”
The strikers are asking for collective bargaining rights and a $15 per hour minimum wage. Protesters began lining up early Tuesday morning and were joined by Senator Bernie Sanders.
“In my view, when we talk about morality and when we talk about justice we have to understand that there is no justice when so few have so much, while so many have so little,” Sanders said in a statement.
Good Jobs Nation posted videos on its Facebook page showing a group gathered to hear Sanders speak at a church. Other posts show strikers sitting outside the Capitol building and at a sit-in at the Senate cafeteria.
President Obama upped the minimum wage this year to $10.10 per hour for companies that receive federal contracts. But advocates said during an April protest in D.C. that the law is often flouted by their employers.
Pope Francis has been a vocal advocate for living wages, and members of Good Jobs Nation sent a letter to Francis last week asking to meet with him when he’s in town. There is no word on whether a meeting will take place.
The pope is expected to arrive in D.C. around 4 p.m.