Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has pledged to American workers that he would institute a $15-per-hour minimum wage if he wins the White House in 2020.
But unionized workers on Sanders’ own campaign say they wish he would start now -- by paying a higher wage to them.
According to a report, members of Sanders’ staff have been using the senator's own campaign rhetoric against him as they try to wrestle more pay from the self-described democratic socialist.
In a letter to Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir, the campaign staffers claim they “cannot be expected to build the largest grassroots organizing program in American history while making poverty wages,” the Washington Post reported.
“Given our campaign’s commitment to fighting for a living wage of at least $15.00 an hour,” the letter continues, “we believe it is only fair that the campaign would carry through this commitment to its own field team.”
According to the Post, field organizers claim that their long hours working on behalf of Sanders drop their actual pay to about $13 per hour.
“Many field staffers are barely managing to survive financially,” the union letter says, “which is severely impacting our team’s productivity and morale. Some field organizers have already left the campaign as a result.”