Ruth Milkman Supports 'Fight for $15' Movement in New York Times

In a prominent New York Times story, Distinguished Professor Ruth Milkman (Sociology) calls the Fight for $15 campaign -- an effort to raise the minimum wage for millions of workers -- "the single most important initiative on the labor front in the last few years."

The article, "Eyeing the Trump Voter, 'Fight for $15' Widens Its Focus," examines how the leaders of the labor-financed movement are hoping to reach out to working-class voters outside of urban areas.
 
Some critics note that the Service Employees union has spent tens of millions of dollars on the campaign, yet the union hasn't gained many new members. Milkman disagrees with that analysis, telling the Times that unions are less focused on the bottom line, compared with corporations.
 
Milkman, a renowned sociologist of labor and labor movements, has written extensively on topics involving work and organized labor in the United States. In September, she co-authored a report showing that despite an overall decline in union membership in recent years, New York City and New York State lead the nation in union density.