WASHINGTON — Tyrika Meade started working at the sunglass stand in Union Station six weeks ago. She said she earns $8.25 an hour on an irregular schedule.
“I like the job but the pay is just not right,” Meade, 19, said in an interview.
So she joined an estimated 150 workers striking Tuesday to protest low wages at workplaces that are funded by federal contracts. She said an organizer had approached her recently while she was working. “They said in order to get higher pay we need people to actually protest against the fact that we are getting paid minimum wage,” she said.