23 arrested at 'Fight for $15' rally in Milwaukee



MILWAUKEE -- About 100 demonstrators pushing for a $15 an hour minimum wage prompted a McDonald's restaurant in Milwaukee to close as they congregated outside the fast food restaurant.

Police made about 23 arrests as the protest moved onto a busy street and blocked traffic on the city's north side. The demonstration is part of the "Fight for $15," a national movement seeking to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for fast food, child care, airlines and other workers. The group also wants the right to start unions or join existing ones.

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The workers blocked doors and took over the drive thru area of the restaurant before marching in the streets -- stopping traffic on I-43.

Police say the protesters refused to leave the roadway and were arrested. One person was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Milwaukee native and Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival Co-Chair the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis was among those arrested.

A demonstration was planned in Chicago Thursday and in Miami where higher education workers are expected to join fast-food workers in a protest in Miami. A U.S. House candidate was among those arrested Tuesday at a similar demonstration in Detroit.