Who we are

We are group of fast food and low-wage workers in Stand Up KC who meet regularly to discuss and organize to make our jobs better.

We started the group in October 2014 to create a place where women can organize around the special issues that we face in low-wage jobs like, discrimination, harassment, and lack of paid maternity leave.

Because women make up the majority of workers in low-wage industries like childcare, home care, and fast food, it means that women have a lot to gain by fighting for $15 and a union. Women’s rights are worker’s rights.

What we do

As part of the Fight for $15, we stay busy marching, rallying, and speaking out for $15 and union rights but we also plan actions to fight for things working women need like equal opportunity for promotion, paid maternity leave, and affordable and quality child care.

In addition to our actions and marches, we have hosted talks by guest speakers like MaryBe McMillan, of the North Carolina AFL-CIO, and Rosalyn Pelles, a veteran civil and labor rights organizer, and film screenings showcasing women leaders of the past. We participate in Women’s Equality Week and Women’s History Month events.

Special Women's Equality Week guest MaryBe McMillan joined the FLH Women's Committee at a march for $15 and a union — Special Women’s Equality Week guest MaryBe McMillan joined the FLH Women’s Committee at a march for $15 and a union

Workers and allies rallied at the state house to call for fair pay

Listen! Local NPR station hosts the FLH Committee to talk about the important role that women play fighting for economic and racial justice on our local NPR station.

Who is Fannie Lou Hamer?

Fannie Lou Hamer was an organizer and a leader in the civil rights movement, who worked the hard life of a cotton picker before becoming an organizer with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She knew that things only change in this country because people stand up to fight for what’s right.

She was jailed, beaten, and threatened but she kept fighting for racial equality. We see her as an inspiration to continue our fight for collective rights.

We fight for economic dignity because, like Fannie Lou Hamer famously said, we are “Sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Ways to Support

Donate now to help send women workers to a leadership training this summer!

We’re raising funds to send several workers to Chicago this summer to attend the Midwest School for Women Workers, a weeklong leadership training at Roosevelt University. There, we will learn about women leaders of the past and improve our organizing and leadership skills.

We can’t attend the school without your help to cover the cost of tuition, travel, meals, etc. Every dollar helps:

$25—Buys a Women’s Committee T- shirt

$40—Buys two meals for one person

$175—Buys one person’s round-trip train ticket

$650—Pays for tuition for one person

Your gift is critical to ensuring that women leaders can build power in our workplaces and in the streets. Thank you.

Or, if you prefer a check, you can mail it to Stand Up KC at MCED, P.O. Box 5946, Kansas City, MO 64171. Please make all checks out to MCED. Thank you for your support!